The 10 Poorest Cities In Florida For 2024


The poorest places in Florida are Marianna and Quincy for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Florida has certain places that are going on hard times. These Florida places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Florida.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 220 cities in Florida with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Places In Florida For 2024:

  1. Marianna
  2. Quincy
  3. Arcadia
  4. Palatka
  5. Opa-locka
  6. Pahokee
  7. Sebring
  8. Belle Glade
  9. Fort Meade
  10. Starke

Poorest Places In Florida Map

What’s the poorest city in Florida? According to the facts, Marianna is the poorest place in Florida for 2024.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Florida reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In Florida For 2024

1. Marianna

Marianna, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 6,681
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 5)
Median Income: $27,296 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.6% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,246
More on Marianna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Marianna, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Florida thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 6,681 people averages the lowest median household income in Florida and the 3rd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Quincy

Quincy, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,811
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $33,786 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 46.7% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,646
More on Quincy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Florida is Quincy.

The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 4th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 172nd highest in the Sunshine State.

3. Arcadia

Arcadia, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,480
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $34,598 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,629
More on Arcadia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Arcadia’s median income ranks as the 6th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 35.16% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Sunshine State.

4. Palatka

Palatka, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 10,471
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $30,945 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.0% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,034
More on Palatka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Palatka ranks as the fourth poorest place in Florida.

The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 10th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Opa-locka

Opa-Locka, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 16,230
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 4)
Median Income: $30,101 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.0% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,542
More on Opa-Locka: Data | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Florida is Opa-locka.

The city ranks as having the 2nd lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 12th highest in Florida.

Still not the best news for Opa-locka.

6. Pahokee

Pahokee, FL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 5,548
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 3)
Median Income: $36,289 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.8% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,763
More on Pahokee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Pahokee ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Sunshine State.

It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the highest unemployment rate.

7. Sebring

Sebring, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Chuck Schultz from Anniston, AL, USA, upload by Herrick | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 11,006
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $38,024 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.6% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,152
More on Sebring: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Sebring places as the seventh poorest city in Florida.

The city of over 11,006 ranks as having the 11th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Belle Glade

Belle Glade, FL

Source: Flickr User formulanone | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 16,896
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $42,314 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.5% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,496
More on Belle Glade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Belle Glade ranks as the eighth poorest city in Florida.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Fort Meade

Fort Meade, FL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,133
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 7)
Median Income: $34,474 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.0% (18th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,181
More on Fort Meade: Data | Cost Of Living

Fort Meade couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Florida; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 5th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Fort Meade ranks as having the 18th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Florida.

10. Starke

Starke, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,756
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 7)
Median Income: $42,976 (17th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.7% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,824
More on Starke: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Florida is Starke.

The city of 5,756 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Sunshine State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Florida for 2024

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 220 places with more than 5,000 people in Florida, we ranked each place from 1 to 220 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Marianna, crowned the “Poorest Place In Florida For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Florida.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Florida For 2024

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Florida, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Florida.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Florida, according to data:

    Richest: Parkland
    2nd Richest: Longboat Key
    3rd Richest: Palm Beach

For more Florida reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Florida

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Marianna 6,681 33.6% $27,296 2,246
2 Quincy 7,811 46.7% $33,786 3,646
3 Arcadia 7,480 35.2% $34,598 2,629
4 Palatka 10,471 29.0% $30,945 3,034
5 Opa-locka 16,230 28.0% $30,101 4,542
6 Pahokee 5,548 31.8% $36,289 1,763
7 Sebring 11,006 28.6% $38,024 3,152
8 Belle Glade 16,896 32.5% $42,314 5,496
9 Fort Meade 5,133 23.0% $34,474 1,181
10 Starke 5,756 31.7% $42,976 1,824
11 Florida City 12,841 32.6% $44,774 4,188
12 Pembroke Park 6,266 25.9% $41,875 1,621
13 Avon Park 9,789 22.5% $35,340 2,204
14 Lauderdale Lakes 35,914 23.9% $41,644 8,590
15 Gainesville 142,414 29.0% $43,783 41,328
16 Fort Pierce 47,153 29.1% $45,121 13,697
17 Holly Hill 12,919 22.1% $40,908 2,848
18 Dundee 5,373 25.3% $44,936 1,360
19 Kissimmee 78,478 26.0% $45,319 20,372
20 Brooksville 8,981 20.0% $42,047 1,796
21 Okeechobee 5,319 22.2% $44,922 1,180
22 Lake City 12,307 22.9% $46,172 2,821
23 Hallandale Beach 41,102 20.9% $45,417 8,586
24 Live Oak 6,811 19.3% $43,664 1,312
25 Leesburg 27,226 18.5% $43,733 5,025
26 Daytona Beach 73,329 20.3% $47,608 14,907
27 Tallahassee 198,259 24.3% $52,899 48,117
28 Dania Beach 31,700 19.3% $46,330 6,124
29 Lauderhill 73,987 18.6% $48,523 13,761
30 North Miami 59,854 18.9% $49,069 11,306
31 Belleview 5,438 17.4% $49,007 947
32 Hialeah 222,996 17.8% $49,531 39,715
33 Miami 443,665 20.0% $54,858 88,688
34 Ocala 63,504 18.0% $50,618 11,456
35 Lake Wales 16,455 20.3% $55,833 3,343
36 Inverness 7,602 15.3% $42,282 1,166
37 Clewiston 7,252 16.8% $50,538 1,217
38 Homestead 79,996 20.4% $57,739 16,319
39 Perry 6,879 15.2% $45,833 1,048
40 Palmetto 13,384 17.2% $55,584 2,303
41 DeFuniak Springs 6,072 18.2% $56,455 1,106
42 Riviera Beach 37,668 20.0% $57,851 7,537
43 Panama City 34,254 18.6% $57,221 6,388
44 Sweetwater 19,399 15.7% $53,159 3,047
45 South Daytona 13,132 16.0% $54,898 2,102
46 Deerfield Beach 86,455 15.5% $53,741 13,417
47 Kenneth City 5,043 15.3% $51,073 774
48 Lake Park 8,996 15.5% $54,741 1,396
49 New Port Richey 16,742 13.3% $42,254 2,233
50 Lady Lake 16,047 13.9% $46,694 2,238
51 Haines City 28,922 16.9% $57,718 4,896
52 Springfield 8,295 15.0% $52,188 1,242
53 Winter Haven 50,778 15.9% $56,425 8,083
54 Miami Gardens 111,618 15.4% $56,071 17,222
55 Fort Myers 88,699 16.1% $57,403 14,271
56 Zephyrhills 17,575 13.5% $45,745 2,365
57 North Lauderdale 44,635 16.9% $60,168 7,525
58 West Park 15,074 15.9% $58,712 2,401
59 Casselberry 29,092 15.4% $56,833 4,468
60 Orange City 13,254 13.6% $49,681 1,805
61 Clearwater 116,984 16.2% $59,358 18,986
62 Bradenton 55,795 14.6% $55,795 8,140
63 Palm Springs 26,692 13.8% $55,254 3,696
64 Pompano Beach 111,790 15.9% $61,155 17,774
65 Green Cove Springs 9,758 17.4% $63,760 1,693
66 Davenport 10,246 17.9% $64,428 1,828
67 Bartow 19,424 15.5% $60,974 3,004
68 Hialeah Gardens 22,815 14.7% $58,497 3,342
69 Lakeland 114,404 14.2% $58,290 16,188
70 Greenacres 43,651 14.7% $58,981 6,421
71 North Miami Beach 43,269 13.5% $56,122 5,849
72 Melbourne 84,982 15.2% $60,917 12,874
73 Sunny Isles Beach 22,202 13.6% $57,145 3,028
74 West Palm Beach 117,588 16.0% $64,044 18,778
75 Plant City 39,655 15.4% $62,015 6,094
76 South Pasadena 5,334 11.4% $48,490 609
77 Vero Beach 16,531 14.0% $59,335 2,309
78 Tampa 388,768 16.9% $66,802 65,507
79 Wildwood 15,735 17.1% $68,121 2,684
80 Largo 82,541 12.5% $56,266 10,350
81 Margate 58,396 12.3% $56,324 7,194
82 Mount Dora 16,330 15.5% $65,774 2,529
83 Stuart 17,639 13.9% $61,878 2,457
84 Jacksonville 950,203 14.8% $64,138 140,344
85 Sanford 61,272 12.8% $59,181 7,848
86 Fort Walton Beach 20,919 13.5% $61,820 2,830
87 Tamarac 71,578 12.7% $59,140 9,119
88 Eustis 23,101 13.1% $59,941 3,014
89 Gulfport 11,796 13.1% $60,461 1,540
90 Orlando 307,738 15.2% $66,292 46,622
91 Tavares 19,088 10.4% $54,271 1,983
92 Titusville 48,595 11.1% $56,700 5,389
93 High Springs 6,283 18.2% $76,760 1,142
94 Oakland Park 44,056 13.9% $64,989 6,137
95 Temple Terrace 26,818 13.2% $62,415 3,548
96 Pinellas Park 53,352 13.1% $62,306 6,973
97 Pensacola 54,059 14.1% $67,722 7,633
98 Hollywood 152,764 12.6% $61,958 19,217
99 Miami Beach 82,400 13.6% $65,116 11,181
100 Dade City 7,221 12.8% $63,493 922
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *