Highlands County, Florida Housing Market

In Highlands County, Florida, the median home value is $187,900, with a median monthly rent of $1,035. This places Highlands County at #1542 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #50 within Florida.

Median Home Value $187,900
Median Rent $1,035/mo
Owner Occupancy 78.6%
Price/Rent Ratio 15.1

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Highlands County rose +3.5% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

24,073
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $957
  • Establishments: 2,518
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

768
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 706
  • Multi-family: 62
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+4671
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 42,193 (avg $57,506)
  • Outflow: 37,522 (avg $56,090)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 6 active ZIP codes in Highlands County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 33825 394.5 +13.18% 2025
2 33870 351.7 -1.91% 2025
3 33852 369.1 +2.90% 2025
4 33872 339.7 +3.07% 2025
5 33875 353.8 +2.63% 2025
6 33876 375.0 +18.24% 2023

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Highlands County Compares

MetricHighlands CountyFlorida AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $187,900 $284,325 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $1,035 $1,303 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 78.6% 74.6% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 15.1 17.6 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Highlands County is 33.9% below the Florida state average and 17.5% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $1,035/month is 20.6% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 15.1, the buy-vs-rent decision in Highlands County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Highlands County has an owner-occupancy rate of 78.6%, compared to 74.6% in Florida and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Barry County Missouri $187,800 $766
McCracken County Kentucky $188,100 $898
Polk County Georgia $187,600 $918
Perry County Missouri $188,200 $923
Jefferson County New York $188,200 $1,213

Other Counties in Florida

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Levy County $190,600 $850 81.4%
Okeechobee County $193,000 $1,082 73.9%
Columbia County $194,900 $976 72.5%
Gilchrist County $199,900 $926 85.7%
Gadsden County $174,900 $851 70.7%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).