City profile · Florida · Census ACS 2023

Laurel, FL

Laurel's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

11,868
Residents
$89,282
Median income
$450,200
Median home
$1,526
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Laurel, FL - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Laurel.

Place dossier plate

Sheet FL-LAUREL-FL · Laurel, FL 11,868 pop · income 70th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-HIGH · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-HIGH · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 11,868
  • INC-HIGH $89,282
  • COL-PAR 103.4
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 70th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ North Hobbs
  • HOME-HIGH $450,200
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: North Hobbs, NM ( $3 income $)

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 Laurel

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Laurel on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Laurel 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: 11,868.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $89,282. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Laurel - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Laurel places in the 70th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

70th
percentile, household income
81st
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: Laurel, FL

Florida's Laurel is a small town, with 11,868 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Laurel households earn a median of $89,282 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Home values in Laurel run a median of $450,200, and the median resident age is 62.9 years. About 41.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 42.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,526 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Florida's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 75.7 out of 100 (High).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Laurel'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 work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Laurel, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Laurel?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Laurel?

Within Florida, the closest population matches are Lantana (11,845 residents, $69,677 income); Middleburg (11,911 residents, $70,877 income); Westview (11,823 residents, $53,840 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Mount Sinai, NY (11,876 residents); Dranesville, VA (11,860 residents); Robertsville, NJ (11,859 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.

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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 3

How far does income reach against housing in Laurel?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

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.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

11,868 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$89,282 /yr

Above median income · poverty 2.5% (Low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

103.4 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Florida average

City profile score · Laurel, FL

63/100

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.

Poverty rate A-
2.5%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share B+
41.9%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income B-
$89,282

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

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.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Laurel profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Cost of living. Poverty rateBachelor's+ shareHousehold incomeCost of living 63 C+
Laurel profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 77/100 (B+) · 41.9%
  • Household income: 69/100 (B-) · $89,282
  • Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index

How does Laurel compare to other US cities?

Here's how Laurel stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 70% higher than other cities
Home value 81% pricier than other cities
Median rent 73% 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 Laurel 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 Laurel near the bottom of Florida's cities

Among the 930 Florida cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Laurel ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Laurel only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#231 of 903
74th percentile in Florida
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 930
0th percentile in Florida
Median Home Value
#184 of 894
79th percentile in Florida
Poverty Rate
#787 of 930
15th percentile in Florida
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#220 of 930
76th 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.

70thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

70th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Laurel's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$450,200 19th percentile more affordable than 19% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Laurel $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Laurel's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.0×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#12,967 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,633 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 5.0×, Laurel sits in the pressured band: national rank #12,967 of 15,516 and #2,633 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

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

$89,282 Laurel, FL median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Laurel, FL Laurel, FL's median household income ($89,282) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Laurel, FL-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Laurel, FL median $89,282/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern 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%
Laurel, 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 Laurel, FL.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 41.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 42.8%

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

Population
11,868
Median Income
$89,282
Median Home Value
$450,200
Median Age
62.9
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
42.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.9%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
71.2%
Carpool
5.2%
Public Transit
0.4%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
21.5%
Other
1.3%

Based on 4,511 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 Laurel. 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 Laurel 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 Laurel sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Laurel 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Laurel (this city) 11,868 $89,282
Lantana 11,845 $69,677
Middleburg 11,911 $70,877
Westview 11,823 $53,840
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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