Updated August 2026

Biggest Lake in Florida: Lake Okeechobee (467,200 acres)

Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake per the South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District. Below: 50 graded Florida lakes ranked by surface area.

The largest lake in Florida is Lake Okeechobee at 467,200 acres , in Okeechobee, Glades, Hendry, Martin, and Palm Beach County, according to the South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District.

Lake Okeechobee isn't in our water-quality index — we grade lakes with enough EPA Water Quality Portal samples to score, which leaves out many large reservoirs and border waters. The ranking below covers the 50 Florida lakes we do grade, led by Lake Okee Rim Canal.

Source: South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District (2026-07-30). The table below ranks the Florida lakes in our own index by surface area.

Lakes with area data

467,200

Largest (acres)

216

Median of top 50

50/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading Florida's size profile

Florida's largest lake by surface area is Lake Okee Rim Canal in Glades County, spanning 467,200 acres. Most of Florida's biggest waters are reservoirs — dammed river valleys built for water supply, flood control, and recreation, so their footprints shift with pool level.

Surface area is a poor proxy for water quality on its own — a large lake can hold a clean, deep core and a nutrient-loaded bay at the same time. Each lake below links to its full report card with grade, clarity, depth, and EPA impairment status. Area figures come from state DNR surveys and the USACE National Inventory of Dams; grades come from EPA and state monitoring data.

The 50 biggest lakes in Florida by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth	Grade
1	Lake Okee Rim Canal	Glades	467,200 acres	-	NR
2	Lake Seminole	Jackson	37,500 acres	-	B
3	Rod Res Dam East Lake	Putnam	7,807 acres	-	NR
4	Deerpoint Lake	Bay	4,700 acres	-	NR
5	Polk-Lulu Lake	Polk	4,640 acres	-	B
6	Lake Hancock	Polk	4,541 acres	-	D
7	Lake Rousseau	Citrus	4,060 acres	-	NR
8	Highlands-Francis Lake	Highlands	3,662 acres	-	NR
9	Dead Lake	Gulf	2,985 acres	-	B
10	Lake Tarpon Canal	Pinellas	2,529 acres	-	C
11	Plrvvillacity Lake	Lake	2,442 acres	-	NR
12	Lake Manatee	Manatee	2,200 acres	-	NR
13	Lake Smart	Polk	1,820 acres	-	B
14	Lake Henry	Polk	861 acres	-	NR
15	Polk-Whistler Lake	Polk	764 acres	-	B
16	Lake Gibson	Polk	474 acres	-	NR
17	Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake	Hillsborough	431 acres	-	B
18	Lake Maggiore	Pinellas	384 acres	-	C
19	Hernando-Hunter Lake	Hernando	349 acres	-	B
20	Allignorth Lake	Columbia	322 acres	-	NR
21	Lake Seminole	Pinellas	320 acres	-	D
22	Scott Lake West	Polk	292 acres	-	NR
23	Hillsborough-Pretty Lake	Hillsborough	284 acres	-	B
24	Munson Lake	Leon	253 acres	-	B
25	Kings Lake South Lobe	Walton	229 acres	-	B
26	Lake Istokpoga	Highlands	216 acres	-	D
27	Lkconine Lake	Polk	211 acres	-	NR
28	Tallavana Lake	Gadsden	206 acres	-	D
29	Lake Glenada	Highlands	176 acres	-	B
30	Highlands-August Lake	Highlands	150 acres	-	D
31	Hillsborough-Grady Lake	Hillsborough	120 acres	-	D
32	Alligator Lake	Columbia	116 acres	-	C
33	Clay-Asbury North Lake	Clay	110 acres	-	B
34	Sumter-Big Gant Lake	Sumter	93 acres	-	C
35	Mckay Creek Lake	Pinellas	85 acres	-	B
36	Smith Pond Center	Washington	81 acres	-	NR
37	Alligator Lake	Pinellas	79 acres	-	D
38	Bonnet-Col Lake	Polk	79 acres	-	D
39	Whitetrout Lake	Hillsborough	75 acres	-	B
40	Walton-Spring Lake	Walton	67 acres	-	B
41	Lake Piney-Z	Leon	63 acres	-	B
42	Clay-Asbury South Lake	Clay	61 acres	-	B
43	Hernando-Spring Lake	Hernando	54 acres	-	NR
44	North Lake	Hillsborough	54 acres	-	NR
45	Leon-Blue Heron Lake	Leon	47 acres	-	B
46	Dogwood Lakes Ne Lobe	Holmes	43 acres	-	NR
47	Lake Vedra	St. Johns	42 acres	-	D
48	Slverlk Lake	Leon	35 acres	-	NR
49	Hillsborough-Armistead Lake	Hillsborough	33 acres	-	B
50	Lake Kanturk	Leon	33 acres	-	NR

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in Florida?

Lake Okeechobee, at 467,200 acres, in Okeechobee, Glades, Hendry, Martin, and Palm Beach County. Source: South Florida Water Management District / Florida FWC / USACE Jacksonville District, 2026-07-30.

How is lake surface area measured?

Surface area comes from state DNR lake surveys and, for reservoirs, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Inventory of Dams records. Area is reported in acres at normal pool level. Reservoirs rise and fall with management and drought, so their listed area is the long-term normal rather than a single-day reading.

Are Florida's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 Florida lakes by area, 50 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 0 are natural basins. Glacial states (MN, WI, MI, NY) skew natural; plains and southern states (MO, IA, ND, OH) skew toward reservoirs built for water supply, flood control, and recreation.

Do larger lakes have better water quality?

Not reliably. Quality varies more within a big lake than between lakes — a large lake can have a clean, deep main basin and a murky, algae-prone bay fed by a tributary, so one grade can mask wide swings. Depth, watershed land use, and how fast the lake flushes matter far more than raw surface area.

How big is the typical Florida lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 Florida lakes by surface area, the median is 216 acres (Lake Istokpoga). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical Florida lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near Florida's largest lakes

Planning a trip? Jump to live cabin, resort, and hotel availability near Florida's biggest lakes.

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