The 10 Poorest Cities In Florida For 2023


The poorest places in Florida are Opa-Locka and Quincy for 2023 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 221 cities in Florida with more than 5,000 people.


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


Here are the ten poorest places in Florida for 2023:

  1. Opa-locka
  2. Quincy
  3. Pahokee
  4. Palatka
  5. Arcadia
  6. Marianna
  7. Belle Glade
  8. Sebring
  9. Dundee
  10. Holly Hill

What’s the poorest city in Florida? According to the facts, Opa-Locka is the poorest place in Florida for 2023.

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:


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


The 10 Poorest Cities In Florida For 2023

1. Opa-locka

Opa-Locka, FL

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

5
/10

Population: 16,310
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $27,734 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.4% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,776
More on Opa-Locka: Data | Cost Of Living

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

The city of 16,310 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Florida and the 2nd 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: 8,038
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 5)
Median Income: $31,756 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 43.6% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,504
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 6th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 207th highest in the Sunshine State.

3. Pahokee

Pahokee, FL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 5,504
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $30,753 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.2% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,936
More on Pahokee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Pahokee’s median income ranks as the 5th 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 35.177473725956766% 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: 10,399
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $28,082 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.2% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,449
More on Palatka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Palatka ranks as the fourth poorest place in Florida.

The town ranks as having the 4th lowest median household income and the 5th 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. Arcadia

Arcadia, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,460
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $27,869 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.3% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,406
More on Arcadia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Florida is Arcadia.

The city ranks as having the 3rd 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 6th highest in Florida.

Still not the best news for Arcadia.

6. Marianna

Marianna, FL

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

2
/10

Population: 6,446
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $27,427 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.7% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,849
More on Marianna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

It ranks as having the 10th highest incidence of poverty and the 99th highest unemployment rate.

7. Belle Glade

Belle Glade, FL

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

2
/10

Population: 16,983
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 5)
Median Income: $32,963 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.6% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,883
More on Belle Glade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Belle Glade places as the seventh poorest city in Florida.

The city of over 16,983 ranks as having the 4th 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. 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: 10,832
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Median Income: $32,607 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.7% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,895
More on Sebring: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Sebring ranks as the eighth poorest city in Florida.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 7th highest in the state.

9. Dundee

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,122
Rank Last Year:
Median Income: $40,962 (2lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.4% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,606
More on Dundee: Data

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

While the median income is the 2lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Dundee ranks as having the 8th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Florida.

10. Holly Hill

Holly Hill, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,833
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Income: $37,333 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.6% (18th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,157
More on Holly Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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

The city of 12,833 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 2023

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 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 221 places with more than 5,000 people in Florida, we ranked each place from 1 to 221 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, Opa-Locka, crowned the “Poorest Place In Florida For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Florida.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Florida For 2023

