33873 ZIP Code — Wauchula, FL

Hardee County, Florida

ZIP code 33873 is located in Wauchula, Florida, within Hardee County. It covers approximately 124.52 square miles and serves a population of 13,678 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 863.

About ZIP code 33873

The housing stock consists of a higher-than-average concentration of mobile homes. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $120,200. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 64%.

The gap between median ($40,625) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. Poverty affects 30% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 26% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 33% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 27 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 10% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (25%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 21% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 33873 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

13,678

population

124.52

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

33873 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 33873

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 33873. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Wauchula	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

33890 Zolfo Springs (5.1 mi) 33865 Ona (10.8 mi) 33834 Bowling Green (12.9 mi) 33841 Fort Meade (14.7 mi) 33872 Sebring (16.3 mi) 33875 Sebring (19.7 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	13,678
Population density	110 / sq mi
State FIPS	12
County FIPS	049

Geography
Land area	124.52 sq mi
Water area	0.18 sq mi
Latitude	27.5249
Longitude	-81.7794
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	863

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	62.2%	60.4%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	22.4%	25.8%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	12.5%	11.9%	19.3%
Over $200k	2.8%	1.9%	6.4%

Demographics & statistics

13,678

Population

110

People per sq mi

35.3

Median age

$40,625

Median household income

$27,183

Per capita income

$120,200

Median home value

$911

Median monthly rent

64.4%

Home ownership

29.7%

Poverty rate

8.9%

Unemployment

3,917

Housing units

9.7%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

549

Under 5

498

468

5–9

424

632

10–14

572

484

15–19

439

468

20–24

424

953

25–34

864

823

35–44

746

857

45–54

776

260

55–59

236

456

60–64

413

602

65–74

546

372

75–84

337

251

85+

228

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,657	26.7%
18 and over	10,021	73.3%
65 and over	2,336	17.1%
Median age	35.3 years

Race & ethnicity

White 58.6%

Hispanic or Latino 16%

Two or more races 10.2%

Other race 7.3%

Black or African American 4.7%

American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%

Asian 0.8%

Group	Count	%
White	9,551	58.6%
Hispanic or Latino	2,608	16%
Two or more races	1,665	10.2%
Other race	1,181	7.3%
Black or African American	765	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	388	2.4%
Asian	128	0.8%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	62.2%	60.4%	43.4%
$50k – $100k	22.4%	25.8%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	12.5%	11.9%	19.3%
Over $200k	2.8%	1.9%	6.4%

Under $10k 10.9%

$10k–$15k 11.5%

$15k–$25k 8.8%

$25k–$35k 11.4%

$35k–$50k 13.3%

$50k–$75k 16.3%

$75k–$100k 10.4%

$100k–$150k 11.5%

$150k–$200k 2.2%

$200k+ 3.8%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	10.9%
$10k–$15k	11.5%
$15k–$25k	8.8%
$25k–$35k	11.4%
$35k–$50k	13.3%
$50k–$75k	16.3%
$75k–$100k	10.4%
$100k–$150k	11.5%
$150k–$200k	2.2%
$200k+	3.8%
Median income	$40,625

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 14.0%

$50k–$100k 29.5%

$100k–$150k 11.2%

$150k–$200k 10.7%

$200k–$300k 19.3%

$300k–$500k 13.4%

$500k–$1M 1.7%

$1M+ 0.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$120,200
Median rent / month	$911
Owner occupied	64.4%
Renter occupied	35.6%
Vacant	13.7%
Single-family detached	62.9%
Large apartment buildings	2.7%
Mobile homes	18.8%
Median rooms	5.3
Avg household size (owned)	2.74

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	8.2%
2000–2009	15.6%
1990–1999	16.8%
1980–1989	12.2%
1970–1979	25.5%
1960–1969	9.6%
1950–1959	2.1%
1940–1949	1.8%
1939 or earlier	8.2%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	0.8%
1 bedroom	11.9%
2 bedrooms	28.2%
3 bedrooms	41.7%
4 bedrooms	16.7%
5+ bedrooms	0.7%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	6.5%
1 vehicle	40.6%
2 vehicles	32.2%
3 or more	20.8%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	0.4%
Electricity	92.5%
Propane / LP gas	2.5%
No fuel used	4.7%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,284	46.8%
Cohabiting couple	381	7.8%
Male householder, no spouse	1,012	20.7%
Female householder, no spouse	1,203	24.7%
Households with children under 18	1,810	37.1%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,415	29.0%
Average household size	2.71

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	39.8%	28.5%
Married	45.7%	46.2%
Separated	2.6%	7.0%
Widowed	1.4%	10.2%
Divorced	10.5%	8.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 13.5%

Some HS, no diploma 8.6%

HS graduate 45.9%

Some college, no degree 14.5%

Associate's degree 7.7%

Bachelor's degree 7.4%

Graduate / professional 2.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	77.8%
Bachelor's or higher	9.7%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	103	3.5%
Kindergarten	192	6.5%
Elementary school	1,516	51.4%
High school	854	28.9%
College / grad school	287	9.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 16.8%

Retail trade 14.9%

Agriculture & mining 12.3%

Construction 10.4%

Finance & real estate 9.7%

Professional & management 7.8%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.0%

Manufacturing 6.5%

Public administration 6.5%

Transportation & utilities 5.7%

Other services 1.6%

Wholesale trade 0.8%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	24.2%
Service	18.7%
Sales & office	19.9%
Natural resources & construction	19.4%
Production & transportation	17.8%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	83.4%
Government	13.0%
Self-employed	2.9%
Unpaid family workers	0.7%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	69.5%
Carpool	27.6%
Public transit	0.4%
Walk	0.3%
Work from home	1.8%
Other means	0.3%
Avg commute (minutes)	27.2

Poverty

All people 29.7%

Under 18 years 41.6%

18 and over 25.3%

Married-couple families 10.1%

Female-led households 63.4%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	32.5%
Retirement income	17.6%
Supplemental Security	8.5%
Cash public assistance	3.6%
Food stamps / SNAP	25.6%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	40.1%
High blood pressure	34.5%
High cholesterol	32.8%
Diabetes	14.1%
Heart disease	8.1%
Stroke	4.4%
Asthma	9.5%
Arthritis	25.6%
Kidney disease	3.9%
Pulmonary disease	11.2%
Cancer	5.7%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	25.0%
Binge drinking	14.6%
No physical activity	38.2%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	36.2%
Depression	20.8%
Fair or poor health	26.4%
Poor mental health	18.1%
Poor physical health	15.9%
No health insurance	35.5%
Visited doctor (checkup)	72.6%
Visited dentist	42.5%
Cholesterol screening	85.3%
Teeth loss	25.5%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	471	4.7%

Disability	%
Any disability	15.4%
Under 18	4.2%
18–64 years	14.7%
65 and over	36.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	45.7%
Public insurance	51.6%
No insurance	13.1%
Uninsured under 19	4.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	12,631	92.3%
Spanish	2,667	21.1%
Other Indo-European	2,619	20.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	48	0.4%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	12,051	88.1%
Born in same state	11,552	84.5%
Born in different state	8,089	59.1%
Foreign born	499	3.6%
Naturalized citizen	1,627	11.9%
Not a US citizen	721	44.3%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	1,259	9.2%
French	680	5%
Italian	411	3%

Ancestry	Count	%
Dutch	26	0.2%
Norwegian	6	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	35.7%
Internet access	87.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 33873

What city is ZIP code 33873 in?

ZIP code 33873 is primarily assigned to Wauchula, Florida.

What county is ZIP code 33873 in?

ZIP code 33873 falls within Hardee County, Florida.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 33873?

30% of residents in ZIP code 33873 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 33873?

10% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 33873?

Approximately 21% of households in ZIP code 33873 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 33873?

The median home value in ZIP code 33873 is $120,200.

What timezone is ZIP code 33873 in?

ZIP code 33873 observes the EST timezone.