Skip to content
Elevation

Elevation of Lakeland

196ft

above sea level · 60 m

Lakeland is a city in Florida with 125,520 people, the 19th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 96th lowest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

Loading the map…

Place facts

Coordinates
28.04° N · 81.95° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 28° 2′ 22″ N · 81° 56′ 59″ W
UTM coordinates
17R · 406,644 E · 3,101,938 N
Zone 17 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Polk County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
Florida
FL · capital: Tallahassee
Time zone
Eastern Time
UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
125,520 people
66.6 sq mi of land · 1,884 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from December 2019: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Lakeland had 125,520 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 11% more than in April 2020, when it had 112,604. Its 66.6 sq mi of land work out to 1,884 people/sq mi; the state average is 437 people/sq mi.

It’s the 19th most populous of the 956 places the Census counts in Florida (cities, towns and CDPs), after Jacksonville (1,017,689), and holds 0.5% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within Polk County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.1 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Lakeland sits at 196 ft (60 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Lakeland is 666 ft below it.

The state capital, Tallahassee, is 217 mi away in a straight line and 8 ft higher than Lakeland.

The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Tampa, 32 mi away in a straight line and 181 ft lower.

Of the 26 cities in Florida with a page, Lakeland is the 2nd highest: the highest is Tallahassee (204 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

The highest point in Florida is Britton Hill, at 345 ft according to the USGS: 149 ft above Lakeland, 331 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 152 Tallahassee 204 ft
  2. 153 Chico 198 ft
  3. 154 Lakeland 196 ft
  4. 155 Hillsboro 195 ft
  5. 156 Vancouver 191 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Lakeland and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Lakeland with any other point on the map. Map of Polk County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Lakeland and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of Florida counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Lakeland.

What is the elevation of Lakeland?

Lakeland is 196 feet (60 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Lakeland?

Latitude 28.03947 and longitude -81.94980, in decimal degrees (28° 2′ 22″ N · 81° 56′ 59″ W). In UTM, zone 17: 406,644 E and 3,101,938 N, on NAD83.

How does Lakeland rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 96th lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Lakeland in?

Polk County, Florida.

Which is higher, Lakeland or Tallahassee?

Tallahassee. Lakeland sits at 196 ft and Tallahassee at 204 ft: a difference of 8 ft, 217 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know