Okeechobee County today
What this means
Values in Okeechobee County are about flat (+0.9% in a year).
1%).
Permits January to September 2026: 48 homes, 34% fewer than 2025.
About 23% of homes sit in a FEMA high risk flood zone, where a mortgage requires flood insurance. Get a flood quote before you make an offer.
A specific house can rent above or below these figures, so pull rental comps for the address. Sources and method: how these figures are built.
Quick facts
| Okeechobee County | Compared with Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2025 estimate | 42,608 | 0.2% of Florida |
| Growth since 2020 | 7.5% | -1.4 pts |
| Median home value | $193,000 | 46% lower |
| Median gross rent | $1,082 | 35% lower |
| Median household income | $57,984 | 22% lower |
| Owner occupied homes | 73.9% | +6.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and older | 20% | -1.3 pts |
| Average commute | 28 min | 1% higher |
| Homes built 2010 or later | 7.8% | -6.4 pts |
| Housing units permitted in 2025 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 72% lower |
| Veterans, share of adults | 8.2% | +0.8 pts |
| Median property tax paid | $1,423 | 48% lower |
| Average homeowners insurance with wind | $3,730 |
Census figures are 2020 to 2024 averages; see sources and methods.
Living in Okeechobee County
What stands out about Okeechobee County: 38.9% of housing in manufactured homes; cheaper homes than most of Florida (median $193,000); and rents below the state median ($1,082 vs $1,669).
Heartland county on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee, about 892 square miles with roughly 14 percent water. The county was formed in 1917 and is governed from Okeechobee.
The population centers are Okeechobee, Taylor Creek and Cypress Quarters. Okeechobee alone has about 5,479 residents.
The city of Okeechobee sits at the north end of the lake, and the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail runs on the Herbert Hoover Dike. The county is part of the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port St. Lucie combined area and borders Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach.
What anchors the area
- Known for: Lake Okeechobee; Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
Growth and where it is heading
The Census counts 42,608 residents as of July 2025, versus 39,644 in 2020, a 7.5% change. The 2024 to 2025 change was +0.63%.
| 2025 building permits | Units |
|---|---|
| Single family | 68 |
| 2 to 4 units | 20 |
| 5 or more units | 0 |
| Total | 88 |
| Per 1,000 residents | 2.1 (well below Florida, 7.6) |
More on corridors and rents: South Florida and Keys investor guide.
Risks to price in
No direct landfalls here since 2000; inland wind and flood damage from passing storms is the main exposure.
State data puts the typical homeowners policy with wind at $3,730 a year in Okeechobee County.
38.9% of homes are manufactured, so loan options depend on how the home is titled and set. Manufactured home loans
Flood, storms and jobs
| Okeechobee County | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes in a FEMA high risk flood zone | 4,529 (23.4%) | 13.3% |
| Homes with federal flood insurance | 1,244 (6.4%) | 13.7% |
| Insured share inside high risk zones | 21.9% | |
| Flood insurance claims since 2000 | 285, $1,912,402 paid | |
| Costliest flood events for insured homes | Hurricane Wilma ($513,931); Hurricane Frances ($415,927); Tropical Storm Fay ($263,458) | |
| Major federal disasters declared since 2000 | 13 (9 hurricane, 1 tropical storm, 1 biological) |
Flood insurance discount: the county (unincorporated areas) holds Community Rating System class 8, worth 10% off federal premiums in high risk zones (map dated 07/16/15).
Okeechobee County counted 7,980 private jobs in 2023; the largest sectors were retail (24%), health care and social assistance (19%), hotels and restaurants (13%). Hotels and restaurants hold 13% of those jobs (close to Florida's 13%).
Buying a home in Okeechobee County
| 2026 loan limit, one unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| FHA | $541,287 |
| Conforming (above this is jumbo) | $832,750 |
FHA works at the median price here. FHA limits
The median home equals 3.3 years of median household income (4.8 for the state). Monthly payments are more manageable relative to local incomes.
Loans made here in 2025
| Loan type | Loans | Share | Florida share | Average loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional | 417 | 61.2% | 72.2% | $236,295 |
| FHA | 193 | 28.3% | 17.8% | $266,865 |
| VA | 64 | 9.4% | 9.9% | $302,969 |
| USDA | 7 | 1% | 0.2% | $273,571 |
| Purpose | Share of 2025 loans |
|---|---|
| Home purchase | 57.7% |
| Cash out refinance | 17.5% |
| Rate and term refinance | 12.2% |
| Home improvement | 6.9% |
Total loans rose 6.2% from 2024 (641 to 681). FHA carries more weight here (28.3% of loans).
Loans that fit the local numbers
- Conventional: used for 61.2% of loans; mortgage insurance comes off later.
- FHA: median price $193,000 vs limit $541,287.
- VA: veterans are 8.2% of adults (Florida 7.4%).
- USDA: zero down for eligible rural addresses; check each one on the USDA map.
Down payment help and taxes
Assistance with cash to close is offered statewide by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Owners paid a median $1,423 in property tax (0.74% of value). Homestead and tax caps
Investing in Okeechobee County
DSCR loans often price above this rate. Method. DSCR loans
Run your own numbers
Long term rentals
| Okeechobee County | vs Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Renter occupied homes | 26.1% | -6.3 pts |
| Rent as share of renter income | 29.2% | -6.0 pts |
| Rental vacancy | 2.5% | -5.1 pts |
Rental vacancy is tight.
Short term rentals
| Item | Here |
|---|---|
| County tourist tax | 3% |
| Plus state sales tax | 6% (plus any county surtax) |
| Homes held for seasonal use | 11.4% (+3.6 pts vs Florida) |
Nightly rental rights depend on zoning, local registration and the HOA. State rules
Property types
| Housing stock | Share |
|---|---|
| Single family detached | 51% |
| Buildings with 5+ units | 2.6% |
| Manufactured homes | 38.9% |
| 2025 loans on 2 to 4 unit properties | 0.59% |
Largest cities and towns in Okeechobee County
Among places with at least 1,000 residents, Cypress Quarters has the highest median value ($220,000) and Taylor Creek the lowest ($115,400); Taylor Creek shows the best rent to price ratio (16.25% gross).
| Place | Population | Median value | Median rent | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee | 5,479 | $197,700 | $1,061 | $57,044 |
| Taylor Creek | 4,457 | $115,400 | $1,563 | $38,149 |
| Cypress Quarters | 1,697 | $220,000 | $1,403 | $38,352 |
Census places, including unincorporated communities. Linked places have their own guide.
Compare with neighboring counties
2 of its 9 neighbors are cheaper by median value.
| County | Median value | Median rent | Growth since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee County | $193,000 | $1,082 | 7.5% |
| Glades County | $137,000 | $886 | 9.4% |
| Hendry County | $219,200 | $1,003 | 21.8% |
| Highlands County | $187,900 | $1,035 | 9.8% |
| Indian River County | $351,500 | $1,357 | 8.1% |
| Martin County | $432,200 | $1,569 | 4.9% |
| Osceola County | $353,300 | $1,746 | 23.9% |
| Palm Beach County | $447,300 | $1,916 | 5.6% |
| Polk County | $266,500 | $1,363 | 20.7% |
| St. Lucie County | $347,300 | $1,585 | 22.2% |
Other Florida markets
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5 year estimates. 2020 to 2024.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, Vintage 2025. July 1, 2025.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual. 2025.
- FFIEC HMDA Data Browser, originated loans. 2025 and 2024.
- LendingTree: 2026 FHA loan limits in Florida by county (HUD figures). 2026.
- Florida Realtors: FHFA sets 2026 conforming loan limits. 2026.
- Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research: 2026 local option tourist tax rates. 2026.
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026 Insurance Stability Unit report (average homeowners premium with wind, as of March 31, 2026). March 31, 2026.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. week of October 22, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of counties in Florida. checked October 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file. 2024.
- Wikipedia county article and statewide lists (colleges, teams, airports); Florida Defense Support Task Force installation map. checked October 2026.
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), all homes, middle tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. September 2026.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (county annual, metro and state quarterly, all transactions). through Q2 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, January to September 2026 and 2025. September 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates. as of August 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims (2000 to 2026). as of September 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book (Community Rating System class). August 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (2000 to 2026). October 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. 2023.
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024, median gross rent by bedrooms (B25031). 2020 to 2024.
- Hurricane landfalls: Wikipedia, List of Florida hurricanes (2000 to present). checked October 2026.
Estimates from public data; they change over time. General information, not investment, tax or legal advice, and not a loan offer. Methods and assumptions.