Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety66#312/924
Economy69#290/925
Housing13#803/925
Health87#124/925
Healthcare42#539/923
Environment76#220/917
Education56#412/925
Infrastructure59#377/925
Community37#584/925
Leisure & amenities70#279/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New homes permitted · high12.9 /1k
98/100Florida 7.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
New business applications · high24.7 /1k
97/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Depression · low18.4%
97/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · low11 mi
96/100Florida 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Life expectancy · high81.0 yrs
96/100Florida 78.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · low31.2%
89/100Florida 34.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
2/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high60.0%
3/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Hot days · high126 days
3/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · high35.1%
3/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average commute time · high29.4 min
5/100Florida 28.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · low5.8 /10k
7/100Florida 6.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
765,575 (2020) → 875,607 (2025)
+14%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 77% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+77 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
36.7 /100k (2021) → 12.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−65%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
4.7 /100k (2021) → 2.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
17.0 /1k (2020) → 24.7 /1k (2025)
+45%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.9% (2015-2019) → 60.0% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area improved on 14 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 12. 2 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Overdose deaths−66%38.3 /100k → 12.9 /100k
Homicides−62%6.3 /100k → 2.4 /100k
Weekly wage+28%$958 → $1,225
Child poverty−5.2 points22.1% → 16.9%
Household income+32%$57,832 → $76,107

Declined12

Libraries−16%0.2 /10k → 0.2 /10k
Rent / income+3.4 points31.7% → 35.1%
Restaurants−13%11.5 /10k → 9.9 /10k
Rent burden+7.1 points52.9% → 60.0%
Price / income+0.9×3.9× → 4.8×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.4 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	−5.6%	Declined	20%
Average commute time	27.5 min2015-2019	29.4 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Declined	13%
Average weekly wage	$9582020	$1,2252025	+28%	Improved	84%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.2%2015-2019	31.2%2020-2024	+3 points	Improved	54%
Broadband subscriptions	85.2%2015-2019	92.1%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Improved	23%
Child poverty rate	22.1%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	78%
Distance to an airport	11 mi2020	11 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	38.3 /100k2020	12.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−66%	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	0.78%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	63%
Firearm deaths	13.6 /100k2020	14.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+5.9%	Declined	39%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+4.9%	Little change	67%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−9.4%	Declined	26%
High school diploma or higher	88.4%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Improved	56%
Home price to income ratio	3.9×2015-2019	4.8×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	17%
Homicide rate	6.3 /100k2020	2.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−62%	Improved	86%
Income adjusted for local prices	$56,6292019	$68,7152024	+21%	Improved	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4802015-2019	0.4792020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	57%
Median household income	$57,8322015-2019	$76,1072020-2024	+32%	Improved	73%
New business applications	17.0 /1k2020	24.7 /1k2025	+45%	Improved	48%
Pharmacies	2.2 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	41%
Poverty rate	13.1%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Improved	53%
Property crime rate	1,031 /100k2020	796 /100k2025	−23%	Improved	29%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−16%	Declined	6%
Public transit commuters	0.7%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
Rent as share of income	31.7%2015-2019	35.1%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Declined	8%
Rent-burdened households	52.9%2015-2019	60.0%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Declined	9%
Restaurants and bars	11.5 /10k2020	9.9 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	7%
Suicide rate	17.0 /100k2020	19.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+16%	Declined	30%
Traffic deaths	13.7 /100k2015-2019	14.7 /100k2020-2024	+7.2%	Declined	49%
Unemployment rate	7.8%2020	4.3%2025	−3.5 points	Improved	65%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.2%2015-2019	17.9%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Violent crime rate	267 /100k2020	230 /100k2025	−14%	Improved	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area 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, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area itself moved +0.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

817,666 residents

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

327,803 households (±2,445)

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%44,847
$25k–50k18%60,481
$50k–75k17%56,547

Homes

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

Owners and renters

327,803 households (±2,445)

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area
United States share

Own74%243,654
Rent26%84,149

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

350,535 workers (±3,161)

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area
United States share

Drive alone71%248,138
Carpool9.8%34,210
Public transit0.5%1,712

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL employ 72,870 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Retail Salespersons12,220 jobs	12,220	$34,650US $35,410	−2%	1.6×
Registered Nurses8,700 jobs	8,700	$82,860US $97,550	−15%	1.31×
Waiters and Waitresses7,980 jobs	7,980	$36,660US $35,230	+4%	1.79×
Fast Food and Counter Workers7,260 jobs	7,260	$29,360US $31,200	−6%	0.96×
General and Operations Managers7,150 jobs	7,150	$94,730US $105,770	−10%	1.04×
Cashiers6,950 jobs	6,950	$30,530US $32,880	−7%	1.15×
Office Clerks, General6,460 jobs	6,460	$45,560US $45,010	+1%	1.34×
Customer Service Representatives5,840 jobs	5,840	$38,180US $44,770	−15%	1.15×
Construction Laborers5,230 jobs	5,230	$43,290US $47,120	−8%	2.43×
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers5,080 jobs	5,080	$36,790US $39,150	−6%	2.72×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL has 22,756 employer establishments, 269 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248), with 264,855 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,417. The Census Bureau also counts 114,704 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 22,756; 114,704 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 269; US 248
Paid employees: 264,855
Average annual pay: $55,417; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	2,697	31.9	2.06×More than typical	25,169	$57,963	10,087
Lessors of real estate	1,861	22	1.79×More than typical	5,822	$56,311	12,361
Ambulatory health care services	1,770	20.9	1.00×About typical	20,352	$74,372	6,551
Restaurants and other eating places	1,317	15.6	0.85×About typical	28,185	$24,141	634
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,254	14.8	2.20×More than typical	8,243	$40,048	10,331
Real estate agents and brokers	1,134	13.4	2.75×More than typical	1,811	$83,144	4,936
Construction of buildings	1,052	12.4	1.64×More than typical	6,504	$78,560	5,386
Building finishing contractors	916	10.8	2.85×More than typical	5,494	$48,601	3,853
Building equipment contractors	889	10.5	1.75×More than typical	9,076	$63,932	2,174
Full-service restaurants	692	8.2	1.06×About typical	17,117	$26,900	262
Management, scientific and technical consulting	686	8.1	1.21×About typical	3,288	$71,375	3,512
Offices of physicians	608	7.2	1.11×About typical	8,712	$88,676	648

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 846,125 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $114.5M on contracts performed in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area: $131 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $114.5M; −33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $131; US $2,008
Sole-source: 3.9%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$69.3M61%
Department of Veterans Affairs$21.6M19%
Department of the Army$7.8M6.8%
Public Buildings Service$7.2M6.3%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$2.4M2.1%
USTRANSCOM$1.6M1.4%
Social Security Administration$891.4K0.8%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$649.2K0.6%

Top recipients

BEACON POINT ASSOCIATES LLC$58.2M51%
FREEMAN HOLDINGS OF HAWAII, LLC$10.9M9.6%
ATLANTIC & GULF DREDGING & MARINE LLC$6.7M5.9%
GLOBAL LOGISTICS STRATEGIES INC.$6.6M5.7%
ACCESS ELECTRONICS LLC$5.8M5.1%

Spending by fiscal year

53.5MFY2017
75.1MFY2018
95.9MFY2019
131MFY2020
161.5MFY2021
132.2MFY2022
446MFY2023
147.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4234$43.9M38%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$10.9M9.6%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$10.7M9.3%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$6.7M5.9%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$4.3M3.7%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $6.2B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area: $7,090 per resident (US $12,990).

Assistance · FY2026: $6.2B; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,090; US $12,990
Loan face value: $292.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$4.6B74%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$433.2M7.0%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$356.4M5.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$269.1M4.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$108.4M1.7%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$71M1.1%
97.022 · Flood Insurance$47.5M0.8%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$45.4M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$46.8M0.8%
TALLAHASSEE, FL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF FORT MYERS$46.4M0.7%
FORT MYERS, FL
FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN STATE COLLEGE$36.2M0.6%
FORT MYERS, FL
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY$31.7M0.5%
FORT MYERS, FL
LEE COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$5.3B86%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$499.2M8.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$79.9M1.3%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$53.5M0.9%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Emergency Management Agency$47.5M

Assistance by fiscal year

5.2BFY2021
5.2BFY2022
8.6BFY2023
7.4BFY2024
7.1BFY2025
6.2BFY2026

County aggregates

95%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Lee CountyCentral county60875,607

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Areas based in Florida, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined12

Metro and micro areas like Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Florida

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined12

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought