Census-designated place · Putnam County, Florida

East Palatka, Florida

East Palatka is a census-designated place in Putnam County, Florida, part of the Palatka, FL metro area. It has 1,494 residents. East Palatka, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 10 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,158 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #711 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), median Air Quality Index (low) and depression (low). It ranks worst on dental care shortage (high), rent as share of income (high) and rent-burdened households (high).

10Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,158 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #711 of 780 in FL
Population: 1,494 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 469.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 1219350

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety41#9,186/15,637
Economy42#9,058/15,631
Housing10#13,473/14,977
Health23#12,037/15,609
Healthcare4#15,023/15,650
Environment69#4,731/15,453
Education5#14,829/15,649
Infrastructure15#13,292/15,650
Community17#12,985/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,893/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where East Palatka, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Putnam County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Florida 3.9%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Median Air Quality Index · low21
98/100Florida 422025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPutnam County value
Depression · low17.7%
92/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Comfortable days · high33.5%
91/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPutnam County value
Violent crime rate · low98 /100k
86/100Florida 261 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationPutnam County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100Florida 0.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPutnam County value

Weaknesses

Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100Florida 7.6United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPutnam County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Rent-burdened households · high68.6%
3/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.586
3/100Florida 0.485United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Premature death · high15,142 /100k
4/100Florida 8,264 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePutnam County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,529 /100k
4/100Florida 3,204 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePutnam County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,713 (2015-2019) → 1,494 (2020-2024)
−13%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$28,594 (2015-2019) → $73,718 (2020-2024)
+158%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.3% (2015-2019) → 82.6% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
38.5% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Average commute timeWorsening
24.0 min (2015-2019) → 38.7 min (2020-2024)
+61%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
19.3% (2015-2019) → 8.9% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, East Palatka, Florida improved on 1 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+158%$28,594 → $73,718

Declined2

Bachelor's+−10 points19.3% → 8.9%
Rent / income+13 points38.5% → 51.0%

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of East Palatka, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.3%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−10 points	Declined	2%
Broadband subscriptions	66.3%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Child poverty rate	52.0%2015-2019	55.6%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	25%
High school diploma or higher	78.3%2015-2019	77.6%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	−0.8×	Within the margin of error	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5122015-2019	0.5862020-2024	+0.074	Within the margin of error	9%
Median household income	$28,5942015-2019	$73,7182020-2024	+158%	Improved	100%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	38.5%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+13 points	Declined	6%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like East Palatka, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of East Palatka, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, East Palatka, Florida itself moved +4.4 points in standing on average over the same 7 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,494 residents (±395)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

442 households (±184)

East Palatka, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k16%†72
$25k–50k23%†101
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

442 households (±184)

East Palatka, Florida
Florida share

Own75%†331
Rent25%†111

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

400 workers (±305)

East Palatka, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone77%†306
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Palatka, FL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Putnam County, the county holding most of East Palatka's residents.

Putnam County has 1,331 employer establishments, 175 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.62× Florida's), with 13,231 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,701. The Census Bureau also counts 5,371 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,331; 5,371 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 175; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 13,231
Average annual pay: $43,701; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Putnam County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	180	23.6	1.53×More than typical	828	$45,639	485
Ambulatory health care services	102	13.4	0.64×Fewer than typical	892	$59,020	362
Restaurants and other eating places	87	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,586	$18,325	21
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	61	8	2.54×More than typical	249	$39,570	92
Religious organizations	58	7.6	1.37×More than typical	285	$21,309	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	56	7.4	1.09×About typical	250	$40,212	698
Building equipment contractors	51	6.7	1.11×About typical	258	$45,302	65
Lessors of real estate	46	6	0.49×Fewer than typical	91	$34,604	337
Limited-service restaurants	43	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	789	$19,373	8
Landscaping services	41	5.4	1.54×More than typical	148	$38,973	266
Offices of physicians	40	5.3	0.81×About typical	246	$68,890	21
Construction of buildings	38	5	0.66×Fewer than typical	136	$40,669	191

Rank places for an industry Open Putnam County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 76,162 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in East Palatka, Florida: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

0FY2017
17.4KFY2018
0FY2019
664.4KFY2020
6.2KFY2021
0FY2022

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in East Palatka, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

East Palatka, Florida's figures are part of those of Putnam County, FL ($415K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: East Palatka is mostly in Putnam County.

See federal money in Putnam County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

East Palatka, Florida is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Randy FineR-FL-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 4.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Putnam County9100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Palatka, FL6

Other cities and towns in Putnam County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1219350

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends