Polk Times

26.6 percent of people 25 years or older had an associate's degree or higher in Lake Wales in 2020, according to data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau.

This was 13.9 percent lower than the state average of 40.5 percent. In 2020 the total municipality population reached 16,515.

84.1 percent of the population had at least a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Degree	Number of people	Percentage of population
No degree	1,845	15.9
Regular high school diploma	3,013	25.9
GED or alternative credential	565	4.9
Some college, less than 1 year	885	7.6
Some college, 1 or more years, no degree	2,228	19.2
Associate's degree	955	8.2
Bachelor's degree	1,374	11.8
Master's degree	646	5.6
Professional school degree	101	0.9
Doctorate degree	21	0.2

*All data is for residents who were at least 25 years old in 2020.