Lakeland Senior AdvisorPolk County had about 874,790 residents on July 1, 2025, 20.0% of them aged 65 or older, with a median age of 39.5. It is Florida's fourth-largest county by land area, stretching from Polk City and Lakeland in the north through Winter Haven, Bartow and Lake Wales to Fort Meade and Frostproof in the south, and from Mulberry in the west to Haines City and Davenport in the east.
Polk County belongs to Florida's Planning and Service Area 6, and its Area Agency on Aging is Senior Connection Center, which also serves Hillsborough, Manatee, Highlands and Hardee counties. AHCA's August 2026 PACE report shows two PACE organizations seeking to serve the county, neither yet enrolling.
How many older adults and licensed care options does Polk County have?
Polk County had about 174,801 residents 65 and older (20.0% of 874,790) and 18,317 aged 85 and older on July 1, 2025, and AHCA licenses 43 assisted living facilities and 25 nursing homes there.
| Found in Polk County | Missing in Polk County | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed here (AHCA records) | Assisted living facilities: 43, Nursing homes: 25, Home health agencies: 50, Hospices: 3, Adult day care centers: 2, Adult family care homes: 16 | — |
| Not licensed here | — | Every category is present |
| ALFs reporting memory care | 18 | — |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025).
How quickly is Polk County's older population growing?
Census estimates put Polk County's 65-and-older population at 148,445 in April 2020 and 174,801 in July 2025, a gain of 26,356 (18%), while the county as a whole grew 21%.
About 79,429 residents were 75 or older in 2025. The county's 2,956 licensed assisted living beds work out to roughly one for every 26 residents aged 75 or older, a thinner supply than in Florida's coastal retirement counties.
Where in Polk County is licensed senior care located?
By mailing address, Polk County's licensed beds are concentrated in Lakeland, Winter Haven and Davenport & ChampionsGate; the table shows every city with at least one license.
| City or community | Licensed ALFs | ALF beds | Nursing homes | Home health / hospice offices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | 18 | 1369 | 12 | 28 |
| Winter Haven | 13 | 797 | 7 | 15 |
| Bartow | 1 | 36 | 1 | 1 |
| Haines City | 3 | 197 | 1 | 3 |
| Lake Wales | 3 | 118 | 2 | 3 |
| Davenport & ChampionsGate | 2 | 285 | 1 | 1 |
| Poinciana | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Auburndale | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lake Alfred | 2 | 150 | 0 | 0 |
| Dundee & Lake Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Which specialty licenses do Polk County ALFs hold?
10 Polk County ALFs hold a limited mental health license, 8 limited nursing services and 1 extended congregate care, and 18 report a memory care program on their AHCA profiles.
10 report beds reserved for Optional State Supplementation residents, and 24 list Medicaid services. The relatively high number of LMH licenses reflects facilities that serve residents with serious mental illness alongside older adults.
Which life plan communities are in Polk County?
Florida OIR's October 2025 map lists 2 continuing care retirement communities, both in Lakeland: Estates at Carpenter's, Westminster Lakeland.
OIR supervises their contracts and finances; AHCA licenses their assisted living and nursing units.
Who helps Polk County seniors and caregivers?
Senior Connection Center (Planning and Service Area 6) is Polk County's Aging and Disability Resource Center, at (813) 740-3888 or toll-free 1-800-336-2226; it handles Medicaid long-term care screening, the home and community-based services wait list, and referrals to meals, transportation and caregiver programs.
8928 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619. The Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337, also reaches it. AHCA's August 2026 PACE report shows Kinship PACE of Central Florida awaiting federal approval and Chapters Health PACE Central Florida's application pended, so no PACE program enrolls Polk residents yet.
Which hospitals serve Polk County?
CMS's hospital data lists 5 acute-care hospitals in Polk County: Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven (CMS rating 3 of 5); AdventHealth Lake Wales in Lake Wales (CMS rating 2 of 5); Bartow Regional Medical Center in Bartow (CMS rating 3 of 5); AdventHealth Heart Of Florida in Davenport (CMS rating 3 of 5); Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland (CMS rating 1 of 5).
These are CMS's overall hospital star ratings, which measure different things from nursing home ratings. Residents of the county's edges also use HCA Florida Poinciana, South Florida Baptist in Plant City and the Sebring hospitals.
Polk County and its neighbors
| Inside our Polk County directory | Outside it | |
|---|---|---|
| Counties | Polk County addresses only | Hillsborough, Osceola, Highlands, Hardee, Lake and Orange |
| Rules | Florida licensing and Medicaid rules | Nothing different: the same Florida rules apply next door |
| Agency on aging | Senior Connection Center (PSA 6) | A different agency for Osceola, Lake and Orange |
