Lecanto is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 6,301, up from 5,882 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to several county government facilities including the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the Citrus Campus of the College of Central Florida.
Geography
Lecanto is located at the geographic center of Citrus County. State Road 44 (Gulf to Lake Highway) runs through the center of the CDP, leading west to Crystal River and east to Inverness, the county seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, is water.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Lecanto had a population of 6,301. The median age was 52.0 years. 15.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 30.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.0 males age 18 and over.
33.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 67.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,321 households in Lecanto, of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Education
The CDP is served by Citrus County Schools. Elementary schools serving sections of the CDP include Lecanto, Forest Ridge, Rock Crusher, and Hernando. Lecanto Middle School and Lecanto High School also serve the CDP. The College of Central Florida's Citrus Campus was built in Lecanto in 1996.
Public transportation
Citrus County Transit has its headquarters in Lecanto and runs one flex-route service in the area.