County profile

Lee County

Florida · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
817,666
Median household income
$76,107
People below poverty
12%
Median home value
$362,200

Income

The median income of households in Lee County, Florida was $76,107. An estimated 5.1% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 10.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 5.1
$10,000 to $14,999 2.8
$15,000 to $24,999 5.8
$25,000 to $34,999 7.3
$35,000 to $49,999 11.1
$50,000 to $74,999 17.3
$75,000 to $99,999 13.9
$100,000 to $149,999 18
$150,000 to $199,999 8.1
$200,000 or more 10.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 56181
Female 49087

An estimated 65.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 44.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 32.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $27,725. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 65.1
Social Security 44.9
Retirement income 32.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.4
Cash public assistance income 1.8

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 16.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.3% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 11.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 12
Children under 18 years below poverty 16.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.3
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 11.4

In 2020-2024, 8.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 49.3% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 44.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 29.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024, 87.1% had health insurance coverage and 12.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 61.2% and public coverage was 43.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 10%.


In 2020-2024, Lee County, Florida had a total population of 817,666 - 415,660 (50.8%) females and 402,006 (49.2%) males. The median age was 49 years. An estimated 17.2% of the population was under 18 years, 26.6% was 19 to 44 years, 25.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 28.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 18652 17884
5 to 9 18498 19848
10 to 14 21618 18336
15 to 19 21933 20986
20 to 24 20873 20491
25 to 29 21511 21066
30 to 34 22588 22467
35 to 39 21112 23421
40 to 44 23041 20401
45 to 49 21095 21594
50 to 54 23730 24699
55 to 59 25784 28449
60 to 64 28946 32094
65 to 69 28925 34175
70 to 74 29739 31207
75 to 79 26734 26478
80 to 84 15464 17196
85 and over 11763 14868

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 66.7% were White; 7.9% were Black or African American; 7.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.7% were Asian; 3.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 18.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 24.7% of the people in Lee County, Florida were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 62% of the people in Lee County, Florida were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 327,803 households in Lee County, Florida. The average household size was 2.45 people.

Married-couple households made up 51.2% of the households in Lee County, Florida while cohabiting couple households made up 7.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 24.8% of all households, while 16.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.6% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.1% of all households.

In Lee County, Florida, 20.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 46.8% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 51.2
Cohabiting Couples 7.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
16.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
24.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 54.3% of males and 49.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 30.1 24
Now married, except separated 54.3 49.2
Separated 1.3 1.7
Widowed 3.8 11
Divorced 10.5 14.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Lee County, Florida, 14,436 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 28.2% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 81.1% of the people living in Lee County, Florida were U.S. natives. 26.3% of the Lee County, Florida population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 18.9% of Lee County, Florida residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 49.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Lee County, Florida come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Lee County, Florida.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 76.3
Asia 7.4
Europe 10.5
Africa 1.1
Northern America 4.7
Oceania 0.1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024, 25.8 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 19.8% of people at least five years old; 11.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 19.8
Other Indo-European languages 4.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Lee County, Florida were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 86.4
Different house, same county 6.2
Different county, same state 2.2
Different state 4.1
Abroad 1.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 31.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.7% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Lee County, Florida was 147,960 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 6,888 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 103,623. College or graduate school enrollment was 37,449.

Educational Attainment of People in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.7
High school diploma or equivalency 29.9
Some college, no degree 19.4
Associate's degree 9.8
Bachelor's degree 19
Graduate or professional degree 12.2

Disability

In Lee County, Florida, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.8 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.1% of people under 18 years old, to 9.5% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 27.6% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Lee County, Florida, 51.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 46.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 82.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 10.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 295,810 82.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 37,170 10.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 23,670 6.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Lee County, Florida worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.6
Construction 12.6
Manufacturing 3.9
Wholesale trade 2
Retail trade 13.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.7
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 14
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 11.3
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 3.4

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 127,383 35.7
Service occupations 68,966 19.3
Sales and office occupations 83,301 23.3
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 42,729 12
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 34,775 9.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 70.8% of Lee County, Florida workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 29.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 70.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.5
Walked 1
Other means 2.6
Worked from home 15.4

In 2020-2024, Lee County, Florida had a total of 441,194 housing units. Of these housing units, 62.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 28.5% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 62.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 28.5
Mobile homes 9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

15.7% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 0.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Lee County, Florida was 5.2 rooms, and of these housing units 57.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Lee County, Florida had 327,803 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 113,391 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 74.3% while renters occupied 25.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.42 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.54.

4.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 2.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5% and another 14.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Lee County, Florida:

House Heating Fuel Used in Lee County, Florida in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 3.3
Electricity 93.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.7
No fuel used 2.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Lee County, Florida was $362,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 51.9 % had a mortgage. 48.1% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,921 and for owners without a mortgage it was $758.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Lee County, Florida was $1,712. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.