Rank

2164of 3,144

Okeechobee, Florida

Score 5.90 / 10· population 41,427

Okeechobee County includes the city of Okeechobee, on the north side of a 730-square-mile lake almost encircled by a 143-mile earthen dike. Federal disaster declarations opened aid to its households after Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Milton in 2024. Government jobs were 16.3% of the county's employment in 2024, compared with 11.3% for Florida, and life expectancy over 2020 to 2022 was 73.2 years; Florida's was 78.1.

Sources
  • Lake Okeechobee spans 730 square miles, and the Herbert Hoover Dike, a 143-mile earthen dam, surrounds nearly the entire lake (USACE, January 2023). dvidshub.net
  • Part of the dike was built near the city of Okeechobee on the lake's north side. dvidshub.net
  • The City of Okeechobee lies within Okeechobee County (the city's site refers to projects 'within both the City of Okeechobee and unincorporated Okeechobee County'). cityofokeechobee.com
  • FEMA major disaster declaration DR-4673 (Hurricane Ian), declared 2022-09-29, designated Okeechobee County with the Individuals and Households Program. fema.gov
  • FEMA major disaster declaration DR-4834 (Hurricane Milton), declared 2024-10-11, designated Okeechobee County with the Individuals and Households Program. fema.gov
  • Government was 16.3% of average annual employment in Okeechobee County in 2024, against 11.3% for Florida. edr.state.fl.us
  • Life expectancy, 2025 County Health Rankings release: Okeechobee County 73.2 years, Florida 78.1 years. countyhealthrankings.org
  • The 2025 release's life expectancy measure used data from 2020-2022. countyhealthrankings.org

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values

Compare

Eleven factors

Government behavior

  1. Fraser Institute state ranking (state)7.6
  2. 2A (state)8.0
  3. GOP + LP vote for President7.7
  4. Sales tax3.6
  5. Property tax6.4

Environment

  1. Air quality6.2
  2. Floods / hurricanes0.7

Private behavior

  1. Homicide rate7.3
  2. Life expectancy3.1
  3. Government employees1.5
  4. Single-parent households3.8

Neighbors