The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in Florida.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 14, 2023

Most Americans have never been to small town Florida. However, as the Floridian who live there know, small town Florida is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Florida has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Sunshine State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 278 of Florida’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Florida where you’d never want to live:

So what is the worst small town to call home in Florida for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Five Points is the worst small town to live in Florida.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Five Points home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Florida or the worst places to live in Florida.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

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

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2023

1. Five Points

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,111
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 34.6% (2nd worst)

2. Fellsmere

Fellsmere, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,892
Median Home Value: $117,700 (65th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.7% (18th worst)

3. Interlachen

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,646
Median Home Value: $70,500 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.5% (28th worst)

4. Crescent City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,891
Median Home Value: $146,600 (89th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.5% (13th worst)

5. Moon Lake

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,458
Median Home Value: $57,600 (7th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.1% (9th worst)

6. Gifford

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,477
Median Home Value: $115,300 (6worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (14th worst)

7. Bonifay

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,756
Median Home Value: $104,300 (44th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.9% (29th worst)

8. Dade City North

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,759
Median Home Value: $55,700 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (95th worst)

9. Pomona Park

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,327
Median Home Value: $84,300 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (105th worst)

10. Suncoast Estates

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,308
Median Home Value: $75,400 (16th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.7% (16th worst)

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Florida is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Florida, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower, the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 278 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Florida.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Florida

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Sunshine State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Florida, according to science:

  1. Highland Beach (Pop. 4,244)
  2. Bay Hill (Pop. 4,877)
  3. South Beach (Pop. 3,204)

For more Florida reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Florida

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Five Points 1,111 34.6% $1,000
2 Fellsmere 4,892 15.7% $117,700
3 Interlachen 1,646 13.5% $70,500
4 Crescent City 1,891 18.5% $146,600
5 Moon Lake 4,458 22.1% $57,600
6 Gifford 4,477 18.4% $115,300
7 Bonifay 2,756 12.9% $104,300
8 Dade City North 2,759 6.5% $55,700
9 Pomona Park 1,327 5.8% $84,300
10 Suncoast Estates 4,308 16.7% $75,400
11 Century 1,979 8.2% $55,700
12 Chiefland 2,152 14.1% $112,500
13 Montura 3,424 5.8% $94,600
14 Moore Haven 2,124 8.4% $79,700
15 Lake Placid 2,433 10.7% $152,900
16 Goulding 3,427 15.4% $65,700
17 Lacoochee 1,562 53.9% $83,000
18 Watertown 2,525 29.6% $108,400
19 Dover 3,444 5.7% $144,700
20 Pine Manor 4,080 12.3% $130,300
21 Labelle 4,884 2.3% $119,400
22 Chattahoochee 3,370 6.9% $64,500
23 Center Hill 1,082 7.7% $107,200
24 Carrabelle 2,815 9.7% $122,500
25 Inglis 1,669 8.1% $143,300
26 Plantation Mobile Home Park 1,528 25.5% $1,000
27 Graceville 2,344 7.1% $108,700
28 Madison 2,903 9.1% $67,600
29 Bowling Green 2,516 8.6% $56,700
30 Eastpoint 2,761 14.6% $155,500
31 Gretna 1,247 4.6% $85,000
32 Trenton 1,804 2.7% $97,000
33 Chipley 3,599 5.9% $93,600
34 Malone 2,175 3.4% $69,600
35 Cypress Quarters 1,430 0.0% $1,000
36 Greenville 1,206 0.0% $50,400
37 Lake Mack-Forest Hills 2,252 30.8% $154,000
38 Fanning Springs 1,044 4.3% $112,900
39 Frostproof 2,934 9.9% $119,400
40 Paisley 1,115 14.6% $87,500
41 Lawtey 1,086 21.6% $125,000
42 Waldo 1,037 6.6% $110,400
43 Zolfo Springs 1,795 2.4% $73,900
44 Jasper 4,984 7.5% $81,400
45 Buckhead Ridge 1,034 29.0% $98,800
46 Eatonville 2,486 16.1% $123,800
47 Manatee Road 1,967 9.6% $93,000
48 Lake Butler 1,793 10.4% $115,500
49 Alturas 3,651 5.8% $122,300
50 Flagler Estates 3,577 7.0% $147,800
51 Panacea 1,050 0.0% $100,700
52 Wahneta 3,943 2.2% $75,600
53 Taylor Creek 4,478 9.5% $89,700
54 Harlem 2,511 18.3% $68,000
55 Fussels Corner 4,963 7.5% $51,100
56 Campbell 2,132 12.5% $1,000
57 Harlem Heights 1,889 14.2% $117,400
58 Bunnell 3,203 3.0% $150,700
59 Lake Panasoffkee 3,631 5.0% $89,300
60 Astatula 2,409 9.2% $166,600
61 Woodville 4,038 12.6% $132,700
62 Wauchula 4,958 3.4% $90,500
63 Dunnellon 2,262 7.1% $154,600
64 Zephyrhills North 3,570 11.5% $64,800
65 North Sarasota 2,370 7.8% $164,800
66 North Brooksville 3,644 6.8% $131,800
67 San Castle 3,495 5.8% $157,900
68 Mangonia Park 2,035 4.1% $143,800
69 Baldwin 1,687 8.6% $98,000
70 Pine Air 2,453 7.5% $230,600
71 Pierson 1,575 1.6% $196,100
72 Seminole Manor 2,634 11.6% $219,700
73 Bristol 1,157 4.9% $93,800
74 Blountstown 3,168 1.3% $109,600
75 Monticello 2,539 5.9% $133,300
76 Sneads 1,939 5.9% $82,300
77 Point Baker 3,280 14.8% $184,700
78 Archer 1,065 4.6% $149,200
79 Crooked Lake Park 1,911 6.9% $109,100
80 Deland Southwest 1,229 0.7% $217,100
81 Webster 1,025 6.8% $221,200
82 Apalachicola 2,580 8.7% $228,200
83 Astor 1,425 7.9% $114,900
84 Garden Grove 1,289 1.4% $112,900
85 Pine Island Center 1,973 2.3% $219,300
86 East Bronson 1,593 1.3% $105,100
87 Midway Cdp (Seminole County) 1,226 3.6% $113,300
88 Samoset 4,346 4.1% $115,200
89 High Point 3,845 19.6% $98,500
90 Sharpes 2,569 7.0% $205,500
91 Taft 1,525 0.9% $137,500
92 Williston 2,946 3.5% $178,400
93 Pine Lakes 1,208 24.4% $114,300
94 Hill ‘n Dale 3,114 1.6% $85,100
95 Washington Park 1,461 3.9% $218,300
96 Crystal River 3,291 9.1% $244,700
97 Tangelo Park 3,202 14.4% $164,200
98 Lake Hamilton 1,370 0.5% $186,600
99 Royal Palm Estates 1,563 7.1% $270,900
100 Cross City 2,353 2.3% $82,400
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

