Most of Lake Wales is in Polk County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $36.11 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 3 ZIP codes in Lake Wales with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,110 to $1,180 a month. At the middle rent, $1,110, a full-time job would need to pay $33.12 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33853 | Polk County | $1,110/mo | $33.12/hr |
| 33859 | Polk County | $1,180/mo | $35.40/hr |
| 33898 | Polk County | $1,110/mo | $33.12/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Lake Wales needs to pay at least $36.11 an hour before taxes, about $75,102 a year. That is the figure for Polk County, where the typical studio rent is $1,200 a month.
Yes. Across the 3 ZIP codes in Lake Wales with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,110 to $1,180 a month. At the middle rent of $1,110, the pay needed would be $33.12 an hour.
The minimum wage in Polk County is $15.00 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 2.4 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads