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Place dossier plate
SheetFL-FORT-MEADE-FL · Fort Meade, FL 5,172 pop · income 5th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fort Meade
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Meade on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Keswick · lowest
35,114
Keswick · lowest
35,114 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #1
Ripley · near
35,120
Ripley · near
35,120 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #2
Newcomerstown · near
35,125
Newcomerstown · near
35,125 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #3
Fort Meade · this city
35,131
Fort Meade · this city
35,131 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #4
Charleston · near
35,139
Charleston · near
35,139 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #5
Alford · near
35,147
Alford · near
35,147 median HH income
14.9% of the leader · rank #6
North Oaks · highest
235,858
North Oaks · highest
235,858 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fort Meade on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,172.
Fort Meade ranks in the 5th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
5th
percentile, household income
24th
percentile, home value
73rd
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fort Meade, FL
Florida's Fort Meade is a small town, with 5,172 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $35,131 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 21.1%. Home values in Fort Meade run a median of $141,500, and the median resident age is 43.8 years. 10.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 43.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 33 residential building permits were authorized in Fort Meade (Building Boom), up 725% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.
Florida carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Florida scores 103.4 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,526 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Florida run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 75.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fort Meade's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fort Meade, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Fort Meade?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 21.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Meade?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
Within Florida, the closest population matches are Samsula-Spruce Creek (5,174 residents, $90,575 income); River Ridge (5,191 residents, $86,786 income); Crystal Lake (5,203 residents, $47,679 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Mayfair, CA (5,173 residents); Windsor Heights, IA (5,171 residents); Bolivar, TN (5,171 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Is Fort Meade growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +296 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 33 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
What does the journey to work look like in Fort Meade?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Fort Meade?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 10.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
21.1%
Bachelor's degree+
10.2%
Matched public schools
2
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 21.1% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.4 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Florida average
F
City profile score · Fort Meade, FL
10/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living F
103.4 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
21.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
10.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$35,131
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Fort Meade profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index
Poverty rate: 11/100 (F) · 21.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 7/100 (F) · 10.2%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $35,131
How does Fort Meade compare to other US cities?
Where Fort Meade sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income5% higher than other cities
Home value24% pricier than other cities
Median rent73% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fort Meade against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Florida only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Florida-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fort Meade near the bottom of Florida's cities
Among the 930 Florida cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Meade ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Meade only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#877 of 903
3rd percentile in Florida
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 930
0th percentile in Florida
Median Home Value
#788 of 894
12th percentile in Florida
Poverty Rate
#97 of 930
90th percentile in Florida
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#821 of 930
12th percentile in Florida
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Florida only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
5th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Fort Meade's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$141,500Among the most affordablemore affordable than 76% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fort Meade's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,784 of 15,516
More affordable than 30% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#8,422 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.0×, Fort Meade sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,784 of 15,516 and #8,422 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$35,131Fort Meade, FL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fort Meade, FL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fort Meade, FL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)10.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)21.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)43.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,172
Median Income
$35,131
Median Home Value
$141,500
Median Age
43.8
Poverty Rate
21.1%
Labor force participation
43.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
10.2%
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fort Meade's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,083 residents
2021
5,128 residents
2022
5,204 residents
2023
5,301 residents
2024
5,316 residents
2025
5,379 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
33
housing units authorized
Single-Family
23
detached homes
Multifamily
10
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
4
4
0
$0.4M
2020
8
8
0
$0.8M
2021
20
20
0
$2.7M
2022
28
28
0
$4.1M
2023
15
15
0
$2.9M
2024
33
23
10
$5.3M
Permit volume increased 725% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.8%
Carpool
9.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
8.2%
Based on 1,766 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Florida statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Florida at $225 (electricity about $145 , water and sewer about $55 ).
These are Florida statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fort Meade. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Florida's BEA cost-of-living index is 103.4 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fort Meade is $1,526/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Florida statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 75.7 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Florida statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fort Meade sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fort Meade compares to similar-size Florida cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
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.