Lake City, Florida

What Lake City FL is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 2,494 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

2,494 businesses on file · 138 trades · 33 sectors · census population 12,404 · registry population 12,329 · built from geonet.jacksonville on 2026-10-07

Businesses2,494
100% carry coordinates
Specialised in12
trades above the national pattern
Best suited toSeniors
on the census signals below
Franchise brands63
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Lake City FL → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density201.1
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the 2021 census count of 12,404
Breadth of the base315
broad — 95 industry groups, top three 19.8%
Survival the mix implies57%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS59.5%
of which 73.8% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 US metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
19.7%
292 businesses
Caution
55.4%
823 businesses
Structure decides
24.9%
370 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 96.8% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

The register says what trades exist. The census says who lives here — and it is the only thing on this page that counts people. Figures are American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates for Lake City city, Florida, the incorporated place, which is the city proper, and every comparison is against the United States as a whole, from the same ACS tables.

Detailed language is not published for American places. B16001, the table with individual languages, has no place-level rows; C16001 is what exists, and it names six languages and groups the rest into families. A Canadian city on this site names about forty.

Population12,404
census 2021
Median age38.2
against 38.7 nationally
Immigrants3.6%
against 13.9% nationally
Median rent$940
against $1,348 nationally

Who the city is for

Three readings, each built from real numbers against real benchmarks. This is not an index. Every signal is shown with its own value, its benchmark and which way it points, and the band simply counts how many point the same way — so a reader who disagrees with one signal can drop it and still use the rest.

Seniors

strong

Is this a place to grow old, and is the care here?

Residents 65 and over 19.1% ▲16.8%
Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired 2.6% ▲1.9%
Median age 38.2 years –38.7 years
Poverty ratethe US poverty threshold — a different definition from the Canadian pages, and not comparable to them 22.6% ▼12.4%
Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.48 –
Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 1.13 –
Median rent 940 $/mo ▲1348 $/mo

A high share of over-65s says other people made this choice; it does not say the care exists. The register has no category for a hospital at all, so distance to an emergency department is still missing.

Students and young adults

moderate

Is there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?

Residents 20 to 24 4.7% ▼6.5%
Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next 8.4% ▲6.5%
Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to 60.2% ▲35%
Median rent 940 $/mo ▲1348 $/mo
Unemployment rate 5.3% –5.2%
Degree holders in the adult population 25.4% ▼35%
Drinking places and recreationfrom the register 8 –

Post-secondary institutions in the city are listed further down this page; where there are none, a high 20-to-24 share usually means work rather than study.

Newcomers and other-language speakers

moderate

Is there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?

Foreign-born residents 3.6% ▼13.9%
Arrived 2010 or laterthe band the ACS publishes; the Canadian pages use 2016 to 2021, so the two are not comparable 53.6% ▲29.4%
Speak a language other than English at home 5.5% –
Language groups above the reporting floor 2 –
Median household income 51175 $ ▼78538 $

The American census does not publish individual languages for a city — only the eleven groups below, six of which are single languages. A Canadian city on this site names about forty, so the two sections are not the same depth and should not be read as if they were.

What is spoken at home, and whether anyone built for it

The register-versus-census cross-check on the Canadian pages is not possible here: the ACS publishes language in groups, so "Other Indo-European languages" cannot be matched against an institution that names a community.

Spoken most often at homeSpeakers ShareCommunity in the register Institutions
Spanish 387 3.1% not mapped to a marker 0
French, Haitian, or Cajun 292 2.4% not mapped to a marker 0

The rest of the profile

CharacteristicHereCanada
Residents 65 and over 19.1% 16.8%
Residents 85 and over 2.6% 1.9%
Residents 20 to 24 4.7% 6.5%
Arrived 2016 to 2021 53.6% 29.4%
Non-permanent residents — —
Speak a non-official language at home 5.5% —
Renter households 60.2% 35%
Spending 30% or more on shelter — —
Participation rate 55.3% 63.5%
Unemployment rate 5.3% 5.2%
Median household income, 2020 51175 $ —
Median after-tax household income, 2020 — —
Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) 22.6% —
Bachelor degree or higher 25.4% —

The one thing to keep in mind

Five-year estimates pooled over 2019–2023, so a figure is an average of the period rather than a single year, and every value carries a margin of error this extract does not keep. Unlike the Canadian census, which counts everyone, the ACS is a sample — a small place's figures are correspondingly uncertain. ACS five-year estimate for the incorporated place, which is the city proper. It will differ from the figure in wander.regions, which is sometimes a metropolitan population.

Source: American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates — Table-based summary file, 2023, United States Census Bureau, under the US federal government work, public domain. National comparison: The United States row of the same ACS tables, not an average of places — roughly a third of Americans live outside any incorporated place, so summing places would understate the country.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Chinese — — 2
Spanish-speaking — — 2
Dutch — — 2
Japanese — — 1
Scottish — — 1
5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 2,494 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Living 205 8.2% place of worship (107) · daycare (17) · apartment (16) · cleaning (15) · appliances (12) · furniture (11) · veterinary (6) · swimming pools (6)
Construction 201 8.1% home builder (36) · tiny home (30) · general contractor (28) · painting (18) · plumbing (18) · concrete (12) · heating and cooling (11) · electrician (8)
Automotive 132 5.3% autos (78) · auto repair (15) · scooter (5) · auto parts (4) · tires (3) · motorcycle (2)
Health 110 4.4% physician (53) · pharmacy (9) · chiro (6) · medical clinic (6) · optical (5) · fitness club (3) · home healthcare (3) · cardiologist (2)
Business 106 4.3% government (46) · accounting (17) · consulting (14) · association (13) · vending (5) · cemetary (3) · auction (3)
Retail 105 4.2% convenience (41) · gifts (13) · photography (10) · fuel (9) · flowers (8) · jeweler (8) · department store (6) · discount store (3)
Finance 95 3.8% insurance (39) · bank (21) · real estate (12) · credit union (6) · loans (3) · mortgage (1)
Dining 92 3.7% restaurant (70) · pizza (8) · fast food (4) · steakhouse (3) · burgers (3) · diner (2) · pubs (2)
Beauty 81 3.2% hair stylist (57) · dentist (13) · barber (3)
Realty 67 2.7% real estate (63) · auction (2) · realtor (1) · credit union (1)
Construction & Realty 52 2.1%
Logistics 52 2.1% truck transportation (25) · storage (7) · railroad (3) · packaging (2) · towing (1)
Agribusiness 51 2% landscaping (25) · livestock (11) · forestry (6) · fresh produce (3) · auction (3) · dairy (2) · irrigation (1)
Travel 44 1.8% motel (34) · parking (4) · travel agent (3) · hotel (1)
Law 39 1.6% lawyer (16)
Food 39 1.6% grocer (26) · baker (5) · ice cream (3) · seafood (3) · catering (2)
Manufacturing 36 1.4% industrial supplier (19) · fabrication (7) · salvage (4) · machinery (2) · ice (1) · chemical (1)
Living & Home 34 1.4%
Education 33 1.3% school (29) · library (1)
Retail Goods 33 1.3%
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

19 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
U-Haul car 6 13,700
Bank of America bank 3 —
Days Inn economyhotel 3 —
Enterprise Rent A Car car 3 5,400
Wal-Mart retail 3 6,500
Burger King fastfood 2 11,000
Comfort Inn familyhotel 2 —
Curves For Women fitness 2 10,000
Dollar General convenience 2 8,205
Econo Lodge budgethotel 2 —
Little Caesars Pizza pizza 2 1,800
Pizza Hut pizza 2 10,000
Waffle House food 2 1,500
ACE Hardware hardware 1 4,700
Best Western businesshotel 1 4,200
Bob Evans food 1 600
Brooke Insurance insurance 1 600
CVS Pharmacy pharmacy 1 6,100
Food Lion supermarket 1 1,220
Group USA retail 1 26
Holiday Inn businesshotel 1 —
Huddle House food 1 400
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service tax 1 —
Jameson Inns economyhotel 1 —
Jiffy Lube auto 1 2,200
KB Toys retail 1 5
Knights Inn accommodation 1 230
Liberty Tax Service tax 1 —
Merle Norman Cosmetics retail 1 2,000
Miracle-Ear specialty 1 1,500
Motel 6 budgethotel 1 360
Movie Gallery video 1 4,700
Ramada Inn familyhotel 1 740
Rent-A-Center retail 1 3,500
Ruby Tuesday food 1 933
Salvation Army retail 1 —
Sam Goody retail 1 —
Save-A-Lot supermarket 1 1,160
St. John retail 1 —
Steak 'n Shake food 1 —
Super 8 economyhotel 1 —
Taco Bell tacos 1 5,845
Toys "R" Us retail 1 1,400
Winn-Dixie supermarket 1 525
AllState name only insurance 4 —
YMCA name only fitness 3 —
Eckerd name only pharmacy 2 1,549
Hallmark name only greetingcards 2 5,600
Sears name only inc 2 2,300
Toyota name only car 2 —
Travelodge name only economyhotel 2 —
AutoZone name only auto 1 3,800
Beltone name only specialty 1 1,500
Borders name only book 1 559
CARQUEST name only auto 1 3,400
Greyhound name only travel 1 —
Honda name only car 1 —
Manor name only retail 1 —
Progressive name only supermarket 1 150
Publix name only supermarket 1 889
Stitches name only retail 1 —
TCBY name only fastfood 1 —
Walgreens name only pharmacy 1 4,000
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
76 firms · LQ 0.64

