Sumter County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
central portion of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 129,752,
and was estimated to be 154,693 in 2024.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Bushnell, and the largest city is
Wildwood.
The Villages is located in Sumter County.
It has the oldest median age (68.1 years) of any US county in the 2022 estimate.
Sumter County coincides with The Villages, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the
Orlando–Lakeland–Deltona, FL Combined Statistical Area.
History
Sumter County was created on January 8, 1853. It was named for General
Thomas Sumter
Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served in the Continental Army as a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier-general during the American Revolutionary War, Revolution ...
, a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county in the past, and to this day by some, is nicknamed "Hog County" most likely because it is home to a large population of wild hogs. Hog hunting is still a favorite pastime of locals in the more rural portions of the county.
Although long extremely rural, Sumter County has sustained an exceptionally large increase in population, almost solely due to the expansion of
The Villages retirement complex, a significant portion of which is in the county. This has dramatically changed the demographics of the county and has brought in significant income.
Sumter County was affected by the massive
Florida tornado outbreak of February 2, 2007, and a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
was declared.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.91%) is water. It is the 51st largest county in Florida by total area.
The Wildwood-The Villages, Florida
Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consists of Sumter County. The
principal cities of the MSA are Wildwood and The Villages. The MSA was first defined in or before 2003 as The Villages, Florida
Micropolitan statistical area (μSA) with The Villages as the principal city. The area was designated an MSA in or before 2013. In 2023, Wildwood was added as a principal city and the name of the MSA.
Adjacent counties
*
Marion County - north
*
Lake County - east
*
Polk County - southeast
*
Pasco County - southwest
*
Hernando County - west
*
Citrus County - northwest
Demographics
As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Sumter County was $403,970.
As of the 2023
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, there are 66,941 estimated households in Sumter County with an average of 1.93 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $73,297. Approximately 9.7% of the county's population lives at or 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 ...
. Sumter County has an estimated 25.0% employment rate, with 35.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.2% holding a high school diploma.
The median age in the county was 68.2 years.
Sumter County, Florida – racial and ethnic composition
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 129,752 people, 62,907 households, and 41,080 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 75,304 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.36%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.62%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.30%
Native American, 0.97%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.47% from some other races and 4.25% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.84% of the population.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 53,345 people, 20,779 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 25,195 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 82.60%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 13.78%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.51%
Native American, 0.41%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.16% from
other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 6.29% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
There were 20,779 households, out of which 18.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.62.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 16.10% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 27.30% from 45 to 64, and 27.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,073, and the median income for a family was $36,999. Males had a median income of $27,346 versus $21,145 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $16,830. About 9.60% of families and 13.70% 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 ...
, including 26.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.
Law enforcement
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office is accredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. and recognized by the
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) is a credentialing authority (accreditation), based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredit public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, trai ...
. It primarily patrols the unincorporated areas of Sumter County.
Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman of the
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...
(BOP) is located in the county.
It includes:
*
Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Low (FCI Coleman Low)
*
Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman Medium (FCI Coleman Medium)
*
United States Penitentiary I, Coleman (Coleman USP I)
*
United States Penitentiary II, Coleman (Coleman USP II)
Politics
Transportation
Railroads
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
operates one rail line within the county.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
formerly provided passenger rail service to
Wildwood, but the stop was terminated in late 2004.
Other lines have existed in the past, most notably one from Coleman southeast towards
Auburndale in Polk County, part of which includes the
General James A. Van Fleet State Trail in Mabel. Amtrak ran along this line until 1988. Another line ran from Croom in
Hernando County to Center Hill. Today, part of it is a Forest Road in
Withlacoochee State Forest
The Withlacoochee State Forest is in the western central part in the US state of Florida, near Lecanto, Inverness, Floral City, Brooksville, Ridge Manor, and Dade City. The forest was named for the Withlacoochee River, which passes thro ...
north of the Sumter Rest Area on I-75. A fourth one was part of the
Orange Belt Railway, which ran from
Trilby
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...
in Pasco County to
Sylvan Lake in Seminole County. This runs along the south side of State Road 50 east of Tarrytown.
Major roads
Interstates and expressways
* runs north and south across the western and northern part of the county, with interchanges at County Roads 476B & 673(Exit 309), SR 48 (Exit 314) CR 470(Exit 321), Florida's Turnpike(Exit 328), and SR 44(Exit 329).
* runs north and south from Southeastern and Central Florida. Only three interchanges exist in the county; US 301 (Exit 304), SR 44 (Exit 307), and at the northern terminus at I-75 (unmarked Exit 309), in Wildwood.
Surface roads
* is the main local road through Sumter County, running southwest to northeast.
* runs east and west through the northern part of the county from Rutland into Lake County.
* : runs east and west from SR 44 near the Sumter-Citrus County Line along the west side of
Lake Panasoffkee, then briefly joins US 301 in
Sumterville before heading east again towards Lake County.
* runs mostly east and west through Central Sumter County. It spans from Floral City in Citrus County to Howey-in-the Hills in Lake County. Until December 2016 the segment in Bushnell between I-75 (Exit 314) and US 301 was designated as a state road. Between the western terminus and US 301, it is also shared by the DeSoto Trail.
