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Florida / Hardee County / Wauchula

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Wauchula

City, Hardee County. Population 4,879 (2025), -0.5% on the prior year, -0.4% since 2020 Last updated 2026-10-04.

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BusinessFlare® GIS, live. 3.27 square miles of land inside the limits.

Population

2025
Population4,879Population, April 1, 1979 to 202519795.2k high2025
Change since the prior year-0.5%2024 to 2025
Change since 2020-0.4%2020 to 2025
Census 20204,9002020

University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, Florida Estimates of Population, retrieved 2026-10-01 | Population estimates

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Basis of the latest figureestimate2025

Population by year

April 1 of each year. Basis is census in a census year, otherwise BEBR's estimate.

YearPopulationBasisChange
20254,879estimate-0.5%
20244,905estimate+0.7%
20234,869estimate+0.6%
20224,842estimate-0.6%
20214,872estimate-0.6%
20204,900census-6.3%
20195,229estimate+1.9%
20185,133estimate-0.8%
20175,172estimate+0.2%
20165,160estimate+3.2%
20155,001estimate-2.2%
20145,115estimate+2.0%
20135,016estimate-1.1%
20125,072estimate+2.5%
20114,948estimate-1.1%
20105,001census+9.7%
20094,560estimate+0.5%
20084,538estimate+2.0%
20074,447estimate-0.2%
20064,454estimate+8.3%
20054,112estimate-6.7%
20044,405estimate+1.8%
20034,327estimate-1.1%
20024,377estimate0.0%
20014,377estimate+0.2%
20004,368census+22.7%
19993,560estimate-0.1%
19983,562estimate+0.2%
19973,556estimate-0.5%
19963,573estimate-1.6%
19953,632estimate+2.3%
19943,549estimate+1.5%
19933,496estimate+0.8%
19923,469estimate+2.5%
19913,385estimaten/a
19893,425estimate+3.7%
19883,302estimate0.0%
19873,301estimate+0.2%
19863,295estimate0.0%
19853,294estimate+0.4%
19843,281estimate+10.4%
19832,971estimate-1.0%
19823,001estimate-0.7%
19813,022estimaten/a
19793,453estimaten/a

Labor force (county figures)

Aug 2026

County figures, no city estimate published by FloridaCommerce

Unemployment rate (Hardee County)5.5%Unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, Aug 2016 to Aug 2026Aug 201610.1% highAug 2026
Labor force (Hardee County)10,376Aug 2026
Employment (Hardee County)9,803Aug 2026
Unemployed (Hardee County)573Aug 2026
Rate a year earlier5.3%Aug 2025
Labor force, change on a year earlier+0.8%Aug 2026

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, retrieved 2026-10-01 | Labor force page

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Latest month is preliminaryyesAug 2026

Monthly, last three years

Not seasonally adjusted. The latest month may be preliminary.

MonthLabor forceEmployedUnemployedRate
Aug 202610,3769,8035735.5%
Jul 202610,0139,4116026.0%
Jun 202610,2679,6885795.6%
May 202610,5249,9815435.2%
Apr 202610,4699,9225475.2%
Mar 202610,57210,0275455.2%
Feb 202610,5779,9945835.5%
Jan 202610,4239,8206035.8%
Dec 202510,5389,9755635.3%
Nov 202510,4999,8796205.9%
Sep 202510,3849,8705144.9%
Aug 202510,2909,7445465.3%
Jul 20259,8519,3205315.4%
Jun 202510,2309,7544764.7%
May 202510,52210,0894334.1%
Apr 202510,39610,0043923.8%
Mar 202510,3329,9084244.1%
Feb 202510,2619,8474144.0%
Jan 202510,2459,8164294.2%
Dec 202410,2709,8963743.6%
Nov 202410,1959,7514444.4%
Oct 202410,1679,7484194.1%
Sep 202410,1349,6754594.5%
Aug 202410,1569,6375195.1%
Jul 20249,6309,1634674.8%
Jun 20249,7809,3164644.7%
May 202410,1849,8003843.8%
Apr 202410,1619,8113503.4%
Mar 202410,48110,0903913.7%
Feb 202410,39910,0273723.6%
Jan 202410,38110,0173643.5%
Dec 202310,45710,1223353.2%
Nov 202310,40510,0413643.5%
Oct 202310,45610,0623943.8%
Sep 202310,42210,0214013.8%
Aug 202310,2399,7904494.4%

