Investment in Highlands County, Florida.
27.34° N · 81.34° W · pop. 101,235 · seat: Sebring
Verdict
Workable
for investment use
The honest take
Highlands County is a workable land-investment target — a genuine value play with solid fundamentals, not a growth-corridor momentum trade. The population grew +9.8% from 2020 to 2025 (Census QuickFacts), well above the Florida average. Median home prices sit at $180,546 (Ownwell Jun 2026) — substantially below the Florida median, giving room for appreciation. The citrus-to-conservation transition is underway: Citrus Industry (Mar 2025) reported 100 acres of Highlands conservation-easement transactions, and Saunders 2025 LOTL tracked statewide citrus-land activity. Entry is accessible at a median $22,745/acre (Land.com) with 1,069 active listings on LandWatch — a liquid market by rural-county standards. The effective property tax rate is 0.89% (Ownwell), below the FL median, and the BOCC adopted a 7.6-mill countywide rate for FY2025-26 (Highlands News-Sun, Sept 2025). The trade-offs are structural: Highlands is not on the I-75/I-4 growth corridor, the job market is narrow (agriculture and healthcare dominate), and there is no spillover-metro story to underwrite appreciation. This is a cash-flow and organic-growth investment, not a development-corridor bet. If you want an affordable FL county with real growth and niche recreational demand, it is worth a look. If you want the next Lakeland, look elsewhere.
Why Highlands County earns this verdict
- Population growth: +9.8% from April 2020 to July 2025 (Census QuickFacts V2025) — well above the FL average and the strongest of batch 2 FL counties.
- Median home price $180,546 (Ownwell) — substantially below the FL median, giving room for appreciation as the market tightens.
- Effective property tax rate 0.89% (Ownwell) — below the FL median of 1.10%, reducing carrying costs for land investors.
- Citrus-to-conservation transition: Highlands had 100 ac of conservation-easement transactions in 2024 (Citrus Industry Mar 2025), a signal of land-value repricing.
- LandWatch inventory: 1,069 active listings (Jun 2026) — liquid market vs. rural counties; buyer can negotiate.
Highlands County by the numbers
- 2020 Census population
- 101,235
- V2025 pop growth
- +9.8% (Census QuickFacts V2025 — USAFacts ~111,100)
- Median home value
- $180,546 (Ownwell Jun 2026)
- Effective tax rate
- 0.89% (Ownwell) — below FL median 1.10%
- BOCC millage
- 7.6 mills countywide (adopted FY2025-26, Highlands News-Sun Sept 2025)
- LandWatch active listings
- 1,069 (Jun 2026)
- Listing median price/acre
- $22,745 (Land.com Jun 2026 — all-parcel listing aggregate; rural acreage runs lower)
- Largest employers
- AdventHealth Sebring, Highlands County School Board, Bowman Steel, The Palms of Sebring, Costa Farms (highlandsbusiness.com)
What you'll spend
Entry (raw acre)
$10,000–$25,000 / acre
· Median $22,745/ac; smaller parcels are scarcer
Build-ready lot (5–10 ac)
$80,000–$250,000
· With power + road access
Property tax (annual, vacant land)
$200–$800/yr
· 0.89% effective; vacant assessment is low
Holding cost (annual, typical parcel)
$500–$2,000
· Tax + insurance + maintenance
Sale time horizon (typical)
3–12 months
· Liquid for FL rural; negotiate vs. list
What to verify before you buy in Highlands County
- Highlands is not on the I-75/I-4 growth corridor. Unlike Marion or Polk, there is no major-metro-spillover story — growth is organic (retiree in-migration, agriculture, healthcare).
- The agriculture-heavy economy means land-use changes can be slow and politically contested. Verify zoning and future land-use designations before underwriting.
- Citrus greening continues to reshape FL agriculture; Highlands citrus land may transition to conservation, residential, or solar over the next decade. Which direction depends on the parcel.
- The Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem creates a development ceiling — conservation lands and endangered-species habitat protections limit buildable area. This constrains supply, which may support long-term values.
- Florida insurance is a moving target. Highlands is inland and lower-risk than coastal FL, but verify current carrier availability and a quote — not a historical one — before underwriting holding costs.
- Entry is accessible ($22,745/ac) but appreciation depends on continued population growth and land-use transitions — neither is guaranteed at the current pace.
- Consider the niche-recreation premium: Sebring Raceway, Lake Wales Ridge nature tourism, and the Kissimmee River restoration add non-agricultural demand drivers that generic FL ag counties lack.
Common questions
Is Highlands County a good fit for investment use?
Highlands County is a workable land-investment target — a genuine value play with solid fundamentals, not a growth-corridor momentum trade. The population grew +9.
What's the 2020 census population in Highlands County?
101,235
What's the v2025 pop growth in Highlands County?
+9.8% (Census QuickFacts V2025 — USAFacts ~111,100)
What should you check before buying investment land in Highlands County?
Highlands is not on the I-75/I-4 growth corridor. Unlike Marion or Polk, there is no major-metro-spillover story — growth is organic (retiree in-migration, agriculture, healthcare).
Run it on a real parcel
County averages don't buy land. Specific addresses do.
Two parcels five miles apart in Highlands County can score 50 points apart. Sign up and get 3 free AcreLens reports a month on the specific addresses you’re considering — real investment scores backed by NREL, USGS, FEMA, and county records.
Highlands County under other lenses
Sources — NREL solar & wind, USGS groundwater & hydrology, FEMA flood zones, USDA soil & wildfire, NOAA climate, and Highlands County, Florida public records. Every AcreLens report cites its own per-parcel sources.