Lecanto is an unincorporated community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in

Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs. Citrus County compris ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,882, up from 5,161 in 2000. It is home to several county government facilities such as the

Citrus County Sheriff's Office The Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing a population of 138,143 in of Citrus County, Florida. History The sheriff's office began operations on June 2, 1887, when Citrus County was created with ...

and the Citrus Campus of the

College of Central Florida The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion, Citrus, and Levy counties. It is part of the Florida College System. Founded in 1957 as Central Florida Junior College, CF has grown to span three counties and incl ...

Geography

Lecanto is located at the geographic center of Citrus County at (28.8488, -82.4811). State Road 44 (Gulf to Lake Highway) runs through the center of the CDP, leading west to Crystal River and east to Inverness, the county seat. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 5,161 people, 1,861 households, and 1,369 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,095 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the CDP was 93.88% White, 2.96% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.71%. Of the 1,861 households 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 22.0% of households were one person and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.81. The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median household income was $40,826 and the median family income was $46,987. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $27,296 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,625. About 5.3% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over. Lecanto is the site of the privately operated Citrus County Detention Facility, which holds a maximum of 760 prisoners of the county, of the federal government, and prisoners from the Virgin Islands.

Education

The CDP is served by Citrus County Schools. Elementary schools serving sections of the CDP include Lecanto, Forest Ridge, Rock Crusher, and Hernando. Lecanto Middle School and Lecanto High School also serve the CDP.

's Citrus Campus was built in Lecanto in 1996.

Public transportation

Citrus County Transit has its headquarters in Lecanto, and runs one flex-route service in the area.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Citrus County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Former municipalities in Florida