Florida · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties
A Census profile of the Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties Public Use Microdata Area in Florida, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 159,518 people, with a median household income of $60,915 and a median age of 45.6.
Cities & areas covered: Southwest Heartland, DeSoto County, Hardee County, Highlands County.
How Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties compares to Florida
- Median household income here is $60,915, $16,853 below the Florida figure of $77,768.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 19.0%, 16.9% below the Florida figure of 35.9%.
- Homeownership here is 77.1%, 9.0% above the Florida figure of 68.1%.
- The poverty rate here is 16.1%, 4.1% above the Florida figure of 12.0%.
Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties vs. Florida vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The FL and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,915 | $77,768 |
| Median family income | $72,489 | $93,403 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $46,232 | $61,672 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $30,458 | $32,488 |
| Poverty rate | 16.1% | 12.0% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.6% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 48.4% | 60.8% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 39.1 | 38 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $1,655 | $3,755 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 24.0% | 27.0% |
| Mean All other income | $1,230 | $822 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $64 | $27 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $23,743 | $38,668 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 261.1 | 311.4 |
| Mean Retirement income | $4,305 | $4,232 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $1,902 | $2,527 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $289 | $269 |
| Mean Social Security income | $6,173 | $4,428 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 35.9% |
| High school diploma or higher | 84.7% | 90.4% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 7.1% | 11.4% |
| Business operations | 3.0% | 3.9% |
| Financial specialists | 0.7% | 2.0% |
| Computer & math | 0.9% | 3.1% |
| Architecture & engineering | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Science | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| Community & social service | 2.0% | 1.5% |
| Legal | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Education instruction | 7.3% | 5.1% |
| Arts, design & media | 1.2% | 2.0% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 5.5% | 6.5% |
| Healthcare support | 5.0% | 2.9% |
| Protective service | 3.5% | 2.4% |
| Food prep & serving | 4.5% | 6.3% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 5.3% | 4.0% |
| Personal care | 1.4% | 2.8% |
| Sales | 9.7% | 10.8% |
| Office & admin support | 10.8% | 11.2% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 4.6% | 0.5% |
| Construction | 9.1% | 5.1% |
| Extraction | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Installation & repair | 2.5% | 3.1% |
| Production | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| Transportation & moving | 8.7% | 7.4% |
| Military | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 6.9% | 0.7% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 1.4% | 0.1% |
| Utilities (industry) | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Construction (industry) | 11.0% | 7.8% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 12.9% | 11.8% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Information (industry) | 0.8% | 1.5% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 4.5% | 7.9% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 9.6% | 13.8% |
| Educational services (industry) | 7.4% | 7.6% |
| Health care (industry) | 11.4% | 11.7% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 2.9% | 1.5% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 8.1% | 11.6% |
| Other services (industry) | 3.7% | 5.0% |
| Public administration (industry) | 5.8% | 4.3% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 19.6% | 11.2% |
| Private insurance | 49.5% | 65.0% |
| Public insurance | 47.2% | 35.9% |
| With a disability | 20.6% | 14.2% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 27 min | 29 min |
| Drove to work | 89.9% | 79.1% |
| Public transit to work | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| Worked from home | 6.4% | 15.5% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 23 | 29.3 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $275,000 | $388,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,070 | $1,810 |
| Rent as % of income | 33.0% | 36.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 77.1% | 68.1% |
| Average household size | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 6 | 5 |
| Median year built | 1980 | 1990 |
| Vehicles per household | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| No vehicle | 6.8% | 6.1% |
| Single-family detached | 64.3% | 58.0% |
| Broadband internet | 94.0% | 95.4% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $180 | $170 |
| Median Fuel cost | $100 | $200 |
| Median Gas cost | $30 | $50 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 57.5 | 54.9 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $2,000 | $800 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Median Monthly rent | $830 | $1,600 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $899 | $1,483 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $300 | $480 |
| Median Property taxes | $1,750 | $2,650 |
| Median Water cost | $400 | $500 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 159,518 | 23,372,215 |
| Average age | 45.6 | 42.4 |
| Married (15+) | 50.6% | 47.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 30.3% | 28.7% |
| Black | 10.1% | 14.3% |
| Asian | 1.3% | 3.0% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,742 | $2,567 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 2 | 1.9 |
Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties — FAQ
What is the population of the Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties PUMA?+
The Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties PUMA in Florida has a population of 159,518, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties, FL?+
Median household income in the Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties PUMA is $60,915, compared with $77,768 across Florida and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties PUMA?+
The Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties PUMA covers Southwest Heartland, DeSoto County, Hardee County, Highlands County. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. Florida contains 168 PUMAs.
Where does this Southwest Heartland--DeSoto, Hardee, & Highlands (Northwest) Counties data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.