Like all states, Florida has certain places that are going on hard times. These Florida places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Florida.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 222 cities in Florida with more than 5,000 people.
$32,021 median income · 37.3% poverty · #1 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Putnam County, Florida
Palatka, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Florida thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 10,650 people averages the lowest median household income in Florida and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$32,125 median income · 42.7% poverty · #2 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Gadsden County, Florida
The second poorest city in Florida is Quincy.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 134th highest in the Sunshine State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$39,677 median income · 31.8% poverty · #6 lowest income in Florida
Located in
DeSoto County, Florida
Placing as the third poorest city, Arcadia’s median income ranks as the 6th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 31.8% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Sunshine State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$37,532 median income · 29.7% poverty · #5 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Opa-locka ranks as the fourth poorest place in Florida.
The town ranks as having the 5th lowest median household income and the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$47,482 median income · 32.4% poverty · #14 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
The fifth poorest city in Florida is Florida City.
The city ranks as having the 14th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 3rd highest in Florida.
Still not the best news for Florida City.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$46,195 median income · 30.8% poverty · #12 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Alachua County, Florida
Gainesville ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Sunshine State.
It ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty and the 67th highest unemployment rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$36,485 median income · 23.3% poverty · #3 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Highlands County, Florida
Avon Park places as the seventh poorest city in Florida.
The city of over 10,057 ranks as having the 16th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$44,184 median income · 24.1% poverty · #10 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Highlands County, Florida
Sebring ranks as the eighth poorest city in Florida.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$36,657 median income · 21.9% poverty · #4 lowest income in Florida
Located in
Polk County, Florida
Fort Meade couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Florida; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 4th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Fort Meade ranks as having the 20th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Florida.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$51,417 median income · 32.3% poverty · #21 lowest income in Florida
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Florida is South Bay.
The city of 5,102 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Sunshine State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida’s statewide median.
Florida statewide median: $74,568
Florida statewide median: 12.6%
Florida statewide median: 4.8%
On the map
Where poverty hits hardest in Florida
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the poorest places in Florida for 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 222 places with more than 5,000 people in Florida, we ranked each place from 1 to 222 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Palatka, crowned the “Poorest Place In Florida For 2026”. The median Florida home is 36 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed list of the poorest places to live in Florida
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Poor Score | Population | Median income | Poverty | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palatka | 1.50 | 10,650 | $32,021 | 37.3% | 9.3% |
| 2 | Quincy | 1.50 | 7,942 | $32,125 | 42.7% | 4.1% |
| 3 | Arcadia | 6.00 | 7,707 | $39,677 | 31.8% | 5.7% |
| 4 | Opa-locka | 6.50 | 16,282 | $37,532 | 29.7% | 4.1% |
| 5 | Florida City | 8.50 | 12,943 | $47,482 | 32.4% | 5.3% |
| 6 | Gainesville | 9.50 | 145,702 | $46,195 | 30.8% | 5.5% |
| 7 | Avon Park | 9.50 | 10,057 | $36,485 | 23.3% | 9.2% |
| 8 | Sebring | 12.00 | 11,382 | $44,184 | 24.1% | 5.9% |
| 9 | Fort Meade | 12.00 | 5,225 | $36,657 | 21.9% | 5.3% |
| 10 | South Bay | 12.50 | 5,102 | $51,417 | 32.3% | 9.0% |
| 11 | Fort Pierce | 12.50 | 49,082 | $47,072 | 26.2% | 9.2% |
| 12 | Belle Glade | 13.00 | 16,972 | $48,001 | 27.3% | 9.7% |
| 13 | Marianna | 13.00 | 7,150 | $40,414 | 22.1% | 3.2% |
| 14 | Dundee | 15.00 | 5,863 | $48,668 | 26.0% | 2.2% |
| 15 | Starke | 16.50 | 5,877 | $52,258 | 28.7% | 4.0% |
| 16 | Pahokee | 18.00 | 5,609 | $53,359 | 32.1% | 16.5% |
| 17 | Pembroke Park | 19.50 | 6,360 | $52,928 | 26.8% | 3.9% |
| 18 | Lauderdale Lakes | 20.00 | 36,404 | $50,006 | 21.7% | 8.7% |
| 19 | Perry | 20.50 | 7,068 | $40,898 | 18.9% | 6.4% |
| 20 | Daytona Beach | 23.50 | 78,992 | $52,058 | 20.4% | 4.7% |
| 21 | Lauderhill | 25.00 | 74,896 | $51,165 | 19.4% | 8.5% |
| 22 | Springfield | 25.50 | 8,230 | $54,462 | 22.3% | 2.1% |
| 23 | Hallandale Beach | 27.00 | 41,854 | $52,340 | 19.6% | 7.5% |
| 24 | Lake Wales | 28.00 | 16,785 | $56,347 | 22.4% | 5.9% |
| 25 | Kissimmee | 28.00 | 81,479 | $53,758 | 20.4% | 7.5% |
| 26 | Dania Beach | 29.00 | 32,180 | $52,748 | 19.3% | 8.3% |
| 27 | Holly Hill | 29.50 | 13,084 | $55,412 | 21.5% | 7.5% |
| 28 | DeFuniak Springs | 30.00 | 6,532 | $54,512 | 20.2% | 15.3% |
| 29 | Tallahassee | 30.50 | 201,875 | $57,409 | 23.6% | 6.4% |
| 30 | Ocala | 31.50 | 66,584 | $56,376 | 21.1% | 5.9% |
| 31 | Brooksville | 31.50 | 9,457 | $54,926 | 19.7% | 7.3% |
| 32 | Lake City | 34.00 | 12,515 | $56,472 | 19.8% | 2.5% |
| 33 | LaBelle | 35.00 | 5,184 | $53,309 | 17.2% | 4.4% |
| 34 | Inverness | 35.00 | 7,770 | $43,523 | 15.0% | 5.9% |
| 35 | Leesburg | 36.00 | 30,807 | $52,880 | 16.4% | 10.5% |
| 36 | North Miami | 39.00 | 60,344 | $57,188 | 18.9% | 6.0% |
| 37 | Hialeah | 39.50 | 226,165 | $55,594 | 17.0% | 4.1% |
| 38 | South Daytona | 42.00 | 13,543 | $56,579 | 16.9% | 4.8% |
| 39 | Sweetwater | 42.50 | 20,085 | $54,967 | 16.3% | 4.4% |
| 40 | Belleview | 45.50 | 5,805 | $57,813 | 16.8% | 5.9% |
| 41 | Clewiston | 45.50 | 7,348 | $57,222 | 16.3% | 1.3% |
| 42 | Stuart | 46.00 | 18,520 | $60,225 | 17.3% | 8.2% |
| 43 | Kenneth City | 47.00 | 5,012 | $49,347 | 13.8% | 2.8% |
| 44 | Miami | 47.50 | 459,745 | $62,462 | 19.4% | 5.2% |
| 45 | Winter Haven | 47.50 | 55,200 | $59,648 | 16.4% | 5.1% |
| 46 | Okeechobee | 47.50 | 5,479 | $57,044 | 15.8% | 3.1% |
| 47 | Live Oak | 49.00 | 6,985 | $59,375 | 16.3% | 14.2% |
| 48 | Panama City | 49.50 | 34,979 | $62,265 | 17.6% | 4.5% |
| 49 | Lady Lake | 54.50 | 16,675 | $46,074 | 12.3% | 7.6% |
| 50 | Deerfield Beach | 54.50 | 88,093 | $59,730 | 15.1% | 5.4% |
| 51 | Zephyrhills | 55.00 | 19,668 | $52,108 | 13.2% | 3.7% |
| 52 | Homestead | 55.00 | 82,807 | $65,423 | 18.4% | 4.0% |
| 53 | Palm Springs | 56.50 | 27,356 | $61,739 | 15.4% | 7.0% |
| 54 | Bradenton | 58.00 | 57,014 | $60,822 | 14.8% | 6.3% |
| 55 | Fort Myers | 59.00 | 95,051 | $63,732 | 16.3% | 4.2% |
| 56 | Riviera Beach | 63.00 | 38,657 | $68,060 | 18.4% | 8.6% |
| 57 | Bartow | 64.00 | 20,438 | $68,178 | 18.1% | 4.4% |
| 58 | Sunny Isles Beach | 65.00 | 22,437 | $61,921 | 14.3% | 4.6% |
| 59 | Haines City | 65.50 | 34,234 | $65,975 | 16.1% | 3.9% |
| 60 | North Miami Beach | 67.50 | 43,898 | $63,280 | 14.6% | 5.5% |
| 61 | Melbourne | 68.50 | 86,576 | $66,991 | 15.8% | 4.6% |
| 62 | New Port Richey | 69.50 | 17,425 | $47,606 | 10.5% | 3.0% |
| 63 | Pompano Beach | 70.50 | 114,147 | $67,195 | 15.2% | 8.0% |
| 64 | North Lauderdale | 71.50 | 45,234 | $63,326 | 14.0% | 6.1% |
| 65 | Clearwater | 72.50 | 117,247 | $66,381 | 14.8% | 4.2% |
| 66 | Palmetto | 73.00 | 13,588 | $62,621 | 13.5% | 2.6% |
| 67 | West Park | 73.00 | 15,249 | $65,952 | 14.6% | 8.7% |
| 68 | Vero Beach | 73.00 | 17,042 | $69,758 | 16.1% | 3.4% |
| 69 | Tamarac | 73.50 | 73,019 | $61,718 | 13.0% | 5.2% |
| 70 | Plant City | 74.50 | 40,887 | $67,439 | 15.0% | 2.9% |
| 71 | Largo | 74.50 | 82,617 | $62,096 | 13.1% | 4.8% |
| 72 | Miami Gardens | 74.50 | 113,177 | $63,627 | 13.6% | 9.0% |
| 73 | West Miami | 74.50 | 7,162 | $61,274 | 12.9% | 2.0% |
| 74 | Hollywood | 76.00 | 155,082 | $67,203 | 14.7% | 6.5% |
| 75 | Cocoa | 77.00 | 19,554 | $63,105 | 13.1% | 5.6% |
| 76 | Hialeah Gardens | 79.00 | 22,915 | $65,439 | 13.5% | 3.7% |
| 77 | Lakeland | 79.50 | 119,961 | $64,185 | 13.2% | 4.5% |
| 78 | Casselberry | 80.50 | 30,135 | $62,447 | 12.2% | 3.1% |
| 79 | Pinellas Park | 80.50 | 53,560 | $63,432 | 12.9% | 4.6% |
| 80 | Sarasota | 82.00 | 56,970 | $72,105 | 15.0% | 3.6% |
| 81 | Margate | 82.00 | 59,198 | $62,450 | 12.1% | 4.1% |
| 82 | Greenacres | 82.50 | 44,373 | $70,491 | 14.8% | 6.6% |
| 83 | Jacksonville | 83.00 | 977,670 | $69,872 | 14.5% | 4.6% |
| 84 | Orange City | 86.00 | 14,372 | $57,800 | 10.4% | 3.6% |
| 85 | Orlando | 86.00 | 319,758 | $72,336 | 14.7% | 5.2% |
| 86 | Altamonte Springs | 87.00 | 46,116 | $64,070 | 11.9% | 5.1% |
| 87 | Tampa | 87.50 | 401,618 | $75,475 | 15.5% | 4.9% |
| 88 | Boynton Beach | 88.50 | 81,435 | $70,074 | 13.7% | 5.4% |
| 89 | South Pasadena | 88.50 | 5,320 | $53,075 | 9.8% | 2.3% |
| 90 | Fort Walton Beach | 88.50 | 21,025 | $68,538 | 13.3% | 3.5% |
| 91 | Miami Beach | 89.50 | 82,031 | $72,856 | 14.4% | 4.6% |
| 92 | West Palm Beach | 91.00 | 122,290 | $73,446 | 14.1% | 5.1% |
| 93 | Davenport | 92.50 | 13,238 | $73,685 | 14.0% | 2.7% |
| 94 | Gulfport | 93.00 | 11,734 | $71,203 | 13.4% | 6.2% |
| 95 | Sanford | 93.00 | 63,730 | $66,891 | 11.9% | 4.0% |
| 96 | Crestview | 95.50 | 28,773 | $65,480 | 11.2% | 5.8% |
| 97 | Titusville | 96.50 | 49,385 | $66,192 | 11.3% | 5.0% |
| 98 | Edgewater | 99.00 | 23,627 | $60,977 | 10.0% | 3.7% |
| 99 | Fort Lauderdale | 100.00 | 185,604 | $83,130 | 15.0% | 5.3% |
| 100 | Orange Park | 102.00 | 9,055 | $77,106 | 13.8% | 6.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 222 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
The poorest cities in Florida for 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Florida, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Florida.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there. Not sold on Florida? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