Annual averages

YearLabor forceEmployedUnemployedRate
202510,3239,8374864.7%
202410,1619,7444174.1%
202310,2959,9333623.5%
20229,7619,4213403.5%
20219,8539,4234304.4%
20209,3908,8265646.0%
20199,2848,8634214.5%
20189,6879,2324554.7%
20179,8309,3145165.2%
201610,1299,5266036.0%
201510,0819,3697127.1%
201410,2909,4688228.0%
201310,99210,0449488.6%
201211,75310,6711,0829.2%
201111,88210,6651,21710.2%

Sales and visitor spending

12 months to Mar 2026
BusinessFlare® estimate, last 12 months$17.8M

Monthly series, visitor, resident and big ticket groups, chart and workbook with the pass. Get the pass / Sign in

Pass holders: once signed in on the pass page, the monthly estimate loads here.

Economic Census geographic area series, retail trade and accommodation and food services, 2017 and 2022, retrieved 2026-10-01; BusinessFlare® city-level sales and visitor spending estimate (method and error; the figures are Street Economics Pass data), retrieved 2026-10-04 | How the estimate is made

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BusinessFlare® estimate from public sources. The estimate anchors on the sales the US Census Bureau published for this place in the 2017 and 2022 Economic Census, for retail trade and for accommodation and food services, and moves them month by month with the county's sales tax returns by kind of business (Florida Department of Revenue Form 10). After the 2022 anchor the place's share of the county moves with the growth of its commercial property on the Department's 2026 tax roll, as submitted by the county property appraiser, by use code: stores, shopping centers, supermarkets and auto dealers for retail; restaurants, bars and hotels for accommodation and food. The three spending groups follow the county's kind code mix within each sector. Every place with both anchors was carried from 2017 to 2022 the same way and the landing on the 2022 Census figure is the published error.

A landing error over 25% carries a wide error flag. The error is published with every figure; an estimate is never shown without it. Rounded to the nearest hundred thousand dollars; the monthly series is pass data.

Statewide median error, 2017 to 2022 back-test15.7%2017 to 2022
Retail trade (NAICS 44-45): Census sales 2017$74.3M2017
Retail trade (NAICS 44-45): Census sales 2022$102M2022
Retail trade (NAICS 44-45): 2022 landing errorn/a2022
Accommodation and food services (NAICS 72): Census sales 2017$11.6M2017
Accommodation and food services (NAICS 72): Census sales 2022$15M2022
Accommodation and food services (NAICS 72): 2022 landing error6.5%2022

Economic Census anchors and the back-test

SectorCensus sales 2017Census sales 20222017 carried to 2022Landing error
Retail trade (NAICS 44-45)$74.3M$102Mn/an/a
Accommodation and food services (NAICS 72)$11.6M$15M$16M6.5%
  • no county level factor for Retail trade (NAICS 44-45)

Business base

Aug 2026
Licensed food service, lodging and alcohol businesses58New licenses by month, Sep 2016 to Aug 2026Sep 20162 highAug 2026
Food service licenses25Aug 2026
Lodging licenses12Aug 2026
Alcoholic beverage licenses21Aug 2026
New licenses, last 12 months0Aug 2026
New business filings, last 12 months (postal city)175Sep 2026
Change on the 12 months before+7.4%Sep 2026
New filings, latest month15Sep 2026

Florida DBPR active licensure base files: public food service, public lodging and retail alcoholic beverage licenses, retrieved 2026-10-01; Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) bulk corporate data files, new entity filings by month, retrieved 2026-10-01 | Licenses Business formations

Licenses are placed inside the city limits by their geocoded address.

Business formations are by postal city: Wauchula, which is not the city limits.

No ZIP code has its Census internal point inside this place, so ZIP Code Business Patterns are not shown.

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Licenses by type

Counted licenses in DBPR's food service, lodging and alcoholic beverage files, placed by geocoded address.

License typeFileActive
2010-SEATfood19
2003-NAPTlodging11
2APSalcohol9
2014-MFDVfood5
8COP-SFSalcohol4
2COPalcohol3
1APSalcohol2
13CTalcohol1
3DPSalcohol1
8COP-SBXalcohol1
2010-NOSTfood1
2002-MOTLlodging1

Filings by entity type, last 12 months

Sunbiz new entity filings by the ZIP code of the principal address, grouped to the USPS postal city (postal city: Wauchula)

Entity typeLast 12 months12 months before
Florida limited liability companies154142
Florida profit corporations1216
Florida non-profit corporations95
Out of state entities registering in Florida00
Partnerships, trusts and other filings00

Property roll

2026 preliminary
Total just value$501M
Total taxable value (non school)$244M2026 preliminary
Total taxable value (school)$283M2026 preliminary
Just value, change on the prior roll+1.8%2025 final roll to 2026 preliminary
Taxable value (non school), change on the prior roll+10.2%2025 final roll to 2026 preliminary
Total just value, prior roll$493M2025 final roll
New construction value$6.66M2026 preliminary
Parcels2,1312026 preliminary

Florida Department of Revenue, NAL tax roll, 2026 preliminary and final as posted, retrieved 2026-10-03

Parcels are placed by Census block group through the Census Bureau's block assignment file; a parcel in a block group that straddles the limits is apportioned. Census 2020 block groups; 38% of the county's just value lies in a place. Medians are over the parcels whose block group lies mostly in the place. Qualified sales: the roll's own sale fields, qualification codes 01 and 02, improved, single parcel.

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Median single family just value$165K2026 preliminary
Qualified sales, last 12 months59Jun 2025 to May 2026
Median qualified sale price$224KJun 2025 to May 2026
Just value, residential$268M2026 preliminary
Just value, commercial$58.8M2026 preliminary
Just value, industrial$4.13M2026 preliminary
Just value, agricultural$52.1M2026 preliminary
Just value, vacant$11.2M2026 preliminary
Just value, institutional$31.8M2026 preliminary
Just value, government$57.8M2026 preliminary
Just value, other$17.6M2026 preliminary

Just value by use group

Department of Revenue land use codes grouped: residential 001 to 009, commercial 011 to 039, industrial 041 to 049, agricultural 050 to 069, vacant 000, 010, 040 and 070, institutional 071 to 079, government 080 to 089, other 090 to 099. Taxable is the non school taxable value. Just value change compares with the 2025 final roll, summed the same way.

Use groupParcelsJust valueTaxable (non school)New constructionResidential unitsJust value change
Residential1,387$268M$140M$5.28M1,873+2.4%
Commercial155$58.8M$54.7M$134Kn/a+1.3%
Industrial15$4.13M$4.03M$0n/a+7.7%
Agricultural127$52.1M$12.7M$252Kn/a+5.7%
Vacant260$11.2M$9.61M$17.7Kn/a+0.7%
Institutional70$31.8M$8.88M$7.15Kn/a-3.0%
Government83$57.8M$1.63M$974Kn/a+2.0%
Other34$17.6M$12.7M$1.34Kn/a-8.0%

Housing

2020 to 2024 ACS
Housing units1,881Homeownership rate, 1990 to 2024199069.0% high2024
Occupied units1,6582020 to 2024 ACS
Vacant units2232020 to 2024 ACS
Owner occupied households7162020-2024 5-Year
Renter occupied households9422020-2024 5-Year
Homeownership rate43.2%2020 to 2024 ACS
Cost burdened households, all tenures (over 30% of income)37.2%2025
Cost burdened renter households68.7%2025

Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse, retrieved 2026-10-01 | Housing data

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Severely cost burdened renters (over 50%)30.8%2025
Assisted housing developments6Assisted Housing Inventory
Assisted units344Assisted Housing Inventory
Median gross rent$1.02K2020 to 2024 ACS
Median single family sale price$210K2024

Cost burden by income, 2025

Households by the share of income spent on housing, Shimberg Center estimates for 2025.

