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Place dossier plate
SheetFL-SWEETWATER-FL · Sweetwater, FL 19,544 pop · income 27th 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 Sweetwater
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Sweetwater on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Boone · lowest
28,633
Boone · lowest
28,633 median HH income
20.3% of the leader · rank #1
Sweetwater · this city
55,154
Sweetwater · this city
55,154 median HH income
39.2% of the leader · rank #2
Coolidge · near
55,156
Coolidge · near
55,156 median HH income
39.2% of the leader · rank #3
New Berlin · near
55,156
New Berlin · near
55,156 median HH income
39.2% of the leader · rank #4
Inman · near
55,156
Inman · near
55,156 median HH income
39.2% of the leader · rank #5
Pownal · near
55,156
Pownal · near
55,156 median HH income
39.2% of the leader · rank #6
Naples · highest
140,833
Naples · highest
140,833 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 Sweetwater 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: 19,544.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Sweetwater - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Sweetwater lands in the 27th percentile for household income and the 28th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
27th
percentile, household income
56th
percentile, home value
73rd
percentile, median rent
28th
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: Sweetwater, FL
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 19,544 residents in Sweetwater, a small town within Florida. Sweetwater households earn a median of $55,154 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.6%. Sweetwater's housing stock carries a median value of $251,000, and the median resident age is 41.9 years. About 21.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 0 residential units authorized here in 2024 (No Permits). Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2170.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Florida carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 103.4 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,526 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Florida run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. The average commute for Sweetwater workers runs 26.1 minutes, with 83.1% driving alone and 5.4% working from home. 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 Sweetwater'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 population change to work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Sweetwater, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Sweetwater growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,562 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +8.1% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Sweetwater?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 83.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 26.1 minutes.
How far does income reach against housing in Sweetwater?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.6%, 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Sweetwater?
Within Florida, the closest population matches are Bradfordville (19,548 residents, $129,276 income); Lynn Haven (19,451 residents, $83,093 income); Naples (19,421 residents, $140,833 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Boone, NC (19,534 residents); Knightdale, NC (19,532 residents); Kinston, NC (19,576 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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Sweetwater?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2170.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 5% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2069.2
Violent rate
101.3
Total reported rate
2170.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 11.6% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.4 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Florida average
F
City profile score · Sweetwater, FL
38/100
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 B
101 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
21.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$55,154
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.
Sweetwater profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 70/100 (B) · 101 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 37/100 (F) · 21.0%
Poverty rate: 33/100 (F) · 11.6%
Household income: 27/100 (F) · $55,154
Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index
Where Sweetwater sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Sweetwater'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 - Sweetwater highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Sweetwater, FL (this city): home $251,000, crime 2,171/100k
Boone, NC : home $373,600, crime 999/100k
Knightdale, NC : home $331,900, crime 3,118/100k
Kinston, NC : home $108,300, crime 5,923/100k
Springboro, OH : home $330,300, crime 648/100k
Boerne, TX : home $437,100, crime 1,286/100k
Lynn Haven, FL : home $286,700, crime 785/100k
Tavares, FL : home $225,500, crime 308/100k
Seminole, FL : home $312,700, crime 2,068/100k
How does Sweetwater compare to other US cities?
Sweetwater measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income27% higher than other cities
Home value56% pricier than other cities
Median rent73% pricier than other cities
Safety28% 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, Sweetwater ranks #72 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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater near the bottom of Florida's cities
Among the 930 Florida cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Sweetwater ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Sweetwater only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#666 of 903
26th percentile in Florida
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 930
0th percentile in Florida
Median Home Value
#565 of 894
37th percentile in Florida
Poverty Rate
#292 of 930
68th percentile in Florida
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#583 of 930
37th 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
27th percentile nationally for median household income · 28th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Sweetwater's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Sweetwater'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 Sweetwater's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$251,00044th percentilemore affordable than 44% 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
Sweetwater's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,080 of 15,516
More affordable than 22% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,379 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.6×, Sweetwater sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,080 of 15,516 and #2,379 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
$55,154Sweetwater, FL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Sweetwater, 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 Sweetwater, FL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
19,544
Median Income
$55,154
Median Home Value
$251,000
Median Age
41.9
Poverty Rate
11.6%
Labor force participation
59.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2170.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
101.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2069.2
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.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Sweetwater's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
19,266 residents
2021
18,918 residents
2022
20,008 residents
2023
21,136 residents
2024
21,086 residents
2025
20,828 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
-
2021
300
0
300
$100.0M
2022
7
7
0
$0.8M
2023
7
7
0
$0.8M
2024
0
0
0
-
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
26.1 minutes
Drive Alone
83.1%
Carpool
6.5%
Public Transit
2.1%
Walk
1.1%
Work from Home
5.4%
Other
1.8%
Based on 9,654 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 Sweetwater. 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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Sweetwater 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, 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.