Tile, bath, and flooring statistics for Polk County and Lakeland
Census population and households, Florida building-permit demand, and BLS wages for tile and stone setters. Every figure links to the government or press page that published it.
This is not an “average Lakeland bath remodel cost” page. That number does not exist in official data. If a source is national or statewide, it says so. Plant City is listed separately because it is in Hillsborough County.
Key figures, source on the same line
- Lakeland city (July 1, 2025 estimate): population 125,520. 2020 Census count: 112,641. ACS 2020–2024: 47,816 households; owner-occupied rate 56.4%. Census QuickFacts.
- Winter Haven city: V2025 population 62,313; 2020 Census 49,219; ACS households 20,396; owner-occupied 63.7%. Same QuickFacts table.
- Polk County: V2025 population 874,790; 2020 Census 725,046; ACS households 289,425; owner-occupied 70.5%; housing units (July 1, 2025) 374,738. Census QuickFacts — Polk County.
- Polk County private housing units authorized by building permits: 8,236 in 2025; 10,384 in 2024; 12,513 in 2023 (Census BPS via FRED). FRED BPPRIV012105.
- Tile and Stone Setters (SOC 47-2044), May 2023 OEWS: United States employment 42,420; national median wage $23.52/hour ($48,910 annual). Florida employment 4,980; Florida mean wage $23.54/hour ($48,970 annual). BLS OEWS May 2023.
- Press (not a statistical series): TileLetter describes the Polk County Government Center as spanning 30,000 sq ft, with flooring work by TL Ceramic / T-L Ceramic Installation LLC. TileLetter feature.
On this page
- How many people and households are in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Plant City?
- What does Census QuickFacts show for Polk County?
- How many new housing units did Polk County permit?
- What does Florida EDR publish for Polk housing and construction?
- How many tile and stone setters work in the U.S. and Florida?
- What does the TileLetter feature say about the Government Center job?
- How to read these numbers
- Source list
How many people and households are in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Plant City?
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts publishes each city on its own row. Vintage 2025 population estimates (July 1, 2025) are not the same series as the April 1, 2020 Census count. ACS 2020–2024 housing fields are a five-year survey estimate.
| Lakeland city | Winter Haven city | Plant City city | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population estimate, July 1, 2025 (V2025) | 125,520 | 62,313 | 44,118 |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2020 | 112,641 | 49,219 | 39,764 |
| Change, 2020 base → July 1, 2025 | 11.5% | 23.9% | 10.7% |
| Households, ACS 2020–2024 | 47,816 | 20,396 | 14,612 |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, ACS 2020–2024 | 56.4% | 63.7% | 66.4% |
| Median value, owner-occupied, ACS 2020–2024 | $249,400 | $269,800 | $291,800 |
| Median gross rent, ACS 2020–2024 | $1,395 | $1,246 | $1,409 |
| County | Polk | Polk | Hillsborough |
Households on QuickFacts are occupied housing units from ACS 2020–2024. That is a better remodel-demand base than raw population. Median home value and rent are housing-cost context — not tile or bath remodel prices.
What does Census QuickFacts show for Polk County?
Polk County is the home market for T-L Ceramic Installation LLC. QuickFacts (same multi-geo table and the county page) reports:
- Population estimate, July 1, 2025 (V2025): 874,790
- Population, Census, April 1, 2020: 725,046
- Percent change, 2020 base → July 1, 2025: 20.7%
- Housing units, July 1, 2025 (V2025): 374,738
- Owner-occupied housing unit rate, ACS 2020–2024: 70.5%
- Households, ACS 2020–2024: 289,425
- Persons per household, ACS 2020–2024: 2.68
- Median value of owner-occupied units, ACS 2020–2024: $266,500
- Median gross rent, ACS 2020–2024: $1,363
- Building permits, 2025: 8,236
The county figure already includes Lakeland, Winter Haven and the rest of Polk.
Sources: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/polkcountyflorida · multi-geo table linked above
How many new housing units did Polk County permit?