TenureIncome (share of area median)30% or less30.1 to 50%Over 50%
All households30% AMI or less9542232
All households30.01-50% AMI6526231
All households50.01-80% AMI14900
All households80.01-120% AMI3900
All householdsGreater than 120% AMI677390
Renters30% AMI or less022232
Renters30.01-50% AMI026231
Renters50.01-80% AMI4400
Renters80.01-120% AMI3900
RentersGreater than 120% AMI184390
Owners30% AMI or less95200
Owners30.01-50% AMI6500
Owners50.01-80% AMI10500
Owners80.01-120% AMI000
OwnersGreater than 120% AMI49300

Single family sales by year

YearMedian priceSales
1996$42.8K50
1997$45K45
1998$47.5K50
1999$50K41
2000$43K38
2001$56K55
2002$59.5K64
2003$61.8K40
2004$60.4K62
2005$76K75
2006$97K69
2007$119K39
2008$89.5K44
2009$74.8K20
2010$66.5K24
2011$70.5K18
2012$55K25
2013$64K33
2014$60K29
2015$70K41

Assisted housing developments

Shimberg Center Assisted Housing Inventory.

DevelopmentAddressCityUnitsAssisted
Valencia Garden635 Fifth Avenue SWauchula104104
Chatham Pointe Senior338 Stenstrom RoadWauchula6767
Palms720 Martin Luther King AvenueWauchula5252
Forest Glade Apts700 TOWNSEND STREETWauchula5151
River Chase309 N Rust AvenueWauchula4848
Wauchula Place312 Diana AvenueWauchula2222

Fiscal

Sep 2026
Half-cent sales tax, latest month$15KHalf-cent sales tax distributions by month, Oct 2016 to Sep 2026Oct 2016$23.1K highSep 2026
Half-cent sales tax, fiscal year to date$196KFY2026 to Sep 2026
Half-cent sales tax, last 12 months$196KSep 2026
Half-cent sales tax, change on the 12 months before-7.6%Sep 2026
State revenue sharing, latest month$19.9KSep 2026
State revenue sharing, fiscal year to date$246KFY2026 to Sep 2026
State revenue sharing, last 12 months$246KSep 2026
State revenue sharing, change on the 12 months before-0.4%Sep 2026

Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, Expenditures and Revenues Reported by Florida's County and Municipal Governments, retrieved 2026-10-01; Florida Department of Revenue, Revenue Confirmation Online, distributions to local governments, retrieved 2026-10-01; Florida Department of Financial Services, LOGERx local government Annual Financial Report data, long-term debt outstanding, retrieved 2026-10-04 | Distributions Annual financial report

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Total revenues$38.6MFY2024
Revenues, change on the year before+11.9%FY2024
Total expenditures$23.1MFY2024
Expenditures, change on the year before-2.8%FY2024
Revenues per resident$7.87KFY2024
Long-term debt outstanding at year end$2.64MFY2025
Long-term debt, change on the year before-6.3%FY2025

Half-cent sales tax, monthly distributions

As the Department of Revenue's ledger prints them; a blank month is a month with no line.

MonthDistributed
Sep 2026$15K
Aug 2026$16.5K
Jul 2026$16.2K
Jun 2026$16.4K
May 2026$19.4K
Apr 2026$18.2K
Mar 2026$16.8K
Feb 2026$17.4K
Jan 2026$14K
Dec 2025$15.7K
Nov 2025$15.7K
Oct 2025$14.7K
Sep 2025$16.9K
Aug 2025$18.9K
Jul 2025$18.8K
Jun 2025$18.9K
May 2025$19.5K
Apr 2025$17.9K
Mar 2025$18.4K
Feb 2025$18.6K
Jan 2025$16.6K
Dec 2024$16K
Nov 2024$14.8K
Oct 2024$16.7K
Sep 2024$17.2K
Aug 2024$15.6K
Jul 2024$19.2K
Jun 2024$19.2K
May 2024$20.6K
Apr 2024$20.7K
Mar 2024$17.2K
Feb 2024$18.7K
Jan 2024$18.6K
Dec 2023$18.8K
Nov 2023$21.4K
Oct 2023$17.1K

State revenue sharing, monthly distributions

As the Department of Revenue's ledger prints them; a blank month is a month with no line.

MonthDistributed
Sep 2026$19.9K
Aug 2026$19.9K
Jul 2026$19.9K
Jun 2026$20.2K
May 2026$20.2K
Apr 2026$20.2K
Mar 2026$20.2K
Feb 2026$20.2K
Jan 2026$20.2K
Dec 2025$21.6K
Nov 2025$21.6K
Oct 2025$21.6K
Sep 2025$22.3K
Aug 2025$22.3K
Jul 2025$22.3K
Jun 2025$19.6K
May 2025$19.6K
Apr 2025$19.6K
Mar 2025$19.6K
Feb 2025$19.6K
Jan 2025$19.6K
Dec 2024$19.6K
Nov 2024$21.6K
Oct 2024$21.6K
Sep 2024$21.6K
Aug 2024$21.6K
Jul 2024$21.6K
Jun 2024$21.7K
May 2024$21.7K
Apr 2024$21.7K
Mar 2024$21.7K
Feb 2024$21.7K
Jan 2024$21.7K
Dec 2023$21.7K
Nov 2023$21.7K
Oct 2023$21.7K

Long-term debt by fiscal year

Total long-term debt outstanding at fiscal year end, all funds, as the government reported it to the Department of Financial Services in its Annual Financial Report.

Fiscal yearDebt outstandingChange
FY2025$2.64M-6.3%
FY2024$2.82M+11.3%
FY2023$2.53M+1.5%
FY2022$2.49M-18.8%
FY2021$3.07M-15.8%
FY2020$3.65M-8.1%
FY2019$3.97M-4.2%
FY2018$4.14M-6.2%
FY2017$4.41M-6.9%
FY2016$4.74M-3.2%
FY2015$4.9M-4.6%
FY2014$5.14M-6.0%
FY2013$5.46Mn/a

Revenues by category, FY2024

Sum of the fund columns in EDR's workbook for this government.

CategoryFY2024FY2023Change
General Government Taxes$3.09M$2.82M+9.5%
Intergovernmental Revenues$12.2M$12M+1.0%
Charges for Services$13.3M$13.7M-2.8%
Judgments, Fines, and Forfeits$70.3K$35.8K+96.4%
Miscellaneous Revenues$7.06M$3.65M+93.4%
Other Sources$2.94M$2.28M+29.1%
Taxesn/an/an/a
Intergovernmental Revenuen/an/an/a
Permits, Fees, and Special Assessmentsn/an/an/a

Expenditures by category, FY2024

Sum of the fund columns in EDR's workbook for this government.

CategoryFY2024FY2023Change
General Government Services (Not Court-Related)$5.62M$5.67M-0.8%
Public Safety$2.16M$2.03M+6.2%
Physical Environment$10.7M$12.2M-12.0%
Transportation$1.23M$1.2M+2.6%
Culture / Recreation$524K$468K+12.1%
Other Uses and Non-Operating$2.85M$2.2M+29.3%
Human Servicesn/an/an/a
Other Usesn/an/an/a

Bank deposits

June 30, 2026
Deposits (offices reporting this city)$543MDeposits, June 30 each year, 1994 to 20261994$543M high2026
Change on a year earlier+3.9%June 30, 2026
Change, real+0.7%June 30, 2026
Branches2June 30, 2026
Institutions2June 30, 2026
Branches opened since the survey a year earlier0June 30, 2026
Branches closed since the survey a year earlier0June 30, 2026

FDIC Summary of Deposits, Florida offices, every June 30 since 1994, retrieved 2026-10-01 | Bank deposits

Offices whose reported city is Wauchula.

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Offices, June 30, 2026

Deposits as each office reports them to the FDIC; the city is the one the bank reports, not a municipal boundary.

InstitutionBranchAddressCityDeposits
Crews Bank & TrustCrews Bank & Trust106 E Main StWauchula$466M
First National Bank of WauchulaFirst National Bank Of Wauchula406 N 6th AveWauchula$76.2M

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