* : East-West Bi-County road running from Nobleton in Hernando County to Webster. The road spans as far west as
US 19
U.S. Route 19 or U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mex ...
along the
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
The Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located on the west coast of Florida, about north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. It is famous as the southern wintering sit ...
.
* runs east and west across the southern part of the county from
Withlacoochee State Forest
The Withlacoochee State Forest is in the western central part in the US state of Florida, near Lecanto, Inverness, Floral City, Brooksville, Ridge Manor, and Dade City. The forest was named for the Withlacoochee River, which passes thro ...
in Hernando County through Tarrytown and Mabel before entering Lake County.
* runs north and south from Polk County north of US 98 into US 301 in Sumterville.
* : Two north–south roads that were previously one until Interstate 75 was built. One section spans from SR 48 in Bushnell to CR 470 on the southeast corner of Exit 321 on I-75 in Lake Panasoffkee. The other starts at SR 44 in Wildwood west of Exit 329 on I-75 and crosses the Marion County line towards Ocala.
* : is a west to east rural county road in northern Sumter County.
* : is a west to east rural county road in northern Sumter County.
* : is a suffixed alternate route of CR 466.
* : is a suffixed alternate route of CR 476 within Busnnell.
* : is a suffixed alternate route of CR 476. It spans northwest from I-75 at Exit 309 to CR 476 west of Bushnell.
* : is a west to east rural county road in southern Sumter County spanning from I-75 at Exit 309 to US 301 in St. Catherine.
Scenic Sumter Heritage Byway
The Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, the cities of Webster and Bushnell, the Sumter County government, businesses, community leaders, veterans’ groups, and individuals worked to have 62 miles of road in Sumter County designated by the state of Florida as a Florida Scenic Byway.
On September 1, 2010, the Scenic Sumter Heritage Byway was designated a candidate for the Florida Scenic Highway Program. The Scenic Sumter Heritage Byway became the 24th highway to be designated a Florida Scenic Highway by the Florida Department of Transportation in June 2013.
Points of interest along the route include the Dade Battlefield State Historic Site, the Sumter County Farmer's Market, Lake Panasoffkee, the
Florida National Cemetery
Florida National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the city of Bushnell, Florida, Bushnell in Sumter County, Florida. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs it encompasses and began interments ...
. On January 25, 2014, community leaders, supporters of the byway, and Assistant Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation Brian Blanchard cut the ribbon to the highway at the
Dade Battlefield State Historic Site in Bushnell.
Public Transportation
Sumter County operates
Sumter County Transit, which operates three fixed-route services, as well as paratransit service.
Education
Sumter District Schools operates district public and private schools in Sumter County.
The Villages Charter Schools is a K-12 charter school in unincorporated northern Sumter County in
The Villages CDP. Children are eligible to attend the charter school if one or both of their parents work for The Villages.
Among other schools in the county is South Sumter Middle School, a junior high school for students in grades 6–8, and
Lake-Sumter State College has a campus in
Sumterville that serves the community.
Libraries
Sumter County has five branches serving its community as well as a Lake-Sumter State College campus library that is open to the public.
* Bushnell Public Library
* E.C. Rowell Public Library
* Panasoffkee Community Library
* Villages Public Library (Belvedere)
* Villages Public Library (Pinellas Plaza)
* Lake-Sumter State College Library (Sumterville)
The Sumter County Library Services began servicing the Wahoo, Center Hill, Linden, Croom-A-Coochee areas through the county's Library on Wheels program in 2008.
Communities
Cities
*
Bushnell
*
Center Hill
*
Coleman
Coleman may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Coleman Glacier (Antarctica)
* Coleman Peak, Ross Island
Canada
* Coleman, Alberta
* Coleman, Ontario
* Coleman, Prince Edward Island
United Kingdom
* Coleman, Leicester, England
United States
* C ...
*
Webster
*
Wildwood
Census-designated places
*
Lake Panasoffkee
*
The Villages
Other unincorporated communities
*
Croom-A-Coochee
*
Cumpressco
*
Linden
*
Mabel
*
Oak Grove
*
Orange Home
*
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
*
Royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Ill ...
*
Rutland
Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town.
Rutland has a ...
*
St. Catherine
*
Sumterville
*
Tarrytown
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on th ...
*
Wahoo
The wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono. The species is sometimes called hoo in the United States. It is best known to sports fishermen, a ...
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Sumter County, Florida
Notes
References
External links
Government links/Constitutional offices
Sumter County Board of County CommissionersSumter County Supervisor of ElectionsSumter County Property AppraiserSumter County Sheriff's OfficeSumter County Tax Collector*Sumter County Clerk of Court
Special districts
Sumter County School BoardSouthwest Florida Water Management District
Judicial branch
Public Defender, 5th Judicial Circuit of Floridaserving
Citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
,
Hernando,
Lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
,
Marion, and Sumter counties
Office of the State Attorney, 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida Circuit and County Court for the 5th Judicial Circuit of Florida
Museum and Library Resources
PhotographsFrom the State Library & Archives of Florida.
''The Sumter County Times,''the local newspaper for Sumter County, Florida fully and openly available in th
Florida Digital Newspaper Library
Business and Visitor Information
Sumter County Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Florida counties
1853 establishments in Florida
Counties in Greater Orlando
Populated places established in 1853
Metropolitan areas of Florida