New private residential construction is one official demand signal for flooring and finish trades. It is not a count of bath remodels.
The Census Bureau Building Permits Survey series for Polk County, FL (FRED series BPPRIV012105 — all structure types) shows:
| Year | Units authorized |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,236 |
| 2024 | 10,384 |
| 2023 | 12,513 |
| 2022 | 12,211 |
| 2021 | 13,071 |
| 2020 | 9,492 |
QuickFacts’ “Building Permits, 2025” field for Polk County matches the 8,236 figure. City-level permit cells for Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Plant City show X (not published on that QuickFacts view).
Sources: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/BPPRIV012105 · data table · Census BPS via QuickFacts
What does Florida EDR publish for Polk housing and construction?
The Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) Polk County area profile (PDF prepared May 2026) keeps Census and estimate series labeled. Selected rows:
- 2020 Census population: 725,046 (same as QuickFacts Census count)
- EDR 2025 population estimate: 846,896 — not the Census V2025 estimate of 874,790. The two are different estimate series.
- 2020 Census housing: 316,381 units; occupied 272,418; vacant 43,963
- Building permits (same Census BPS path): 2025 8,236; 2024 10,384; 2023 12,513
- 2024 establishments: Construction 2,178 (12.6% of Polk industries vs 9.6% statewide)
- 2024 average annual wage, Construction industry: $66,273 (Polk) — industry wage, not SOC 47-2044
Source: https://edr.state.fl.us/Content/area-profiles/county/polk.pdf
How many tile and stone setters work in the U.S. and Florida?
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2023, occupation 47-2044 Tile and Stone Setters (“Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.”):
United States (May 2023)
- Employment: 42,420
- Median hourly wage: $23.52
- Median annual wage: $48,910
- Mean hourly / annual (different statistic): $25.92 / $53,920
Florida (May 2023, from the same occupation profile’s state table)
- Employment: 4,980
- Hourly mean wage: $23.54
- Annual mean wage: $48,970
What does the TileLetter feature say about the Government Center job?
TileLetter’s digital feature on T-L Ceramic Installation LLC / TL Ceramic is trade press, not a Census or BLS table. The feature describes the Polk County Government Center is described as spanning an impressive 30,000 sq ft, with flooring work involving PROFLEX products and TL Ceramic.
Source: https://digital.tileletter.com/trailblazing-woman-run-flooring-company-sets-standard-of-excellence
How to read these numbers
- Each figure has one source, one geography and one date. The link next to it shows where it was published.
- City figures are for the city limits of Lakeland, Winter Haven and Plant City. Plant City is in Hillsborough County, not Polk.
- Census July 1, 2025 (V2025) estimates, ACS 2020–2024 survey estimates and the April 1, 2020 Census count are different series. Florida EDR’s 2025 Polk estimate (846,896) is a third series.
- Building permits measure new private housing authorizations, not bath or tile remodel volume.
- The BLS national figure is a median wage; the Florida figure on that table is a mean. Neither is a Polk County wage.
- There is no official average bath remodel cost or tile price per square foot for Lakeland, Winter Haven or Polk County, so none is given here.
Source list
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts multi-geography table (Lakeland, Winter Haven, Plant City, Polk): census.gov/quickfacts/…
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — Polk County, Florida: census.gov/quickfacts/polkcountyflorida
- U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey for Polk County via FRED BPPRIV012105: fred.stlouisfed.org/series/BPPRIV012105
- FRED data table BPPRIV012105: fred.stlouisfed.org/data/BPPRIV012105.txt
- Florida EDR, Polk County area profile (PDF, prepared May 2026): edr.state.fl.us/…/polk.pdf
- BLS OEWS, May 2023, SOC 47-2044 Tile and Stone Setters: bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes472044.htm
- TileLetter, “Trailblazing woman-run flooring company sets standard of excellence”: digital.tileletter.com/…
Compiled 13 September 2026. If a source updates, the figures on that source page take precedence.
Planning tile, a shower, or a bath remodel in Polk County?
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