City profile · Florida · Census ACS 2023

Cape Coral, FL

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Cape Coral — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

206,387
Residents
$76,062
Median income
$339,200
Median home
$1,526
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Cape Coral, FL

Cape Coral is a city in Florida with a population of 206,387 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $76,062 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 7.1%. Typical homes in Cape Coral are valued around $339,200, and the median resident age is 48.7 years. About 25.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 55.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 3,397 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 26% from five years earlier.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Florida registers 103.4 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,526 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Cape Coral report an average commute of 25.3 minutes, with 76.0% driving alone and 13.1% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 75.7 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

206,387 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Florida

Median Household Income

$76,062 /yr

Poverty 7.1%

Cost of Living Index

103.4 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Cape Coral compare to other US cities?

Where Cape Coral sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 57% higher than other cities
Home value 70% pricier than other cities
Median rent 73% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Cape Coral against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Cape Coral, FL Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Cape Coral, FL. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Cape Coral, FL — median $76,062/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Cape Coral, FL — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 25.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.3%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
206,387
Median Income
$76,062
Median Home Value
$339,200
Median Age
48.7
Poverty Rate
7.1%
Labor force participation
55.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
25.7%

Schools

Total Schools
26
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
3,397
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2,671
detached homes
Multifamily
726
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
16.5
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 2,688
2020 3,527
2021 5,412
2022 4,735
2023 3,995
2024 3,397

Permit volume increased 26% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
25.3 minutes
Drive Alone
76.0%
Carpool
8.1%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
1.0%
Work from Home
13.1%
Other
1.5%

Based on 95,366 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Florida — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$145
avg/month
Natural Gas
$25
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$55
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Florida state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Florida state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
103.4
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,526/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
75.7 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Cape Coral, FL Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Cape Coral, FL — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Cape Coral compares to nearby Florida cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Cape Coral) plus the nearest peer cities in Florida, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

FL

Cape Coral

76.06% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$76,062
Brackets
206
Selected

FL

Tallahassee

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,970
Brackets
200
Selected

FL

Port St. Lucie

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$22,050
Brackets
220
Selected

FL

Hialeah

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$22,190
Brackets
222
Census ACS 5-year FIPS FL NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Cape Coral, FL?

What is the population of Cape Coral, FL? +

Cape Coral, FL has a population of 206,387 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Cape Coral, FL? +

The median household income in Cape Coral is $76,062 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Cape Coral? +

Cape Coral has a cost of living index of 103.4 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Cape Coral, FL? +

The median home value in Cape Coral is $339,200, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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