Census-designated place · St. Johns County, Florida

Palm Valley, Florida

Palm Valley is a census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, part of the Jacksonville, FL metro area. It has 19,796 residents. Palm Valley, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,793 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #5 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on math scores (high), reading scores (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), rent-burdened households (high) and rent as share of income (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,793 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #5 of 780 in FL
Population: 19,796 (2020-2024)
Land area: 12 mi²
Density: 1,622.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1254525

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety92#1,173/15,637
Economy96#632/15,631
Housing2#14,657/14,977
Health95#735/15,609
Healthcare75#3,862/15,650
Environment49#7,830/15,453
Education97#433/15,649
Infrastructure83#2,726/15,650
Community72#4,423/15,651
Leisure & amenities80#3,133/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Palm Valley, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “St. Johns 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

Math scores · high3.77
100/100Florida 3.28United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Johns County value
Reading scores · high3.68
100/100Florida 3.17United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Johns County value
Voter turnout · high86.0%
100/100Florida 68.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionSt. Johns County value
Physical inactivity · low13.7%
98/100Florida 25.5%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · low6.5%
98/100Florida 17.9%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · high71.0%
97/100Florida 34.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.529
2/100Florida 0.485United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent-burdened households · high64.6%
2/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high37.8%
5/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
9/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSt. Johns County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.9×
11/100Florida 4.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Students per teacher · high18.0×
14/100Florida 18.3×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSt. Johns County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
21,292 (2015-2019) → 19,796 (2020-2024)
−7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.8% (2015-2019) → 64.6% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.2% (2015-2019) → 37.8% (2020-2024)
+8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
62.8% (2015-2019) → 71.0% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.4× (2015-2019) → 5.9× (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
93.3% (2015-2019) → 96.6% (2020-2024)
+3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Palm Valley, Florida improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved2

Bachelor's++8.2 points62.8% → 71.0%
Broadband+3.4 points93.3% → 96.6%

Declined2

Price / income+1.5×4.4× → 5.9×
Rent / income+8.6 points29.2% → 37.8%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Palm Valley, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.1 min2015-2019	24.1 min2020-2024	−1.0 min	Within the margin of error	60%
Bachelor's degree or higher	62.8%2015-2019	71.0%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	93.3%2015-2019	96.6%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Improved	22%
Effective property tax rate	0.83%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	59%
High school diploma or higher	97.2%2015-2019	98.4%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Home price to income ratio	4.4×2015-2019	5.9×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5132015-2019	0.5292020-2024	+0.016	Within the margin of error	37%
Median household income	$109,0002015-2019	$116,6252020-2024	+7%	Within the margin of error	13%
Poverty rate	4.0%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.2%2015-2019	37.8%2020-2024	+8.6 points	Declined	12%
Rent-burdened households	48.8%2015-2019	64.6%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.4%2015-2019	2.6%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“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 Palm Valley, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Palm Valley, 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, Palm Valley, Florida itself moved −6.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

19,796 residents (±1,384)

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

9,024 households (±466)

Palm Valley, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k6.2%†559
$25k–50k12%1,078
$50k–75k18%1,610

Homes

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

Owners and renters

9,024 households (±466)

Palm Valley, Florida
Florida share

Own81%7,348
Rent19%1,676

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

9,212 workers (±930)

Palm Valley, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone69%6,340
Carpool3.3%†306
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 Jacksonville, 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 St. Johns County, the county holding most of Palm Valley's residents.

St. Johns County has 8,633 employer establishments, 269 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Florida's), with 80,082 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,478. The Census Bureau also counts 35,748 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,633; 35,748 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 269; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 80,082
Average annual pay: $50,478; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	763	23.8	1.14×About typical	4,957	$68,096	1,895
Lessors of real estate	756	23.6	1.91×More than typical	2,423	$61,513	4,988
Restaurants and other eating places	616	19.2	1.05×About typical	13,392	$25,428	109
Specialty trade contractors	565	17.6	1.14×About typical	3,494	$55,671	1,529
Management, scientific and technical consulting	507	15.8	2.35×More than typical	1,139	$76,053	2,247
Real estate agents and brokers	469	14.6	3.00×More than typical	804	$69,425	1,976
Services to buildings and dwellings	347	10.8	1.60×More than typical	2,833	$35,878	1,648
Full-service restaurants	311	9.7	1.26×More than typical	8,317	$28,099	42
Offices of physicians	309	9.6	1.49×More than typical	1,826	$87,152	506
Construction of buildings	260	8.1	1.07×About typical	1,067	$99,641	780
Limited-service restaurants	227	7.1	0.88×About typical	4,033	$22,087	28
Offices of other health practitioners	224	7	1.15×About typical	998	$47,874	879

Rank places for an industry Open St. Johns County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 320,954 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 $25.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Palm Valley, Florida: $1,303 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $25.8M; −18% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,303; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

AMERICAN ROLL-ON ROLL-OFF CARRIER, LLC$25.8M100.0%
MORAN ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY, LLC$3,6480.0%

Spending by fiscal year

262.3KFY2017
63.6KFY2018
1.8MFY2019
201.9KFY2020
1.1MFY2021
73.1KFY2022
97.6KFY2023
7.9MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$25.8M100.0%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$3,6480.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Palm Valley, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Palm Valley, Florida's figures are part of those of St. Johns County, FL ($132.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 19% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Palm Valley is mostly in St. Johns County.

See federal money in St. Johns 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.

Palm Valley, Florida is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

St. Johns County92100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jacksonville, FL55

Other cities and towns in St. Johns 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/1254525

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends