Polk County · Residential desk · September 13, 2026
Polk County has seventeen municipalities and a county index
Last updated:
These notes are about Polk County as a whole. Lakeland and Winter Haven are two of seventeen incorporated places. Four Corners and Poinciana are unincorporated. The house-price number we cite is a county index, not a Lakeland sale price.
What the cited tape move does to a $400,000 30-year shape
Principal and interest only, from 6.71% as of Aug 14 to 6.81% as of Aug 28. That is about $27 more per month before tax and insurance. Run the calculator. Not an approval.
The cities, and the places that are not cities
The 2020 Census lists seventeen incorporated places: Auburndale city, Bartow city, Davenport city, Dundee town, Eagle Lake city, Fort Meade city, Frostproof city, Haines City city, Highland Park village, Hillcrest Heights town, Lake Alfred city, Lake Hamilton town, Lakeland city, Lake Wales city, Mulberry city, Polk City town, and Winter Haven city.
Named unincorporated communities include Four Corners, Lakeland Highlands, Loughman, and Poinciana. Four Corners also appears in Lake, Orange, and Osceola counties. Poinciana also appears in Osceola County. We will not invent a sale price for those places.
What the county house-price number is
The Federal Housing Finance Agency publishes an annual house-price index for Polk County, FL. On FRED that series is ATNHPIUS12105A. The index was 335.93 in 2025, 340.14 in 2024, and 332.06 in 2023 (2000 equals 100; last updated March 31, 2026). That number is for the whole county. It is not a sale price for one city.
The last official daily 30-year rate on this site is 6.81% as of August 28. That is a national rate, not a local lock. Use the payment calculator only as a payment shape. The result is not an approval.
What Census vacancy can say
The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, released September 11, 2025, give Polk County, FL a homeowner vacancy rate of 2.5% and a rental vacancy rate of 8.2%. 13.8% of housing units were vacant, which includes seasonal and occasional-use homes. The 2023 1-year estimates were a 1.3% homeowner vacancy rate and a 3.1% rental vacancy rate. Those are housing-unit rates for the whole county. They are not an office or retail vacancy rate, and they are not a vacancy print for one city.
FAQ
Does this page publish a sale price for every city in Polk County, FL?
No. The house-price figure here is the FHFA annual county index via FRED ATNHPIUS12105A: 335.93 in 2025 versus 340.14 in 2024. We do not invent a median sale price or days on market for each town.
Is that county index a mortgage rate?
No. The last official daily 30-year cited on this site is 6.81% as of August 28, 2026. That is a national survey, not a personal APR.
Does this page publish an office or storefront vacancy rate for Polk County, FL?
No. The vacancy figures here are Census ACS 2024 1-year housing rates for the county: homeowner vacancy 2.5% and rental vacancy 8.2%. That table is about housing units, not commercial space.
Sources: FRED ATNHPIUS12105A (FHFA all-transactions Polk County, FL annual index 335.93 (2025), 340.14 (2024), 332.06 (2023); 2000=100; updated March 31, 2026); Census 2020 Florida place-by-county file (Incorporated places named for Polk County, FL); Mortgage News Daily daily rate index (30-year 6.81% as of August 28, 2026); Freddie Mac PMMS (weekly 30-year 6.66% as of August 27, 2026); Census ACS 2024 1-year DP04 (Polk County, FL homeowner vacancy 2.5%, rental vacancy 8.2%, vacant housing units 13.8%; released September 11, 2025); Census ACS 2023 1-year DP04 (Polk County, FL homeowner vacancy 1.3%, rental vacancy 3.1%, vacant housing units 13.0%; released September 12, 2024).