These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Florida


We used science and data to determine which of Florida’s cities are dumb as rocks.

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Recently, the Washington Post published a study on the smartest states in America.
In the categories of SAT scores and college graduation rate, Florida ranked as the 5th dumbest state in America, a little brighter than Alabama, but a little dumber than South Carolina.
We’ll be looking at high school completion rates rather than college-related metrics of smartness, for the sake of figuring out which cities in Florida are contributing to Florida’s stupidity more than the rest.
After crunching the numbers, we came up with this list of the ten dumbest cities in the Sunshine State:

  1. Jasper
  2. Chattahoochee
  3. Florida City
  4. Wauchula
  5. Homestead
  6. Lake Worth
  7. Arcadia
  8. Belle Glade
  9. Fellsmere
  10. Avon Park

How we determined the dumbest cities in Florida

In order to rank the dumbest cities in Florida, we had to determine what criteria defines a dumb person.
We started by making a list of every place in the U.S. with over 5,000 adults based on the 2014 American Community Survey.
We then looked at the following dumb-tastic criteria for each of the places on the list:

  • % of city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
  • % of high school Dropouts (Ages 16-19)

Note: We also looked at the graduation rates of the entire population, not the current rates for high schoolers.

1. Jasper

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 4,546
Adults Without High School Diploma: 39.9%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 59.9%
You won’t find another city in the state of Florida with a higher dropout rate than Florida. Nearly 6 in 10 teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are currently not enrolled in high school. Yes, it’s a small place, but this is by far the highest average we’ve seen in our research.
But can you blame them? The adults themselves are at the far end of the uneducated pool themselves. At 40%, that’s the 5th highest rate of adults without a high school degree in the Sunshine State.
Jasper is in Hamilton County near the Georgia State line.

2. Chattahoochee

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 2,623
Adults Without High School Diploma: 35.5%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 30.9%
It’s Jasper, and then everyone else. Chattahoochee is also a very uneducated place, when you look at the numbers. While the high school dropout rate is half that of Jasper, it’s still the 5th highest rate in the state.
The adults in Chattahoochee are a little smarter than the adults in Jasper, but not by much. Currently, at 35%, it’s the 9th dumbest adult population in Florida.

3. Florida City

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 11,997
Adults Without High School Diploma: 47.4%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 19.9%
While Jasper has the largest number of high school dropouts, Florida City is home to the dumbest adult population in Florida – where 47% of adults doesn’t have even a GED by the age of 25.
While not impressive by any stretch, its high school students are ‘only’ dropping out at a 20% clip. That’s far lower than the cities listed above, but the 16th highest rate in this city near Homestead.

4. Wauchula

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 4,300
Adults Without High School Diploma: 33.4%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 24.1%
Wauchula is a small city along Route 17 south of Lakeland. The high school dropout rate is the 7th highest in the state, and the adults don’t fare much better – more than 1 in 3 never completed high school. That’s nearly three times higher than the state average.

5. Homestead

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 64,000
Adults Without High School Diploma: 30.9%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 23.3%
In Homestead, the adults are a tad bit smarter than they are in the cities mentioned above, but still, 3 in 10 adults are pretty dumb when you consider that they never got a high school diploma.
It looks like things aren’t much better in the next generation, either, as the teenage dropout rate is also incredibly high – nearly five times the state average.

6. Lake Worth

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 39,040
Adults Without High School Diploma: 32.8%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 20.2%
Lake Worth is far less intelligent than most other Florida cities. As it stands, more than 2 in 10 teens between 16 and 19 aren’t attending class, meaning the future of this city will have some real issues to contend with down the road.
Their parents aren’t much smarter, either. They’re the 12th dumbest in the state.

7. Arcadia

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 7,222
Adults Without High School Diploma: 26.1%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 36.4%
It looks like the teens in Arcadia have decided that hitting the books isn’t that important to them, as more than 1 in 3 is a dropout as of this writing. Considering that the adult population is actually more intelligent than the younger generation, it appears as if the smart meter is dipping towards empty in this small town along Route 17 north of Port Charlotte.

8. Belle Glade

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 17,722
Adults Without High School Diploma: 37.3%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 15.0%
Both the adult population and the teens of this Palm Beach County city are three times less educated that the average residents of Florida. This is definitely not a place to start a Book of the Month club.

9. Fellsmere

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 3,910
Adults Without High School Diploma: 47.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 13.4%
This teeny place along I-95 near Vero Beach has an adult population that’s about half educated and half dumb. However, the kids seem to have their priorities more in order, as ‘only’ 13.4% of the high school kids aren’t going to class.
The Florida state average for dropout rates sits at 5.77%, meaning, statistically, there is a huge upside to getting the kids in this area of the state back to class.

10. Avon Park

Dumbest Florida

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 8,878
Adults Without High School Diploma: 27.0%
Teenage High School Drop Outs: 23.1%
Kids are dropping out at a clip that’s four times higher than the state average here in Avon Park, a small city along I-27, smack dab in the middle of the state. However, the adults aren’t really setting an example themselves; they’re even dumber than their kids.

Putting a dunce cap on our analysis

If you’re analyzing places in Florida where a large percentage of the adult population never graduated from high school, and where the current high school kids are dropping out at extremely high levels, this is an accurate list.
In terms of smartest cities in Florida, it looks like Windemere, Holmes Beach, Sanibel, Ponce Inlet and Neptune Beach take the cake.
Other notable cities:
Boca Raton is the largest smartest city to make the list. Only 4.2% of its adult population never finished high school.
Jacksonville is somewhere in the middle. Both its adult population and high school population are a little above average, in terms of educational accomplishments.
Tampa leans dumb – its adult population is a tad less smart than the state average.
Miami Beach and Miami are both far dumber than the state average. Miami’s adult population is more than twice as dumb as the average Florida adult.

Detailed List Of Dumbest Cities In Florida

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City Rank Population Adults Without High School Diploma Teenage High School Drop Outs
Jasper 1 2,445 39.9% 59.9%
Chattahoochee 2 2,623 35.5% 30.9%
Florida City 3 6,092 47.4% 19.9%
Wauchula 4 2,947 33.4% 24.1%
Homestead 5 37,908 30.9% 23.3%
Lake Worth 6 23,826 32.8% 20.2%
Arcadia 7 4,501 26.1% 36.4%
Belle Glade 8 10,722 37.3% 15.0%
Fellsmere 9 3,010 47.0% 13.4%
Avon Park 10 5,578 27.0% 23.1%
Opa-locka 11 9,193 31.5% 15.3%
South Bay 12 3,696 29.8% 15.7%
Sweetwater 13 14,065 36.4% 12.9%
Springfield 14 6,002 24.3% 22.6%
Okeechobee 15 3,470 40.2% 10.6%
LaBelle 16 2,846 29.4% 13.0%
Chipley 17 2,381 20.5% 36.8%
Clewiston 18 4,022 34.3% 10.4%
Palatka 19 6,303 22.4% 18.7%
Fort Pierce 20 27,639 24.9% 11.7%
Pahokee 21 3,800 41.5% 8.1%
Sebring 22 7,516 24.1% 12.8%
Haines City 23 13,008 28.1% 10.1%
Umatilla 24 2,632 17.1% 47.6%
Quincy 25 5,404 25.7% 9.5%
Marianna 26 5,173 20.8% 11.1%
Bushnell 27 2,102 21.1% 10.7%
Lauderdale Lakes 28 22,300 22.4% 9.3%
Miami 29 303,201 28.0% 8.1%
Green Cove Springs 30 4,864 17.6% 15.2%
New Port Richey 31 11,065 16.8% 19.2%
Palm Springs 32 14,283 24.5% 7.8%
North Miami 33 39,007 24.9% 7.3%
Starke 34 3,843 20.5% 8.9%
Leesburg 35 14,160 15.9% 18.6%
Perry 36 4,442 18.7% 10.2%
Pompano Beach 37 75,082 17.2% 10.9%
Hialeah 38 168,100 29.1% 6.1%
Auburndale 39 8,902 19.0% 8.4%
Mount Dora 40 9,452 14.1% 22.9%
Fort Myers 41 46,009 19.8% 7.9%
Lake Helen 42 2,043 13.0% 30.1%
Dundee 43 2,723 17.5% 8.3%
Lake City 44 8,145 16.4% 9.4%
Miami Beach 45 70,697 14.6% 11.5%
Riviera Beach 46 21,903 19.4% 6.4%
Dania Beach 47 21,428 15.1% 9.0%
Deerfield Beach 48 56,707 15.1% 9.0%
Kissimmee 49 40,483 19.2% 6.1%
Monticello 50 2,129 19.0% 6.3%
Callaway 51 9,286 11.2% 21.2%
Lauderhill 52 44,633 16.6% 7.2%
Inverness 53 5,325 17.1% 6.7%
Oakland Park 54 30,665 16.7% 6.9%
Fort Meade 55 3,822 21.9% 4.6% Miami Gardens 56 71,358 19.4% 5.3%
Port Richey 57 2,188 15.5% 7.0%
Lake Wales 58 9,148 21.1% 4.6%
Panama City 59 25,177 13.9% 8.3%
Holly Hill 60 8,841 20.3% 4.5%
Stuart 61 12,129 10.6% 13.6%
Lake Park 62 5,978 21.7% 4.0%
Loxahatchee Groves 63 2,497 15.3% 6.5%
Tavares 64 10,862 11.1% 12.5%
Greenacres 65 25,558 18.5% 5.2%
Bonita Springs 66 36,424 16.3% 5.5%
Zephyrhills 67 11,084 16.8% 5.2%
West Palm Beach 68 72,553 15.3% 5.4%
Palm Bay 69 71,650 12.7% 7.5%
Gulfport 70 9,591 9.7% 13.4%
Palmetto 71 9,102 15.6% 5.2%
Boynton Beach 72 50,826 13.1% 6.8%
Plant City 73 22,550 19.1% 3.8%
Clearwater 74 80,135 11.4% 8.1%
Delray Beach 75 47,696 15.3% 5.1%
Hialeah Gardens 76 15,827 24.8% 2.0%
North Miami Beach 77 29,193 18.8% 3.7%
Tampa 78 229,907 13.8% 5.6%
Eustis 79 13,338 12.2% 6.6%
Live Oak 80 4,445 35.7% 0.0%
Brooksville 81 5,335 19.0% 3.1%
Lynn Haven 82 12,879 10.1% 9.0%
DeBary 83 14,754 8.8% 11.1%
Milton 84 6,356 10.8% 7.3%
Hallandale Beach 85 30,004 14.6% 4.7%
Macclenny 86 3,683 16.3% 3.9%
Madeira Beach 87 3,782 6.7% 20.6%
Mascotte 88 3,132 31.4% 0.0%
Mary Esther 89 3,251 6.6% 20.0%
Belleview 90 3,150 28.2% 0.0%
Sarasota 91 39,236 11.7% 5.7%
Carrabelle 92 2,265 27.9% 0.0%
North Bay Village 93 5,740 10.2% 7.1%
Orlando 94 167,292 11.1% 6.3%
Fort Lauderdale 95 128,260 15.0% 3.8%
Bradenton 96 35,999 15.3% 3.5%
Hollywood 97 104,273 13.2% 4.5%
North Lauderdale 98 25,663 22.3% 0.4%
Indian Rocks Beach 99 3,514 6.1% 14.3%
Pembroke Park 100 4,076 24.1% 0.0%
South Miami 101 7,975 11.2% 5.5%
Titusville 102 32,015 11.1% 5.7%
West Miami 103 4,671 22.7% 0.0%
St. Cloud 104 26,373 13.0% 4.5%
Cocoa 105 11,703 14.9% 3.4%
Jacksonville 106 555,271 11.9% 5.1%
Sebastian 107 16,981 13.8% 4.1%
Winter Haven 108 24,370 16.7% 2.2%
Dade City 109 4,477 21.7% 0.0%
Sanford 110 35,620 13.6% 4.1%
Mulberry 111 2,838 21.5% 0.0%
Malabar 112 2,060 7.6% 8.4%
South Daytona 113 8,671 12.1% 4.6%
West Park 114 9,637 21.5% 0.0%
Apopka 115 28,900 14.5% 3.5%
Royal Palm Beach 116 22,721 9.3% 6.7%
Oldsmar 117 9,079 8.4% 7.7%
Lantana 118 7,273 17.0% 1.6%
Pinellas Park 119 36,963 14.7% 2.9%
Fruitland Park 120 2,531 20.0% 0.0%
DeFuniak Springs 121 3,810 19.8% 0.0%
St. Petersburg 122 179,580 11.4% 4.5%
Fort Walton Beach 123 13,869 11.5% 4.5%
Largo 124 60,090 12.0% 4.4%
West Melbourne 125 13,547 6.0% 10.1%
Miami Lakes 126 20,997 9.5% 5.9%
Bartow 127 11,172 17.3% 1.0%
Cape Coral 128 114,548 9.9% 5.6%
Parker 129 3,444 19.4% 0.0%
Punta Gorda 130 15,310 4.8% 14.5%
Deltona 131 57,363 12.9% 3.7%
Longwood 132 10,165 10.5% 5.2%
Port Orange 133 42,912 10.1% 5.3%
Altamonte Springs 134 31,475 7.8% 6.8%
Jacksonville Beach 135 16,447 5.2% 10.8%
Daytona Beach 136 42,285 14.7% 2.0%
Tarpon Springs 137 18,881 11.3% 4.0%
Dunedin 138 28,381 8.6% 6.0%
Ocala 139 37,715 14.0% 2.3%
Margate 140 40,019 14.6% 1.7%
Tamarac 141 48,058 10.0% 4.7%
Fernandina Beach 142 9,204 6.8% 6.8%
Miami Springs 143 10,356 16.7% 0.0%
Lakeland 144 67,529 12.4% 2.8%
Palm Coast 145 56,456 10.2% 4.4%
Marco Island 146 14,540 5.5% 8.2%
Melbourne 147 56,017 11.3% 3.1%
Port St. Lucie 148 115,287 12.2% 2.6%
Cape Canaveral 149 8,649 6.6% 6.5%
DeLand 150 17,926 13.6% 1.7%
Kenneth City 151 3,642 15.2% 0.0%
Marathon 152 5,786 10.7% 3.4%
Coconut Creek 153 38,943 7.2% 5.5%
Sunrise 154 61,659 12.4% 1.8%
Key West 155 18,818 9.3% 4.2%
Vero Beach 156 12,400 14.7% 0.0%
Groveland 157 6,334 14.6% 0.0%
Newberry 158 3,303 4.5% 8.1%
Ormond Beach 159 29,280 6.9% 5.3%
Crestview 160 13,561 9.1% 4.0%
Miramar 161 81,913 10.2% 3.2%
Ocoee 162 24,434 14.4% 0.0%
Orange City 163 8,308 14.1% 0.0%
Aventura 164 29,063 6.7% 5.3%
Crystal River 165 2,187 14.0% 0.0%
Wildwood 166 5,525 9.3% 3.6%
St. Augustine 167 9,057 10.8% 2.0%
Pensacola 168 36,616 8.7% 3.7%
St. Pete Beach 169 8,052 3.3% 8.1%
Treasure Island 170 5,726 4.7% 6.8%
Winter Garden 171 23,705 10.6% 1.8%
Edgewater 172 16,006 9.6% 2.6%
Cutler Bay 173 28,139 12.6% 0.0%
Lady Lake 174 11,441 12.6% 0.0%
Pembroke Pines 175 110,588 9.2% 2.9%
St. Augustine Beach 176 5,016 1.5% 8.4%
Davie 177 63,516 9.3% 2.2%
Southwest Ranches 178 5,246 11.2% 0.8%
Tequesta 179 4,401 5.6% 4.8%
Atlantic Beach 180 9,667 6.5% 4.4%
New Smyrna Beach 181 18,820 8.2% 3.0%
Gainesville 182 63,691 8.8% 2.3%
Seminole 183 13,538 8.9% 2.0%
Belle Isle 184 4,617 4.2% 5.4%
Coral Springs 185 79,570 7.8% 2.3%
Orange Park 186 6,218 10.6% 0.0%
Rockledge 187 18,431 7.5% 2.5%
Wilton Manors 188 10,348 10.6% 0.0%
Minneola 189 6,215 10.6% 0.0%
North Port 190 41,465 10.1% 0.7%
Indian Harbour Beach 191 6,298 6.0% 3.6%
Lake Alfred 192 3,135 10.4% 0.0%
Plantation 193 63,125 6.4% 3.4%
Lake Mary 194 10,614 8.9% 1.4%
Sunny Isles Beach 195 17,723 6.8% 2.5%
Casselberry 196 19,035 9.2% 0.1%
Miami Shores 197 6,984 5.8% 2.9%
Tallahassee 198 97,505 7.3% 1.6%
Bay Harbor Islands 199 4,257 9.0% 0.0%
Safety Harbor 200 13,141 7.0% 1.6%
Panama City Beach 201 8,824 7.8% 0.8%
Jupiter 202 43,857 7.4% 1.3%
Satellite Beach 203 7,287 5.5% 2.9%
Port St. Joe 204 2,355 8.8% 0.0%
Temple Terrace 205 16,263 7.1% 1.1%
Hypoluxo 206 2,138 8.2% 0.0%
Clermont 207 19,709 7.2% 0.8%
South Pasadena 208 4,582 7.8% 0.0%
Biscayne Park 209 2,327 7.7% 0.0%
High Springs 210 3,534 7.0% 0.0%
Winter Park 211 19,551 5.2% 1.5%
Niceville 212 9,226 6.4% 0.0%
Alachua 213 6,498 6.0% 0.0%
Palm Beach Gardens 214 39,369 5.1% 1.4%
Palmetto Bay 215 15,423 5.9% 0.0%
Flagler Beach 216 3,792 5.9% 0.0%
Winter Springs 217 23,113 5.6% 0.0%
Boca Raton 218 63,549 4.2% 1.8%
Cooper City 219 21,190 5.2% 0.6%
Naples 220 17,720 5.6% 0.0%
Coral Gables 221 32,765 4.8% 1.2%
Wellington 222 38,754 5.3% 0.2%
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 223 5,655 5.4% 0.0%
Oviedo 224 22,010 5.2% 0.0%
Pinecrest 225 11,899 5.0% 0.4%
Grant-Valkaria 226 3,297 5.1% 0.0%
Doral 227 30,482 4.9% 0.0%
Venice 228 19,133 4.8% 0.4%
Surfside 229 4,022 4.8% 0.0%
Valparaiso 230 2,980 4.8% 0.0%
Fort Myers Beach 231 6,045 4.7% 0.0%
Weston 232 41,904 3.0% 1.5%
Bal Harbour 233 2,028 4.6% 0.0%
Destin 234 9,563 4.5% 0.0%
North Palm Beach 235 9,919 4.4% 0.0%
Lighthouse Point 236 8,557 4.2% 0.0%
Maitland 237 11,993 3.1% 1.0%
Parkland 238 15,893 2.8% 1.2%
Daytona Beach Shores 239 3,914 4.2% 0.0%
Lake Clarke Shores 240 2,723 3.7% 0.0%
Indialantic 241 2,085 3.6% 0.0%
Belleair 242 2,868 3.5% 0.0%
Cocoa Beach 243 9,655 3.4% 0.0%
Highland Beach 244 3,259 3.4% 0.0%
#N/A 245 5,217 3.4% 0.0%
Longboat Key 246 6,690 3.2% 0.0%
Melbourne Beach 247 2,545 3.2% 0.0%
Indian River Shores 248 3,888 3.2% 0.0%
Juno Beach 249 3,077 2.9% 0.0%
Palm Beach 250 7,674 2.7% 0.0%
Key Biscayne 251 8,105 2.3% 0.0%
Gulf Breeze 252 3,950 2.3% 0.0%
Neptune Beach 253 4,857 1.9% 0.0%
Ponce Inlet 254 2,607 1.7% 0.0%
Sanibel 255 6,110 1.2% 0.0%
Holmes Beach 256 3,585 1.1% 0.0%
Windermere 257 2,042 0.5% 0.0%

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends. .

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

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