A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Midway$1,490/mo

Typical home $253K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,110/mo · Housing →

Eagle Lake$1,660/mo

Typical home $279K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.84% · or rent about $1,688/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,000 a year, between Eagle Lake and Midway.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

–MidwayNot graded DEagle LakeBetter than 14% of districts in the state

Health

C−MidwayHealthier than 17% of U.S. towns C−Eagle LakeHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns

9Midway

9Eagle Lake

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 250 towns #250#2 Lowest depressionHealth · 633 towns #103#565 Most conserved landOutdoors · 578 towns #257#524 Cheapest rentCost of living · 626 towns #70#338 Most remote workersWork · 598 towns #431#227 Most walkableOutdoors · 635 towns #623#424 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 633 towns #296#476 Most educatedPeople · 635 towns #389#499

Left end = #1 in Florida. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Midway’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

MidwayEagle Lake

Snow a year0″0″

January low38°F 50°F

July high93°F 92°F

Growing season (days)255d 352d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 59th

Outdoors & history

MidwayEagle Lake

Trails11 mi 0 mi

Conserved land3.7%0.5%

Settled—1880

Archive photos—18

Community

MidwayEagle Lake

Library hours a week—40 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

240 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MidwayFL Eagle LakeFL

Midway ↔ Eagle Lake240 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Florida average

MidwayEagle Lake

People

Population 3,511Lowest 3,893Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +17.7%Lowest FL: +14.6% +33.4%Highest FL: +14.6%

Median age 35.1±8.1Highest 18% below FL 30.7±4.4Lowest 28% below FL

Midway and Eagle Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 35.9%±7.9Highest FL: 19.5% 33.9%±6.8Lowest FL: 19.5%

Midway and Eagle Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 5.9%±2.9Highest FL: 21.3% 5.6%±2.5Lowest FL: 21.3%

Midway and Eagle Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.6%Highest FL: 34.1% 18.5%Lowest FL: 34.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±1.6Lowest FL: 6.1% 5.1%±3.2Highest FL: 6.1%

Eagle Lake and Midway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $63,381±$13kLowest 15% below FL $70,523±$11kHighest 5% below FL

Eagle Lake and Midway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $226,500±$15kLowest 37% below FL $256,300±$41kHighest 29% below FL

Eagle Lake and Midway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,110±$364Lowest 33% below FL $1,688±$422Highest about the FL average

Eagle Lake and Midway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,773Lowest 35% below FL $2,151Highest 21% below FL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 91.1%±20.8Highest FL: 60.1% 58.6%±28.8Lowest FL: 60.1%

Midway and Eagle Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.6%Highest FL: 12.6% 9.5%Lowest FL: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 84.5%Highest FL: 67.6% 75.9%Lowest FL: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 2005Highest 17 yrs newer than FL 1989Lowest 1 yr newer than FL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minLowest 11% above FL 31 minHighest 12% above FL

Work from home 9.8%±6Lowest FL: 15.7% 15.9%±7.5Highest FL: 15.7%

Eagle Lake and Midway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 3.3%Highest 0.7%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 14.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.54Highest 0.19Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Tallahassee (58%)Lakeland (12%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Eagle LakeFew work in Midway

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.7%Highest 0.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 11.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 11.3Lowest 55.3Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#442 of 488 in FL

School district —POLK

High school in town —Lake Region High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 23.4

Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Midway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Midway’s Town Square.

Eagle Lake neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 4d

Favorite Spot in Eagle Lake

1 neighbor in Eagle Lake can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Midway and Eagle Lake

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Midway

+ Compare

Astatula2,559 people · $257K homes

+ Compare

Polk City2,974 people · $294K homes

+ Compare

Haverhill2,823 people · $425K homes

+ Compare

Keystone Heights1,576 people · $228K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Midway vs Eagle Lake

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Eagle Lake

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

240 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Favorite Spot in Eagle Lake

Set another town beside Midway and Eagle Lake

Towns like Midway

Post to Midway

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