Polk County Top Employers
[As of January 2026]
| Employer | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Publix Super Markets | 16,537 | Headquarters, Distribution, Manufacturing and Super Markets |
| Polk County School Board | 13,500 | Administration, Staff and Educators |
| Lakeland Regional Health | 8,279 | Main Hospital and Clinic Operations |
| Walmart | 5,523* | E-commerce, Distribution and Retail Stores |
| Amazon | 5,500 | Prime Air and Fulfillment Centers |
| BayCare | 3,402 | Hospital Locations and Services |
| Geico | 2,941 | Insurance Center |
| Polk County Board of County Commissioners | 2,426 | All County Operations |
| City of Lakeland | 2,297 | All City Operations |
| Winter Haven Hospital | 2,130 | Main Hospital and Clinic Operations |
| Watson Clinic | 2,108 | All Clinic Operations |
| Polk County Sheriffs Office | 1,988 | Administration, Staff and Deputies |
| Advent Health | 1,712* | Hospital Locations and Services |
| Mosaic | 1,580 | Manufacturing and Office Operations |
| Legoland | 1,500+* | Legoland Florida Resort and Hotels |
| Polk State College | 1,250* | Administration, Staff and Educators |
| Lowe’s | 984* | Distribution Center |
| Carpenter Contractors of America | 950 | Home Product Manufacturing |
| Saddle Creek Logistics | 939* | Headquarters, 3PL and Distribution |
| Midstate Machine & Fab. | 925 | Industrial Services |
| Southeastern University | 897 | Administration, Staff and Educators |
| Florida Southern College | 861 | Administration, Staff and Educators |
| City of Winter Haven | 700 | All City Operations |
| Oakley Transport Inc. | 700 | All Logistic Operations |
| Medline | 640 | Medical Equipment Distribution |
| Aldi | 638 | Distribution Center |
| Advanced Auto Parts | 615* | Distribution Center |
| Florida’s Natural Growers | 600* | Agricultural, Processing and Manufacturing |
| The Coca-Cola Company | 582 | Manufacturing and Bottling Center |
| Central Florida Health Care | 580 | Clinic Locations and Healthcare Operations |
| W G Roe & Sons Inc | 500* | Agriculture and Shipping Operations |
| UPS | 453* | Distribution and Logistics |
| Summit Consulting | 450 | Operations Center |
| Rooms to Go | 427* | Distribution Center |
| Well Dyne Rx LLC | 426* | Southeast Headquarters and Pharmaceuticals |
| SouthState Bank | 425 | Headquarters and Financial Services |
| American Air Filters | 400* | Air Filtration Manufacturing |
| Mission Foods | 400* | Food Manufacturing |
| Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits | 372 | Distribution Center |
| R & L Carriers, Inc. | 357* | Distribution and Logistics |
| Pepperidge Farm | 355* | Food Manufacturing |
| Lockheed Martin | 349 | Administrative and Finance Services |
| IGT | 345* | Gaming Product Manufacturing |
| Tampa Maid Foods | 337 | Food Manufacturing |
| Harrell’s Inc. | 335* | Fertilizer Manufacturing |
| Marriott Vacations | 330* | Resort Back Office |
| Keymark | 321 | Aluminum Product Manufacturing |
| Cardinal Health | 300* | Distribution and Logistics |
* Numbers previously reported