CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

30.20° N · 81.40° W · GEOID 1254525

Palm Valley

St. Johns County, Florida · part of the Jacksonville, FL metro

FloridaPalm Valley, FLPalm ValleyPalm Valley

The short answer

Palm Valley is home to 19,796 people. Median household income is $116,625 a year and median rent is $1,856 a month, 19.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $690,800, about 5.9x annual median household income.

The story in Palm Valley is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 15.4% to 19.1% of income. Also notable: High pay has not made renting easy. Household income is higher than in 80% of places we track, yet 65% of renters still spend 30% or more of income on rent.

75OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Palm Valley scores better than 75% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 25th of 474 in Florida.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%38
Economy 20%82
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%38
Education 10%95
Commute 10%56
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,856
36% above the median place
Median household income
$116,625
45% above the median place
Median home value
$690,800
116% above the median place
Unemployment
3.3%
32% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

01

Moving to Palm Valley

St. Johns County gains about 40.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in26,704
Moved out16,062
Net+10,642

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Florida, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within FloridaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$131K
Leavers$98K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of St. Johns County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.4% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into St. Johns County report $130,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $97,700, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$74,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,856 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,890 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $690,800.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 24.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Catalina Foothills, AZ matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
2.4%
23% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.3%
10% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
40.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year16.3%10% above
Moved from another state12.4%23% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure40.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$130,60085% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$97,71339% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,034 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 88% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Palm Valley19.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$74,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.1%
6% below the median place
Home price to income
5.9x
56% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$97,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Palm Valley, $1,856 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Palm Valley, but easier on the budget

Places that match Palm Valley on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Catalina Foothills, AZ8514.7% vs 19.1%$3,500Compare
Porters Neck, NC8415.0% vs 19.1%$8,100Compare
Chesterfield, MO8114.8% vs 19.1%$18,300Compare
North Star, DE8111.8% vs 19.1%$35,600Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Palm Valley.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Palm Valley? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
64.6%
28% above the median place
Median home value1
$690,800
116% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$2,890
54% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,85636% above
Rent to income119.1%6% below
Property tax rate10.7%29% below
Home price to income15.9x56% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure99.51% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6945% above
HUD area median income4County figure$108,7001% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,49038% above
Median home value1$690,800116% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.8%44% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure60.5%17% above
Homeownership181.4%23% above
Renters paying 30%+164.6%28% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,89054% above
Vacant homes18.0%13% above
Median year built119911% above
03

Work and pay

25% of workers skip the commute by working from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 73% of places.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$90,258
125% above the median place
Poverty rate1
4.2%
61% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home24.9% 2.0×
Median household income$116,625 +45%
Mean commute24 min −3%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$116,62545% above
Income per person1$90,258125% above
Unemployment1County figure3.3%32% below
Average annual pay6County figure$62,2146% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure100,94933% below
Poverty rate14.2%61% below
Mean commute124 min3% below
Works from home124.9%100% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

The median resident is 51.2 years old, older than in 96% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

No health insurance1
1.9%
70% below the median place
High school or higher1
98.4%
7% above the median place
Median age1
51.2
31% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher71.0% 2.2×
Homes with broadband96.6% +5%
Household size2.2 −13%
Born abroad8.8% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population119,7962334th largest
Median age151.231% above
Bachelor's or higher171.0%121% above
High school or higher198.4%7% above
Household size12.213% below
Born abroad18.8%1% below
No health insurance11.9%70% below
Homes with broadband196.6%5% above
05

Life in Palm Valley

The nearest National Park Service site is Fort Caroline, about 14 miles away.

55 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 6 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents7.6 −25%
Playgrounds per 10k8.6 −9%
Grocery stores per 10k1.5 −28%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k14.1 +27%
Libraries per 10k1.0 +16%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −65%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Fort Caroline 14 miles
  • Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve 19 miles
  • Castillo de San Marcos National Monument 22 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.5 +8%
Shops31.8 +5%
Arts, recreation and fitness6.2 +51%
Doctors' offices and clinics24.9 +23%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
14.3
54% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
6.2
51% above the median place
Public school students12
52,834
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure60above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure52,834above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure18.118% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.58% above
Shops per 10k8County figure31.85% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure6.251% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure24.923% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k97.625% below
Playgrounds per 10k98.69% below
Grocery stores per 10k91.528% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k914.127% above
Libraries per 10k91.016% above
Named paths and bike trails90.765% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1014.354% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles105150% above
National Register listings11County figure55323% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 46°F, 82% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Palm Valley. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low13
46°F
82% above the median place
Average temperature13
70°F
28% above the median place
Annual precipitation13
52.5 in
20% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePalm ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure91°F5% above
January average low13County figure46°F82% above
Average temperature13County figure70°F28% above
Annual precipitation13County figure52.5 in20% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure87.55% below
Hurricane risk14County figure93.733% above
Tornado risk14County figure85.45% above
Wildfire risk14County figure89.446% above
Heat wave risk14County figure82.29% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure5221% above
Good air days15Metro figure43.3%37% below
08

Palm Valley in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 20% of the median income in 2030, up from 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Palm Valley does better than 35% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 45%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,856/mo (2024)$2,390/mo$1,960 to $2,920/mo+4.3%
Median household income$116,625 (2024)$145,500$123,000 to $172,000+3.8%
Median home value$690,800 (2024)$987,000$717,000 to $1,360,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 6.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Palm Valley

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Heathrow, FL$2,164$126,250Compare
Scottsdale, AZ$2,013$110,886Compare
Porters Neck, NC$1,503$119,979Compare
Fairview, TX$1,947$109,347Compare
Fairview, TXPorters Neck, NCScottsdale, AZHeathrow, FLPalm Valley, FLPalm ValleyHeathrowScottsdalePorters NeckFairviewPalm ValleyHeathrowScottsdalePorters NeckFairview

Places built like Palm Valley

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Palm Valley performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Palm Valley, FL19.1%1.4%/yrn/a
Mays Chapel, MD16.4%3.2%/yrn/aCompare
Atlantic Beach, FL21.8%8.8%/yr-2.0%Compare
Annapolis Neck, MD17.2%4.0%/yrn/aCompare
Jacksonville Beach, FL18.4%5.8%/yr-0.9%Compare
Safety Harbor, FL19.6%6.5%/yr-2.6%Compare
East Lake, FL23.5%4.0%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Palm Valley a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 75 out of 100, better than 75% of the places we rate and 25th of 474 in Florida. On cost, space and class size it scores 56 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Palm Valley expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $690,800.

What salary do you need to live in Palm Valley?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $74,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Palm Valley?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Heathrow, FL, Scottsdale, AZ, Porters Neck, NC and Fairview, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Palm Valley with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Palm Valley itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/palm-valley-florida

Citytistics. “Palm Valley, Florida.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/palm-valley-florida/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.