# DeSoto, Florida — #2,196 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.88 of 10. FIPS 12027. Population 35,979. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 36,000 people live in DeSoto, Florida. It ranks #2,196 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #50 of 67 in Florida. The combined sales tax is 7.5%, higher than in 77% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.72% of a home's value each year, less than in 51% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 70% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 76% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76.9 years, longer than in 63% of counties. Air quality is better than in 64% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 38), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 93% of counties. On this site's state scores, Florida gets 7.64 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 8 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.64 |  |
| 2A | state | 8.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.16 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.14 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 6.93 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.18 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.40 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.38 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 6.90 |  |
| Government employees | county | 2.77 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 1.39 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1301 Manatee, Florida — https://libertymoving.org/counties/12081.md
- #2271 Hardee, Florida — https://libertymoving.org/counties/12049.md
- #2192 Highlands, Florida — https://libertymoving.org/counties/12055.md
- #1167 Sarasota, Florida — https://libertymoving.org/counties/12115.md
- #1512 Charlotte, Florida — https://libertymoving.org/counties/12015.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/12027
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=12027
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy