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:
- Jasper
- Chattahoochee
- Florida City
- Wauchula
- Homestead
- Lake Worth
- Arcadia
- Belle Glade
- Fellsmere
- 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Jasper | 1 | ||
Chattahoochee | 2 | ||
Florida City | 3 | ||
Wauchula | 4 | ||
Homestead | 5 | ||
Lake Worth | 6 | ||
Arcadia | 7 | ||
Belle Glade | 8 | ||
Fellsmere | 9 | ||
Avon Park | 10 | ||
Opa-locka | 11 | ||
South Bay | 12 | ||
Sweetwater | 13 | ||
Springfield | 14 | ||
Okeechobee | 15 | ||
LaBelle | 16 | ||
Chipley | 17 | ||
Clewiston | 18 | ||
Palatka | 19 | ||
Fort Pierce | 20 | ||
Pahokee | 21 | ||
Sebring | 22 | ||
Haines City | 23 | ||
Umatilla | 24 | ||
Quincy | 25 | ||
Marianna | 26 | ||
Bushnell | 27 | ||
Lauderdale Lakes | 28 | ||
Miami | 29 | ||
Green Cove Springs | 30 | ||
New Port Richey | 31 | ||
Palm Springs | 32 | ||
North Miami | 33 | ||
Starke | 34 | ||
Leesburg | 35 | ||
Perry | 36 | ||
Pompano Beach | 37 | ||
Hialeah | 38 | ||
Auburndale | 39 | ||
Mount Dora | 40 | ||
Fort Myers | 41 | ||
Lake Helen | 42 | ||
Dundee | 43 | ||
Lake City | 44 | ||
Miami Beach | 45 | ||
Riviera Beach | 46 | ||
Dania Beach | 47 | ||
Deerfield Beach | 48 | ||
Kissimmee | 49 | ||
Monticello | 50 | ||
Callaway | 51 | ||
Lauderhill | 52 | ||
Inverness | 53 | ||
Oakland Park | 54 | ||
Fort Meade | 55 | Miami Gardens | 56 |
Port Richey | 57 | ||
Lake Wales | 58 | ||
Panama City | 59 | ||
Holly Hill | 60 | ||
Stuart | 61 | ||
Lake Park | 62 | ||
Loxahatchee Groves | 63 | ||
Tavares | 64 | ||
Greenacres | 65 | ||
Bonita Springs | 66 | ||
Zephyrhills | 67 | ||
West Palm Beach | 68 | ||
Palm Bay | 69 | ||
Gulfport | 70 | ||
Palmetto | 71 | ||
Boynton Beach | 72 | ||
Plant City | 73 | ||
Clearwater | 74 | ||
Delray Beach | 75 | ||
Hialeah Gardens | 76 | ||
North Miami Beach | 77 | ||
Tampa | 78 | ||
Eustis | 79 | ||
Live Oak | 80 | ||
Brooksville | 81 | ||
Lynn Haven | 82 | ||
DeBary | 83 | ||
Milton | 84 | ||
Hallandale Beach | 85 | ||
Macclenny | 86 | ||
Madeira Beach | 87 | ||
Mascotte | 88 | ||
Mary Esther | 89 | ||
Belleview | 90 | ||
Sarasota | 91 | ||
Carrabelle | 92 | ||
North Bay Village | 93 | ||
Orlando | 94 | ||
Fort Lauderdale | 95 | ||
Bradenton | 96 | ||
Hollywood | 97 | ||
North Lauderdale | 98 | ||
Indian Rocks Beach | 99 | ||
Pembroke Park | 100 | ||
South Miami | 101 | ||
Titusville | 102 | ||
West Miami | 103 | ||
St. Cloud | 104 | ||
Cocoa | 105 | ||
Jacksonville | 106 | ||
Sebastian | 107 | ||
Winter Haven | 108 | ||
Dade City | 109 | ||
Sanford | 110 | ||
Mulberry | 111 | ||
Malabar | 112 | ||
South Daytona | 113 | ||
West Park | 114 | ||
Apopka | 115 | ||
Royal Palm Beach | 116 | ||
Oldsmar | 117 | ||
Lantana | 118 | ||
Pinellas Park | 119 | ||
Fruitland Park | 120 | ||
DeFuniak Springs | 121 | ||
St. Petersburg | 122 | ||
Fort Walton Beach | 123 | ||
Largo | 124 | ||
West Melbourne | 125 | ||
Miami Lakes | 126 | ||
Bartow | 127 | ||
Cape Coral | 128 | ||
Parker | 129 | ||
Punta Gorda | 130 | ||
Deltona | 131 | ||
Longwood | 132 | ||
Port Orange | 133 | ||
Altamonte Springs | 134 | ||
Jacksonville Beach | 135 | ||
Daytona Beach | 136 | ||
Tarpon Springs | 137 | ||
Dunedin | 138 | ||
Ocala | 139 | ||
Margate | 140 | ||
Tamarac | 141 | ||
Fernandina Beach | 142 | ||
Miami Springs | 143 | ||
Lakeland | 144 | ||
Palm Coast | 145 | ||
Marco Island | 146 | ||
Melbourne | 147 | ||
Port St. Lucie | 148 | ||
Cape Canaveral | 149 | ||
DeLand | 150 | ||
Kenneth City | 151 | ||
Marathon | 152 | ||
Coconut Creek | 153 | ||
Sunrise | 154 | ||
Key West | 155 | ||
Vero Beach | 156 | ||
Groveland | 157 | ||
Newberry | 158 | ||
Ormond Beach | 159 | ||
Crestview | 160 | ||
Miramar | 161 | ||
Ocoee | 162 | ||
Orange City | 163 | ||
Aventura | 164 | ||
Crystal River | 165 | ||
Wildwood | 166 | ||
St. Augustine | 167 | ||
Pensacola | 168 | ||
St. Pete Beach | 169 | ||
Treasure Island | 170 | ||
Winter Garden | 171 | ||
Edgewater | 172 | ||
Cutler Bay | 173 | ||
Lady Lake | 174 | ||
Pembroke Pines | 175 | ||
St. Augustine Beach | 176 | ||
Davie | 177 | ||
Southwest Ranches | 178 | ||
Tequesta | 179 | ||
Atlantic Beach | 180 | ||
New Smyrna Beach | 181 | ||
Gainesville | 182 | ||
Seminole | 183 | ||
Belle Isle | 184 | ||
Coral Springs | 185 | ||
Orange Park | 186 | ||
Rockledge | 187 | ||
Wilton Manors | 188 | ||
Minneola | 189 | ||
North Port | 190 | ||
Indian Harbour Beach | 191 | ||
Lake Alfred | 192 | ||
Plantation | 193 | ||
Lake Mary | 194 | ||
Sunny Isles Beach | 195 | ||
Casselberry | 196 | ||
Miami Shores | 197 | ||
Tallahassee | 198 | ||
Bay Harbor Islands | 199 | ||
Safety Harbor | 200 | ||
Panama City Beach | 201 | ||
Jupiter | 202 | ||
Satellite Beach | 203 | ||
Port St. Joe | 204 | ||
Temple Terrace | 205 | ||
Hypoluxo | 206 | ||
Clermont | 207 | ||
South Pasadena | 208 | ||
Biscayne Park | 209 | ||
High Springs | 210 | ||
Winter Park | 211 | ||
Niceville | 212 | ||
Alachua | 213 | ||
Palm Beach Gardens | 214 | ||
Palmetto Bay | 215 | ||
Flagler Beach | 216 | ||
Winter Springs | 217 | ||
Boca Raton | 218 | ||
Cooper City | 219 | ||
Naples | 220 | ||
Coral Gables | 221 | ||
Wellington | 222 | ||
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea | 223 | ||
Oviedo | 224 | ||
Pinecrest | 225 | ||
Grant-Valkaria | 226 | ||
Doral | 227 | ||
Venice | 228 | ||
Surfside | 229 | ||
Valparaiso | 230 | ||
Fort Myers Beach | 231 | ||
Weston | 232 | ||
Bal Harbour | 233 | ||
Destin | 234 | ||
North Palm Beach | 235 | ||
Lighthouse Point | 236 | ||
Maitland | 237 | ||
Parkland | 238 | ||
Daytona Beach Shores | 239 | ||
Lake Clarke Shores | 240 | ||
Indialantic | 241 | ||
Belleair | 242 | ||
Cocoa Beach | 243 | ||
Highland Beach | 244 | ||
#N/A | 245 | ||
Longboat Key | 246 | ||
Melbourne Beach | 247 | ||
Indian River Shores | 248 | ||
Juno Beach | 249 | ||
Palm Beach | 250 | ||
Key Biscayne | 251 | ||
Gulf Breeze | 252 | ||
Neptune Beach | 253 | ||
Ponce Inlet | 254 | ||
Sanibel | 255 | ||
Holmes Beach | 256 | ||
Windermere | 257 |
The author of this article made a mistake in the first example they gave. “You won’t find another city in the state of Florida with a higher dropout rate than Florida.” Seemingly meant to write Jasper instead of putting the second Florida in there. Maybe the author should get off their high horse and realize that maybe they are a little dumb too. Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you are necessarily more intelligent than someone without. This article is trashy internet news that isn’t worth a thing.
Yes, I stopped reading when reached that point, which was very early in the article, to come make this comment. Come to find this is the first comment I ran across. Well said!
Ummm…..just curious….what is the percent error in your findings? Did you happen to take into consideration the wealth of the said towns in question? How dumb is a person who makes a six figure living these days? Did you happen to take in to consideration the demographics of said towns? Also, in one of the examples, and possibly some of the others the “dumbtastic” data is not correctly used. Wauchula is only ONE town of THREE that is served by only ONE high school in the county. If there is only one high school in the county, then which of the three towns contributing to the data that is being used is responsible for the “dumbtastic” data? Are you sure it is Wauchula? These types of articles prove that data can be used however one wishes, which is what is wrong with our education system in general. Wauchula is a lovely town and far from dumb!
Did you read the part where its called infotainment. Its not a scientific study. Don’t get your panties in a knot.
We learned to read and write real good in Palatka (#19).
After seeing everyone else’s comments I guess I’m not far off to think the author is pretty stupid also, and therefore should be at the VERY least using spell check. Wonder what city he/she calls home??? The majority of these cities are full of migrant workers, they are known to be drop outs so they can help their families work. Plus Florida has droves of people moving here every year, some kids don’t do well with being uprooted and having to switch schools no matter what age. Calling this article Info-tainment is ridiculous – it was neither informative nor entertaining, that little disclaimer was put at the beginning because this person knew it was a bs article to begin with.
Lol at these comments…born and raised in Florida. Close to Jasper and I’ve been to a few more on the list. Facts are facts and data is data and they don’t care about your feelings lol. People in small towns in Florida are usually dumb rednecks. If you don’t see dumb rednecks around you….well maybe try the mirror?