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2-minute read
Polk County’s ranking for child health jumped to 28th this year — up from 44th last year and 54th the year before, according to the Florida Policy Institute.
That puts it in the top half of Florida’s 67 counties. But the reason might surprise you.
It’s not because of fewer low-birthweight babies, fewer overweight children or fewer uninsured kids. Polk saw slight increases in all of those categories compared with the baseline year.
The county can thank teenagers for its dramatically improved ranking in the latest Child Well-Being Index. Far fewer Polk County high school students drank or used drugs in 2024.
Gen Z is savvy about substances
“Gen Z has had access to information from birth,” said Angie Ellison, executive director of Lakeland-based InnerAct Alliance. “So the theory is that they are much more aware and therefore making healthier choices, not only around drugs and alcohol, but also different kinds of health. They exercise more, they drink more water. They are just, in general, making better choices as youth.”
Drinking and drug use have been declining nationally for more than a decade, particularly among people in their teens and 20s.
Ellison said messages like “one pill can kill,” about the dangers of opioids and counterfeit prescription drugs, may also be having an impact.
In 2024, 19.2% of Polk County high school students reported having used alcohol or drugs in the previous 30 days — slightly below the statewide average of 19.3%.
Polk County ranks 28th statewide for its rate of high school students drinking or using drugs in 2024. That’s a dramatic rise from its 54th-place ranking in 2023.
High school students’ drinking and drug use decreased in 63 of Florida’s 67 counties between the baseline year of 2018 and 2024. However, Polk County’s 12.8-percentage-point decrease was larger than that of 50 other counties.
Prevention efforts
InnerAct Alliance and Tri-County Human Services are the lead agencies managing prevention efforts in Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.
Ellison said her organization focuses more on educating children and preventing addiction, while Tri-County offers treatment and recovery programs.
Explore more of the rankings
The Florida Policy Institute’s Child Well-Being Index draws upon information from Kids Count, an annual compilation of data by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Explore more of the rankings below.
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy's reporting for LkldNow focuses on Lakeland city government. Previously, she was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
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