Osceola County, Florida

Osceola County is a county in Florida, United States, about 20 miles south of downtown Orlando. It had a population of 388,656 at the 2020 census, an estimated 427,415 by 2024, and covers 1,327 square miles (3,440 km2) centred near 28°04′N 81°09′W.

Kissimmee is the county seat and its largest city; its postal code is 34741. The county holds 2 incorporated cities, 6 census-designated places with their own reported counts, and more than a dozen smaller unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 12097.

Towns & Villages in Osceola County

Osceola County has two incorporated cities and six census-designated places with individually reported 2020 populations, plus a scattering of smaller unincorporated communities and private mobile-home-park subdivisions the Census Bureau does not track on their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.

Poinciana and Four Corners are shared communities, not Osceola-only ones. Most of Poinciana’s population lives across the county line in Polk County, with only the four northernmost villages in Osceola; the population figure above is the whole community’s. Four Corners is the only place in Florida split across four counties — Lake, Orange, Osceola and Polk — and its 56,381 total likewise covers all four sides, not just the Osceola slice.

Beyond these eight, the county’s rural east side carries smaller unincorporated communities with no individual census count: Ashton, Deer Park, Harmony, Holopaw, Intercession City, Kenansville, Lokosee, Narcoossee, New Eden, Pine Grove, Reunion, Runnymede, South Port and Whittier. Harmony, a green-certified planned community near St. Cloud, passed 1,000 residents not long after it opened in 2003, though no 2020 census figure was reported for it separately. County postal and mapping records also carry several dozen individually named mobile-home-park subdivisions — developments such as Colonial MH Park, Sandalwood MH Park and Whispering Pines MH Park — that function as private communities rather than Census-recognized places.

ZIP Codes

• 34741 — Kissimmee (the city also uses 34742, 34744, 34745 and 34746)
• 34758 and 34759 — shared by Kissimmee and the Osceola side of Poinciana
• 34769 — St. Cloud (also serves 34771 through 34773, covering Harmony and Narcoossee)
• 34743 — Buenaventura Lakes
• 34747 — Celebration and the Osceola edge of Four Corners
• 34972 — Yeehaw Junction

Campbell has no ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under a neighboring Kissimmee or Poinciana code. Ashton, Deer Park, Lokosee, New Eden, Pine Grove, Runnymede, South Port and Whittier are similarly folded into the nearest incorporated town’s ZIP.

Geography

Osceola County sits in the flat lake country of central Florida, on the headwaters of the Kissimmee River chain. Of its 1,506 square miles, 1,327 are land and 178 are water — about 11.9 percent, among the higher water shares in the state. Lake Tohopekaliga and East Lake Tohopekaliga, both on Kissimmee’s and St. Cloud’s doorsteps, feed the Kissimmee River south toward Lake Okeechobee; the county’s southern half is largely ranchland and wetland prairie around that river system.

Orange County lies to the north, Brevard County to the northeast, Indian River County to the east, Okeechobee County to the southeast, Highlands County to the south, Polk County to the west, and Lake County to the northwest. Orange County, Brevard County, Indian River County, Okeechobee County, Highlands County, Polk County and Lake County all border Osceola directly.

Demographics

Osceola County had a population of 388,656 at the 2020 census, and the most recent estimate puts the county near 427,415 residents by 2024. Kissimmee and St. Cloud are the two largest incorporated communities, together holding roughly a third of the county’s population. Median household income runs $72,637 (2024), close to Florida’s statewide figure of $73,311 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 293 people per square mile of land, reflecting the county’s position inside the fast-growing Orlando metropolitan area; more than 54 percent of residents identify as Hispanic, one of the highest shares of any Florida county.

Economy & Local Life

Retail trade employs the most workers in the county, about 28,826 people, followed by accommodation and food services at 22,866 and health care and social assistance at 22,843. Tourism drives much of that employment: Walt Disney World’s property extends into the county’s northwest corner near Celebration and Four Corners, and Disney Destinations is among Kissimmee’s largest employers alongside the School District of Osceola County, Adventist Health System and HCA Healthcare. Kissimmee Gateway Airport handles general aviation on the city’s south side. Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee hosts the Silver Spurs Rodeo each February, one of the largest rodeos east of the Mississippi and a fixture of the county’s ranching heritage.

History

Florida’s legislature formed Osceola County on 12 May 1887, carving it out of Orange and Brevard counties. It was named for Osceola, a Seminole leader who resisted removal during the Second Seminole War and died in captivity in 1838. Kissimmee, already settled as a cattle-shipping town on Lake Tohopekaliga, became the county seat.

St. Cloud was founded in 1909 by the Seminole Land & Investment Company as a retirement colony for Union Army Civil War veterans, earning it the nickname “The Friendly Soldier City.” The county’s cattle-ranching economy dominated for decades until Walt Disney World opened its gates in 1971 just across the Orange County line, pulling Kissimmee and the county’s northwest corner into the tourism industry that now anchors its economy.

Getting There

Interstate 4 and Florida’s Turnpike both cross the county. US Routes 17, 92, 192 and 441 and State Roads 60, 417, 423 and 429 run through it as well.

• Orlando — about 20 miles north
• Melbourne — about 45 miles east
• Sebring — about 45 miles south
• Lakeland — about 35 miles west

Orlando International Airport, about 15 miles northeast of Kissimmee, is the nearest major commercial airport. Kissimmee Gateway Airport, on the city’s south side, handles general aviation and charter flights. SunRail commuter rail stops at both the Kissimmee Amtrak station and the Poinciana station, its southern terminus, connecting north to downtown Orlando.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Osceola County located?
It sits in central Florida’s lake country, about 20 miles south of downtown Orlando, bordered by Orange, Brevard, Indian River, Okeechobee, Highlands, Polk and Lake counties.

What is the population of Osceola County?
388,656 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 427,415 by 2024.

How big is Osceola County?
1,327 square miles (3,440 km2) of land, plus 178 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Osceola County?
Kissimmee, the county’s largest city, has been the seat since the county formed in 1887.

How many towns and cities are in Osceola County?
Two incorporated cities, Kissimmee and St. Cloud, plus six census-designated places — Poinciana, Four Corners, Buenaventura Lakes, Celebration, Campbell and Yeehaw Junction — and more than a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Osceola County use?
34741 through 34747 and 34758-34759 for Kissimmee, Poinciana and Celebration; 34769 through 34773 for St. Cloud, Harmony and Narcoossee; 34743 for Buenaventura Lakes; and 34972 for Yeehaw Junction.

What is Osceola County known for?
Its share of Walt Disney World near Celebration and Four Corners, and the Silver Spurs Rodeo, held each February at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.