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Place dossier plate
SheetFL-PALATKA-FL · Palatka, FL 10,558 pop · income 4th pct · 17 tracts
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 Palatka
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Palatka on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Richwood · lowest
33,614
Richwood · lowest
33,614 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #1
Waresboro · near
33,616
Waresboro · near
33,616 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #2
North San Ped… · near
33,622
North San Ped… · near
33,622 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #3
Palatka · this city
33,628
Palatka · this city
33,628 median HH income
33.7% of the leader · rank #4
Jeffersonville · near
33,636
Jeffersonville · near
33,636 median HH income
33.7% of the leader · rank #5
Owensville · near
33,636
Owensville · near
33,636 median HH income
33.7% of the leader · rank #6
Smithville · highest
99,925
Smithville · highest
99,925 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, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Palatka on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 10,558.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Palatka - the verdict
Palatka ranks in the 4th percentile for household income and the 7th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
4th
percentile, household income
14th
percentile, home value
73rd
percentile, median rent
7th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Palatka, FL
10,558 people live in Palatka, Florida - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $33,628 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 29.4%. Typical homes in Palatka are valued around $112,300, and the median resident age is 37.0 years. About 12.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 39.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 0 residential building permits were authorized in Palatka (No Permits), per Census BPS data. Palatka's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 4003.3 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,526 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Florida's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 75.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Palatka'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 within-city variation to housing and income to population change to reported crime to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Palatka, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Palatka?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.9%. 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.
PlainCities matches 17 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
How far does income reach against housing in Palatka?
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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 29.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Palatka?
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Florida, the closest population matches are Memphis (10,626 residents, $71,967 income); Milton (10,485 residents, $72,676 income); Alachua (10,638 residents, $78,526 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Maryville, MO (10,556 residents); Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO (10,562 residents); Smithville, MO (10,552 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.
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.
Population change
Is Palatka growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +423 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 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.
2020 estimate
10,449
2025 estimate
10,872
Period change
+4.0%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Palatka?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 4003.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 76% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
4003.3
Violent rate
268.1
Property rate
3735.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 12.1% 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
29.4%
Bachelor's degree+
12.1%
Matched public schools
9
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 29.4% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.4 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Florida average
F
City profile score · Palatka, FL
15/100
5 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.
Violent crime F
268 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
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.
Bachelor's+ share F
12.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
29.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$33,628
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Palatka profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 38/100 (F) · 268 /100k
Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index
Bachelor's+ share: 12/100 (F) · 12.1%
Poverty rate: 1/100 (F) · 29.4%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $33,628
Where Palatka sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Palatka's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Palatka highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Palatka, FL (this city): home $112,300, crime 4,003/100k
Maryville, MO : home $178,900, crime 1,910/100k
Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO : home $92,500, crime 3,693/100k
Smithville, MO : home $272,500, crime 891/100k
Bellmead, TX : home $117,600, crime 3,641/100k
Monroe, WI : home $184,400, crime 1,176/100k
Lighthouse Point, FL : home $667,000, crime 1,427/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Palatka compare to other US cities?
Where Palatka sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income4% higher than other cities
Home value14% pricier than other cities
Median rent73% pricier than other cities
Safety7% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Florida alone, Palatka ranks #113 of 120 Florida cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Palatka 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 Palatka near the bottom of Florida's cities
Among the 930 Florida cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Palatka ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Palatka only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#883 of 903
2nd percentile in Florida
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 930
0th percentile in Florida
Median Home Value
#836 of 894
6th percentile in Florida
Poverty Rate
#37 of 930
96th percentile in Florida
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#788 of 930
15th 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
4th percentile nationally for median household income · 7th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Palatka's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Palatka's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Palatka's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$112,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 86% 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
Palatka's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,297 of 15,516
More affordable than 47% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,329 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.3×, Palatka sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,297 of 15,516 and #1,329 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$33,628Palatka, FL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Palatka, 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 Palatka, FL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)12.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)29.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)39.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
10,558
Median Income
$33,628
Median Home Value
$112,300
Median Age
37.0
Poverty Rate
29.4%
Labor force participation
39.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4003.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
268.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3735.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Palatka's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
10,449 residents
2021
10,536 residents
2022
10,571 residents
2023
10,723 residents
2024
10,828 residents
2025
10,872 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.9%
Carpool
9.8%
Public Transit
1.6%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
4.9%
Based on 3,132 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 Palatka. 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 Palatka 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 Palatka sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Palatka 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, FBI UCR, 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.