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • Adams Agency — 326 SW Baya Dr
  • Blake Lunde 2 Realtor — 3101 W US Highway 90 # 105
  • Cole Real Estate Service — PO Box 16
  • Columbia County Home Inspectin — 344 NW Hogle Pl
  • Dicks Realty — PO Box 1
  • Douglas G Vodnansky — 490 NW SPRING HOLLOW BLVD
  • H A Wilson — P.O. BOX 372
  • Holiday Real Estate — 231 NW Kelly Lake Ct
  • Kingdom Properties — 159 SW Spencer Ct
  • Mistee Galloway
  • Re Max Professionals — 4255 SW Cambridge Gln
  • Real Estate Specialists — RR 20 Box 499
  • Skipper Lawton L RE Brk — 1060 W US Highway 90 # 102
  • Southern Home Inspectors — 163 SE Post Ct

Owning and letting

5311
16 firms · LQ 0.93

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • Amberwood Apartments — 3001 Mcfarlane Ave
  • Brandywine Apartments — 730 SW Brandywine Dr # 101
  • Cedar Park Apartments — 377 NW Bascom Norris Dr
  • Columbia Arms Apartments — 1394 S Marion Ave # 103
  • Flamingo Apartments — RR 10 Box 289
  • Hopkins Mc Farlane Apartments — 1839 SW Mcfarlane Ave
  • Lake City Villas — 1344 SW Zesty Cir
  • Lakewood Apartments — 1198 SW Anniston Cir
  • Palm Villas — 162 SW Palm GLN
  • Sundial Apartments — RR 28 Box 284
  • Thornwood Terrace — 1015 SW Thornwood Cir
  • Thunderbird Motor Lodge and Apts — 3722 S Us Highway 441
  • Verndale Apartments — RR 10 Box 388a
  • Villa De Mode Apartments — 1385 S Church St # A1

Managing for owners

5313
2 firms · LQ 0.43

Property managers, who run buildings the landlord does not.

Named in the register
  • Inter City Development — 844 NW Lake Jeffery Rd
  • Nice N Clean — 603 SE Division Ave

Building new homes

2361
94 firms · LQ 2.22

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • Clark Constructions Group — 641 NW Harris Lake Dr
  • Corbetts Mobile Home Supply — 230 SW Deputy J Davis Ln
  • Davmar Enterprises — 1250 NW Dalian Ln
  • Don Balis Builder — Drawer 2
  • Edgley Construction Co — 590 SW Arlington Blvd # 105
  • Emerson Blodgett Construction — 285 SE Emerson CT
  • First Coast Mobile Home Sales — 3909 W Us Highway 90
  • H and H USA — P.O. BOX 1623
  • Haygood Homes — 12592 S US Highway 441
  • Hometowne Brokers — 22 E Saint Johns St
  • Isaac Construction — 1005 SW Walter Ave
  • Morris Construction Co — 464 SW Alamo Dr
  • Norton Building Supply — RURAL ROUTE 388 A
  • Quantera Energy Resources — P O Box 7406

Financing it

5222
4 firms · LQ 0.47

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register
  • Citi Financial — 2510 W Us Highway 90 # 103
  • Citi Financial — 2133 W Us Highway 90
  • Compro Tax of Lake City — 577 E Duval St
  • Florida Auto Loans — 3212 W Us Highway 90

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work where you go to them

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Short-Term Rental TurnoverAppliance InstallationBabyproofing & Safety InstallsCarpet & Upholstery CleaningDeep CleaningDrywall RepairErrand RunningExterior PaintingFence & Deck StainingFurniture AssemblyGarden Weeding & MaintenanceGrocery Pickup & DeliveryGutter CleaningHandyman (General Repairs)Hedge & Shrub TrimmingHouse CleaningHouse SittingInterior PaintingJunk Removal & Dump RunsLandscape Design & PlantingLawn MowingFall Leaf CleanupMove-In / Move-Out CleaningMoving Help (Labour Only)Moving with TruckOffice CleaningPersonal ShopperPressure WashingMove Things Around the HouseSnow Shovelling & RemovalPacking & UnpackingTV & Picture MountingWardrobe StylingWindow Cleaning

events

BartenderDesignated Driver (Your Car)CateringTents, Tables & ChairsFloristFuneral & Celebration of Life ArrangementsGame-Day Bus or VanBook a Pub for Your GroupKaraoke Machine RentalParty Bus & Group ShuttlePub Crawl HostTaxi to the PubSports & Game PhotographyStag & Doe / Jack & Jill PlanningTailgate Party SetupTrivia Night HostVenue SourcingBig-Game Watch Party SetupWedding OfficiantWedding Planner / Coordinator

pets

Aquarium & Terrarium CleaningCatio (Cat Patio) BuildChicken Coop BuildDog House BuildDog TrainingDog WalkingHome Pet BoardingLost Pet SearchMobile Dog GroomingOvernight Pet SittingBuild & Install a Pet DoorPet Cages & EnclosuresPet Fencing & Dog RunsPet PhotographyPet-Proofing Your HomePet Sitting & Dog WalkingPet TaxiYard Poop Scooping

luxury

Chauffeur & Luxury CarDJ & Sound Gear RentalDJEvent PhotographerEvent PlannerLive MusiciansHair & Makeup ArtistMatchmakerPersonal ConciergePortrait & Headshot PhotographerPrivate ChefVideographerVIP / Social Club MembershipWedding PhotographerYacht & Boat Charter

healthcare

Wheelchair-Accessible TransportGrab Bars, Ramps & Home AccessibilityLight Housekeeping for SeniorsCooking & Meal Prep for SeniorsMedical Appointment EscortMedication & Appointment RemindersMobility Equipment RentalRespite Care for Family CaregiversSenior CompanionshipTech Help for SeniorsWalking Companion

sporting goods

Bike Tune-UpBorrow a Bike or E-BikeBorrow Camping GearBorrow Golf ClubsBorrow Hockey GearBorrow Ice SkatesBorrow a Kayak, Canoe or PaddleboardBorrow Skis, Poles & Ski BootsBorrow a Snowboard & Snow BootsSkate SharpeningSki & Snowboard Tuning

sports

Backyard Rink BuildLocal Fishing GuideGolf CaddieFind Players for a Pickup GamePrivate Sports LessonJoin or Build a Rec League TeamBook Ice, Courts & FieldsWorkout & Sports BuddyRoommates Who Also Like Sports

business

BookkeepingStart a Local BusinessCareer Coaching & RésumésFind a Local ManufacturerFind Local Work / Contract GigsLocal Advertising PlacementPrototype & Small-Batch ProductionTranslation & InterpretationWebsite & Online Presence

outdoors

Brush & Land ClearingChainsaw Rental (from a local owner)Firewood (Cut, Split & Delivered)Log Bucking & Cutting (Chainsaw)Portable SawmillingSmall-Lot Logging & Land ClearingStump GrindingTree FellingWood Splitting

construction

CarpenterElectricianHeating & Cooling (HVAC)Mobile MechanicPlumberRoof RepairSmall Engine RepairWelder / Metal Fabrication

travel

Airport Transfer & Car ServiceCorporate & Business TravelCruise BookingFamily Travel for a WeddingBereavement / Funeral TravelLeisure Travel PlanningLocal Tour Guide

tools

Camera & Lens RentalGenerator RentalLog Splitter RentalParty Equipment RentalPower Tool RentalTrailer & Truck Rental
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 29daycare 17
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics6
Pharmacies9
Dental practices13

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Columbia Animal Hospital — PO Box 851
  • Addison Animal Hospital — 222 SW County Road 252b
  • Womens Health Center — 340 NW Commerce Dr
  • Lake Shore Hospital — P.O. BOX 1989
  • Lake City Animal Hospital — 170 SW Professional Gln
  • Shands At Lake Shore Hospital — 368 NE Franklin St
  • Family Health Center — PO Box 249
  • Health Center — 560 SW Mcfarlane Ave

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

12

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • Census figures are 2021, taken on 11 May 2021: income is for 2020 and the labour figures were measured mid-pandemic, so the unemployment rate on this page is a 2021 reading rather than a current one.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 0.0% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 100%.

Built from

  • geonet.jacksonville — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands