Okeechobee County, Florida

Okeechobee County
Okeechobee County
County
	County of Okeechobee
	The Okeechobee County Judicial Center, in Okeechobee
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Florida
	Florida's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 27°23′N 80°53′W / 27.39°N 80.89°W
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	May 8, 1917
Named for	Lake Okeechobee
Seat	Okeechobee
Largest city	Okeechobee
Area
• Total	892 sq mi (2,310 km2)
• Land	769 sq mi (1,990 km2)
• Water	123 sq mi (320 km2) 13.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	39,644
• Density	52/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	34972, 34973, 34974
Area code	863
Congressional district	17th
Website	www.co.okeechobee.fl.us

Okeechobee County (US: /oʊkiˈtʃoʊbi/^[1]) is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,644.^[2] The county seat is Okeechobee.^[3]

History

Okeechobee County was incorporated in 1917. It was named for Lake Okeechobee, which was itself named for the Seminole Indian^[4] words okee (water) and chobee (big).

Historic buildings

Historic buildings in Okeechobee County include:

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 892 square miles (2,310 km²), of which 769 square miles (1,990 km²) is land and 123 square miles (320 km²) (13.8%) is water.^[5]

Okeechobee County comprises the Okeechobee, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL Combined Statistical Area. The μSA was first designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in 2003.^[6]^[7]

Adjacent counties

Indian River County - northeast
Martin County - east
St. Lucie County - east
Glades County - southwest
Hendry County - southwest via 5 county intersection in middle of Lake Okeechobee
Highlands County - west
Palm Beach County- Southeast via 5 county intersection in middle of Lake Okeechobee
Polk County - northwest
Osceola County - northwest

Points of interest

The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, runs along the Herbert Hoover Dike around the Lake.

Transportation

Airports

Okeechobee County Airport

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	2,132		—
1930	4,129		93.7%
1940	3,000		−27.3%
1950	3,454		15.1%
1960	6,424		86.0%
1970	11,233		74.9%
1980	20,264		80.4%
1990	29,627		46.2%
2000	35,910		21.2%
2010	39,996		11.4%
2020	39,644		−0.9%
2023 (est.)	41,427	^[8]	4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1960^[10] 1900-1990^[11] 1990-2000^[12] 2010-2019^[2]

**Okeechobee County racial composition**
(NH = Non-Hispanic)^[a]
Race	Pop 2010^[15]	Pop 2020^[16]	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	26,258	24,671	65.65%	62.23%
Black or African American (NH)	3,117	3,318	7.79%	8.37%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	287	263	0.72%	0.66%
Asian (NH)	345	332	0.86%	0.84%
Pacific Islander (NH)	25	14	0.06%	0.04%
Some Other Race (NH)	28	146	0.07%	0.37%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	375	1,043	0.94%	2.63%
Hispanic or Latino	9,561	9,857	23.9%	24.86%
Total	39,996	39,644

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 39,644 people, 14,601 households, and 9,837 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2010, there were 39,996 people, 13,857 households, and 9,016 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 inhabitants per square mile (18/km²). There were 15,504 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.9% White, 8.6% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.2% from two or more races. 24.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 68.5% of the county population was White non-Hispanic, 21.6% of the population was Latino, 8.0% was African-American and both Native Americans and Asians constituted 0.9% of the population.^[17]

In 2000 there were 12,593 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county in 2000 the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.20 males.

In 2010 the median income for a household in the county was $36,929, and the median income for a family was $35,163. Males had a median income of $25,574 versus $20,160 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,553. About 11.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.90% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Libraries

Okeechobee County is part of the Heartland Library Cooperative which serves Okeechobee County and some of the surrounding counties, including Glades, Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto. The seven-branch library system has one branch in the city of Okeechobee and is also affiliated with Indian River State College through its Dixon Hendry campus.

Communities

City

Okeechobee

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ancient Oaks
Barber Quarters
Basinger
Basswood Estates
Country Hills Estates
Deans Court
Dixie Ranch Acres
Duberry Gardens
Echo Estates
Everglades
Fort Drum
Four Seasons
Hilolo
Mildred
Oak Park
Okeechobee Little Farms
Quail Acres
Rookerville
Sherman
Taylor Creek Isle
Treasure Island
Viking Estates^[18]^[19]
Upthegrove Beach
Whispering Pines

Politics

United States presidential election results for Okeechobee County, Florida^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,470	71.76%	4,390	27.46%	124	0.78%
2016	9,356	67.99%	3,959	28.77%	446	3.24%
2012	7,328	59.25%	4,856	39.27%	183	1.48%
2008	7,561	58.89%	5,108	39.79%	170	1.32%
2004	6,978	57.24%	5,153	42.27%	59	0.48%
2000	5,057	51.32%	4,589	46.57%	208	2.11%
1996	3,418	34.38%	4,826	48.55%	1,697	17.07%
1992	3,298	35.20%	3,418	36.48%	2,654	28.32%
1988	4,736	60.79%	3,007	38.60%	48	0.62%
1984	4,449	66.65%	2,226	33.35%	0	0.00%
1980	2,783	44.81%	3,228	51.98%	199	3.20%
1976	1,598	33.12%	3,184	65.99%	43	0.89%
1972	2,581	80.58%	621	19.39%	1	0.03%
1968	862	28.66%	542	18.02%	1,604	53.32%
1964	1,316	56.43%	1,016	43.57%	0	0.00%
1960	631	35.93%	1,125	64.07%	0	0.00%
1956	575	40.78%	835	59.22%	0	0.00%
1952	539	37.96%	881	62.04%	0	0.00%
1948	179	17.08%	784	74.81%	85	8.11%
1944	119	13.65%	753	86.35%	0	0.00%
1940	122	12.92%	822	87.08%	0	0.00%
1936	186	22.12%	655	77.88%	0	0.00%
1932	90	10.09%	802	89.91%	0	0.00%
1928	657	68.87%	287	30.08%	10	1.05%
1924	57	20.96%	182	66.91%	33	12.13%
1920	58	15.93%	237	65.11%	69	18.96%

Voter registration

According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a majority of registered voters in Okeechobee County.

Okeechobee County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of July 31, 2022^[21]
Political Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	11,423	50.68%
	Democratic	6,211	27.55%
	No party affiliation	4,550	20.19%
	Minor parties	355	1.58%
Total		22,539	100.00%

External links

Governmental

Board of County Commissioners
- Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners
Constitutional Officers
School district
- School Board of Okeechobee County
Countywide District
- Okeechobee Soil and Water Conservation District
Multi-county Districts
Judicial

Non-governmental

Okeechobee Official Discussion Forum
D.R. Wilson Land Company
Okeechobee County Tourist Development Council
Okeechobee County Guide
Okeechobee News local newspaper for Okeechobee County, Florida fully and openly available in the Florida Digital Newspaper Library

References

^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.^[13]^[14]