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

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 Opa-locka 16,310 35.4% $27,734 5,776
2 Quincy 8,038 43.6% $31,756 3,504
3 Pahokee 5,504 35.2% $30,753 1,936
4 Palatka 10,399 33.2% $28,082 3,449
5 Arcadia 7,460 32.3% $27,869 2,406
6 Marianna 6,446 28.7% $27,427 1,849
7 Belle Glade 16,983 34.6% $32,963 5,883
8 Sebring 10,832 26.7% $32,607 2,895
9 Dundee 5,122 31.4% $40,962 1,606
10 Holly Hill 12,833 24.6% $37,333 3,157
11 Avon Park 9,725 22.8% $32,518 2,218
12 Pembroke Park 6,269 27.5% $40,260 1,724
13 Gainesville 138,741 28.5% $40,937 39,597
14 Fort Pierce 46,409 27.1% $40,323 12,587
15 Leesburg 26,242 23.0% $37,350 6,034
16 Fort Meade 5,127 22.7% $37,515 1,163
17 Starke 5,669 30.5% $43,339 1,730
18 Florida City 12,844 31.9% $43,599 4,099
19 Brooksville 8,735 20.9% $35,191 1,821
20 Okeechobee 5,279 21.8% $40,149 1,149
21 Kissimmee 77,189 24.6% $41,746 18,988
22 Lauderdale Lakes 35,898 20.5% $40,217 7,350
23 Clewiston 7,447 21.1% $41,125 1,573
24 Perry 6,886 26.0% $43,797 1,793
25 Daytona Beach 71,041 21.8% $42,392 15,483
26 Live Oak 6,771 26.2% $45,417 1,772
27 Hallandale Beach 41,004 20.6% $41,905 8,442
28 Belleview 5,314 19.5% $41,188 1,033
29 Springfield 8,429 20.6% $43,688 1,734
30 Tallahassee 195,057 24.3% $49,077 47,428
31 Hialeah 224,362 18.6% $43,181 41,819
32 South Bay 6,284 25.0% $50,344 1,571
33 North Miami 60,449 19.4% $44,283 11,711
34 Inverness 7,423 15.8% $39,532 1,174
35 Lake City 12,325 18.4% $43,396 2,262
36 Miami 440,807 20.9% $47,860 91,917
37 Lauderhill 73,935 19.3% $44,634 14,304
38 Zephyrhills 16,845 16.2% $42,023 2,722
39 Ocala 62,351 18.0% $46,841 11,220
40 South Daytona 12,984 17.8% $47,814 2,314
41 Haines City 26,510 19.7% $50,280 5,219
42 Dania Beach 31,703 16.8% $44,477 5,317
43 Sweetwater 19,426 17.0% $46,224 3,309
44 New Port Richey 16,348 15.2% $40,319 2,481
45 Palmetto 13,304 18.6% $50,762 2,472
46 Homestead 78,885 21.4% $52,334 16,889
47 North Lauderdale 44,579 17.6% $49,426 7,839
48 Riviera Beach 37,301 19.3% $51,118 7,202
49 Lake Wales 16,173 16.9% $49,226 2,734
50 Lake Alfred 6,196 16.2% $48,203 1,002
51 Panama City 34,521 17.8% $51,569 6,153
52 West Park 15,074 18.1% $52,102 2,724
53 Deerfield Beach 86,062 15.6% $49,650 13,443
54 Lady Lake 15,683 14.0% $42,088 2,188
55 Miami Gardens 111,706 16.0% $51,067 17,847
56 Winter Haven 48,707 15.6% $50,842 7,610
57 Fort Myers 84,694 16.0% $51,682 13,555
58 DeFuniak Springs 5,875 17.1% $53,984 1,007
59 Bartow 18,880 16.9% $53,593 3,184
60 Bradenton 54,918 14.7% $50,084 8,075
61 Wildwood 14,747 22.2% $59,158 3,271
62 Orange City 12,748 13.2% $45,698 1,682
63 Kenneth City 5,046 13.3% $47,827 669
64 Greenacres 43,482 15.3% $51,692 6,661
65 South Pasadena 5,319 12.7% $43,383 677
66 Casselberry 28,750 15.5% $53,150 4,462
67 Sunny Isles Beach 22,234 14.8% $51,760 3,297
68 Clearwater 116,616 15.5% $54,182 18,051
69 West Palm Beach 115,877 17.0% $56,549 19,665
70 Lakeland 110,401 15.1% $52,972 16,653
71 Oakland Park 44,092 15.8% $55,700 6,957
72 Pompano Beach 111,423 15.6% $56,109 17,405
73 Cocoa 18,891 12.6% $48,085 2,373
74 Titusville 48,158 12.8% $50,383 6,175
75 Stuart 17,269 14.4% $55,157 2,484
76 Plant City 39,272 15.5% $57,025 6,080
77 Tampa 380,476 17.2% $59,893 65,491
78 Palm Springs 26,611 12.8% $51,358 3,406
79 Hialeah Gardens 22,917 14.0% $55,276 3,217
80 Sanford 60,215 14.2% $55,428 8,540
81 Pinellas Park 53,130 13.2% $54,111 7,021
82 Fort Walton Beach 20,805 14.1% $55,623 2,934
83 Orlando 302,968 15.5% $58,968 46,848
84 Dade City 7,143 14.5% $56,395 1,036
85 Eustis 22,532 13.2% $55,298 2,983
86 Melbourne 83,500 13.7% $55,543 11,421
87 Largo 82,505 12.1% $50,948 9,977
88 Jacksonville 937,690 14.9% $58,263 139,388
89 Pensacola 53,845 15.3% $59,119 8,251
90 High Springs 6,216 21.4% $71,909 1,331
91 Temple Terrace 26,585 14.8% $58,853 3,934
92 Vero Beach 16,254 12.8% $54,311 2,075
93 Mount Dora 15,830 15.4% $60,500 2,435
94 Tamarac 71,140 12.6% $54,114 8,975
95 Palm Bay 118,709 13.1% $55,963 15,594
96 North Miami Beach 43,357 12.0% $52,223 5,218
97 Margate 58,331 12.3% $52,881 7,178
98 West Miami 7,090 14.7% $59,436 1,043
99 Lake Park 8,971 15.2% $60,632 1,362
100 Tavares 18,290 9.9% $49,313 1,814
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.

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