CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

26.72° N · 81.45° W · GEOID 1237225

LaBelle

Hendry County, Florida · part of the Clewiston, FL metro

FloridaLaBelle, FLLaBelleLaBelle

The short answer

LaBelle is home to 5,184 people. Median household income is $53,309 a year and median rent is $1,650 a month, 37.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $204,400, about 3.8x annual median household income.

The story in LaBelle is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 28.4% to 37.1% of income. Also notable: Rent run 39% above what its fundamentals predict in Florida.

22OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

LaBelle scores better than 22% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 277th of 474 in Florida.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%25
Economy 20%38
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%74
Education 10%16
Commute 10%6
Growth 5%98

Not rated: safety, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,650
21% above the median place
Median household income
$53,309
34% below the median place
Median home value
$204,400
36% below the median place
Unemployment
4.4%
10% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about LaBelle

  • How it is changingPopulation change sped up in the latest estimate: +4.8% from 2024 to 2025, against +2.8% a year before that.
  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 37.1% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to LaBelle

Hendry County gains about 24.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,941
Moved out2,168
Net+773

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Florida, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within FloridaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$50K
Leavers$47K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Hendry County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Hendry County report $49,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $47,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$66,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,650 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,213 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $204,400.
Getting to work
35 minutes each way on average; 10.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palmview, TX matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
24.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$47,370
33% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$49,897
29% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.5%13% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%23% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure24.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$49,89729% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$47,37033% below
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs about $437 a month less than the median rent, a rarer pattern than in 99% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.

LaBelle37.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$66,000
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
37.1%
82% above the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
1% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
37%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$33,200
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in LaBelle, $1,650 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like LaBelle, but easier on the budget

Places that match LaBelle on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Palmview, TX8718.5% vs 37.1%n/aCompare
Kirby, TX8725.5% vs 37.1%n/aCompare
La Feria, TX8727.6% vs 37.1%n/aCompare
Sealy, TX8625.2% vs 37.1%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in LaBelle.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to LaBelle? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
82.8%
64% above the median place
Vacant homes1
18.5%
163% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,213
35% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,65021% above
Rent to income137.1%82% above
Property tax rate10.7%26% below
Home price to income13.8x1% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,14429% below
HUD area median income3County figure$65,30039% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,36358% below
Median home value1$204,40036% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.1%59% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure70.0%36% above
Homeownership174.5%12% above
Renters paying 30%+182.8%64% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,21335% below
Vacant homes118.5%163% above
Median year built119870% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 35 min, 42% above the median place.

Mean commute1
35 min
42% above the median place
Median household income1
$53,309
34% below the median place
Poverty rate1
17.1%
59% above the median place
All 9 work and pay measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$53,30934% below
Income per person1$32,99518% below
Unemployment1County figure4.4%10% below
Average annual pay5County figure$57,39313% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.2%14% above
Jobs5County figure12,74792% below
Poverty rate117.1%59% above
Mean commute135 min42% above
Works from home110.1%19% below
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 62.7%, 32% below the median place.

High school or higher1
62.7%
32% below the median place
Population change since 20206
16.8%
above the median place (median 1.1%)
Born abroad1
30.6%
247% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance15.0% 2.3×
Bachelor's or higher17.8% −45%
Homes with broadband88.1% −5%
Household size2.8 +12%
Median age38.7 −1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,1846493rd largest
Population change since 2020616.8%above (median 1.1%)
Median age138.71% below
Bachelor's or higher117.8%45% below
High school or higher162.7%32% below
Household size12.812% above
Born abroad130.6%247% above
No health insurance115.0%134% above
Homes with broadband188.1%5% below
05

Life in LaBelle

The nearest National Park Service site is Big Cypress National Preserve, about 57 miles away.

5 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Hendry County Courthouse, Old listed 1990
  • Forrey Building and Annex listed 1995
  • Hendry, Capt. Francis A., House listed 1998
  • Downtown LaBelle Historic District listed 1999
  • Caldwell Home Place listed 2003

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents40.5 4.0×
Playgrounds per 10k9.7 +3%
Grocery stores per 10k11.6 5.5×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k34.7 3.1×
Libraries per 10k3.9 4.4×
Named paths and bike trails1 km −40%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Big Cypress National Preserve 57 miles
  • De Soto National Memorial 92 miles
  • Everglades National Park 108 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars14.6 −30%
Shops30.0 −1%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.4 −66%
Doctors' offices and clinics7.3 −64%
Child care centers4.2 +83%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher12
24.6
60% above the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
56.8
84% above the median place
Public schools12
10
11% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools121011% above
Public school students124,8421% below
Students per teacher1224.660% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure14.630% below
Shops per 10k8County figure30.01% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.466% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure7.364% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.283% above
Parks per 10k940.5298% above
Playgrounds per 10k99.73% above
Grocery stores per 10k911.6above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k934.7211% above
Libraries per 10k93.9344% above
Named paths and bike trails91.240% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1056.884% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10150% below
National Register listings11562% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 53°F, 110% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached LaBelle. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low13
53°F
110% above the median place
Average temperature13
75°F
36% above the median place
July average high13
92°F
6% above the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureLaBelleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure92°F6% above
January average low13County figure53°F110% above
Average temperature13County figure75°F36% above
Annual precipitation13County figure51.9 in18% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure78.715% below
Hurricane risk14County figure94.233% above
Tornado risk14County figure37.654% below
Wildfire risk14County figure93.352% above
Heat wave risk14County figure54.040% below
08

LaBelle in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 38% of the median income in 2030, up from 37% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, LaBelle does better than 24% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 92%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,650/mo (2024)$2,210/mo$1,810 to $2,690/mo+5.0%
Median household income$53,309 (2024)$69,000$58,500 to $82,000+4.4%
Median home value$204,400 (2024)$306,000$222,000 to $422,000+7.0%
Population5,754 (2025)6,2806,020 to 6,550+1.8%

The median home would be worth 4.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like LaBelle

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Lauderhill, FL$1,684$51,165Compare
Lauderdale Lakes, FL$1,663$50,006Compare
Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace, FL$1,457$59,388Compare
Palm Springs, FL$1,669$61,739Compare
Palm Springs, FLBellair-Meadowbrook Terrace, FLLauderdale Lakes, FLLauderhill, FLLaBelle, FLLaBelleLauderhillBellair-Meadowbrook TerracePalm SpringsLaBelleLauderhillBellair-Meadowbrook Terrace

Places built like LaBelle

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how LaBelle performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
LaBelle, FL37.1%8.5%/yr16.8%
Clewiston, FL16.0%6.5%/yr3.9%Compare
Orlovista, FL36.0%5.1%/yrn/aCompare
Dumfries, VA25.2%5.2%/yr12.9%Compare
Fort Pierce South, FL27.4%7.3%/yrn/aCompare
Peppermill Village, MD11.8%1.3%/yrn/aCompare
Seminole, TX17.0%0.8%/yr9.9%Compare

Common questions

Is LaBelle a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 22 out of 100, better than 22% of the places we rate and 277th of 474 in Florida. Population change sped up in the latest estimate: +4.8% from 2024 to 2025, against +2.8% a year before that. The median rent takes 37.1% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 24 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is LaBelle expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 37.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $204,400.

What salary do you need to live in LaBelle?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $66,000 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to LaBelle?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lauderhill, FL, Lauderdale Lakes, FL, Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace, FL and Palm Springs, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares LaBelle with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for LaBelle itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/labelle-florida

Citytistics. “LaBelle, Florida.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/labelle-florida/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.