9.6%

VPK Participation

2023 Hardee County

28% Florida Rate

Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) is important because it provides a strong foundation for kindergarten and exposes children to an educational environment. Many students need an extra year to become accustomed to a classroom and learn how to play with other children. Children in pre-kindergarten make significant gains in both the area of language development and classification/communication skills.

Source: FL Health Charts 

34.2%

Kindergarten Readiness

Fall 2024 Hardee County

51% Florida Rate

The percentage of kindergarten students who score 690+ on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy. State law requires screening for all public school kindergarten students within the first 30 days of the school year. Kindergarten teachers use the results to help understand each child’s readiness for school and plan lessons to meet individual needs.

Source: FL Health Charts 

10.2%

Preterm Births

2023 Average Hardee County

10.7% Florida Rate

Preterm birth can be a reflection of a community’s health. Preterm birth is triggered by multiple, interacting biological and environmental factors. A preterm birth is the early birth of a live baby, defined as less than 37 weeks of gestation. It may be expressed as a percentage of births. Births that occur before 37 weeks gestation have lower chances of survival and higher chances of health problems compared to term births.

Source: FL Health Charts

80.5%

High School Graduation Rate

2022-2023 Average Hardee County

88% Florida Rate

High School graduation rates capture the percentage of students who obtain all required classes and testing within four years of high school. Higher salaries are typically available to high school graduates, as most employers consider a high school graduate as someone who remained committed to finishing school and pursuing their education.

Source: FL Health Charts

30.7%

Children in Single-Parent Households

2023 Hardee County

27.4% Florida Rate

Population under 18 years old living in households where the head of the household does not have a spouse or partner present. Single parent households have more difficulty meeting basic needs such as housing, food, clothing, transportation, childcare, etc. In 2023, 30.7% of households with children in Hardee County were headed by single parents.

Source: FL Health Charts

28.6%

Rent-Occupied Households

2023 Hardee County

32.7% Florida Rate

The percentage of renter-occupied housing is related to the affordability of homeownership. When owning a home is less affordable, more housing units will be renter-occupied.

Source: FL Health Charts

30%

ALICE Rate

2021 Hardee County

33% Florida Rate

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. While conditions have improved for some households, many continue to struggle, especially as wages fail to keep pace with the rising cost of household essentials (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan).

Source: United For ALICE

$54,231

Median Household Income

2023 Hardee County

$71,711 Florida Rate

Median household income is commonly used to provide data about the wealth of geographic areas. The median income is considered by many statisticians to be a better indicator than the average household income as it is not dramatically affected by unusually high or low values.

Source: FL Health Charts

51.4%

In Civilian Labor Force

2018-2022 Hardee County

59.2% Florida Rate

This category includes all civilians 16 years old and over who either (1) were “at work,” that is, those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business; or (2) were “with a job but not at work,” that is, those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are all institutionalized people and people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Source: US Census Bureau

26,068

Population

July 1, 2024 Hardee County

23,372,214 Florida Rate

26,068 people call Hardee County home. Growing the population to support a more robust economy is a key component of The Development Group’s strategic plan.

Source: US Census Bureau

155.7%

Violent Crime Rate

2023 Hardee County

150.7% Florida Rate

This measures the number of crimes reported per 100,000 citizens, including both violent crimes and property crimes. The number of crimes reported in Hardee County is approximately one quarter of the rate, based on the population.

Source: FL Health Charts

62.68%

Voter Turnout

2024 Hardee County

78.76% Florida Rate

In the 2024 general election, 62.68% of registered voters in Hardee County participated in the election.

Source: NBC

71.7%

Overweight & Obesity Rate

2019 Hardee County

64.6% Florida Rate

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems. The risk for the following conditions increases as weight increases into the overweight or obese range: coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers (breast, colon, uterus), hypertension, high cholesterol or high triglycerides, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and breathing problems, osteoarthritis and gynecological problems.

Source: FL Health Charts

51%

of 3rd Graders Reading at Grade Level

2024 Hardee County

55% Florida Rate

The percent of students in 3rd grade achieving a passing level of 3 or above on the Florida Standards Assessments for English Language Arts. Florida public school students participate in the English language arts reading and writing assessments aligned to the Florida Standards. These assessments provide parents, teachers, policy makers, and the general public with information about how well students are learning the Florida Standards.

Source: FL Health Charts