 Worst

10 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2023”

  1. Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!!! What the article fails to mention is that there are larger nearby towns and many people purposely CHOOSE to live in small communities such as many of these… and they commute to work. Some of these small towns are great places to live! And… I say the more churches the better. Whoever wrote this article needs to find a more worthwhile subject to write about instead of tearing down and maligning smaller communities… Statistics are just numbers… and numbers don’t always tell the story…they can certainly be skewed to elaborate or degenerate a fact(s).

    Reply

  2. I know this is just their opinion but there are lots of things to do in these places. Even though these are small towns they have a lot to offer. I bet this was the opinion of some big shot up north.

    Reply

  3. Cottondale (#10) is my hometown (tho’ I was born in GA) and I LOVED living there! Everyone knew everyone and it was like the whole town was family. The school was good when I attended there. We had some excellent teachers. And, it is certainly a church-going community. If that is the 10th worst place to live now, it wasn’t when I lived there.

    Reply

  4. Ok, you will have your “bad areas” no matter. I live in Pine Lakes, am not unemployed, choose to live away from all the city rucas! By the way, we ALSO have Pine lakes Superette, and Pine Lakes grill…..if your writing is based on facts, please, get them right! Lol!

    Reply

  7. you fail to understand that Cottondale is not far from larger cities, 20-30 min drive to work and there is no traffic. City folks spend more time in traffic getting to work, pay more for their homes and probably work more hours, Small town folks actually pay off their homes faster than city folks too. I live in the next town over, am 54 and have NO MORTGAGE.

    Reply

  9. You blew it, you just went to towns on the Florida map!
    You never went to LA (Lower Alabama, the part of Florida, that Florida does not want to claim, just collect taxes from-like the UK)
    We won the Worse County, City, Roads, 4-cent gas tax and the Worse wait at the most redlights that are sinked, so you catch every redlights!
    We won the privilege of receiving all the refugees from the flooded 9th Ward, New Orleans. We made them feel at home, so they are still living in the FEMA trailers.
    So keep keep going West until you get to eSCAMbia, talk to Jack Brown, to see how he does it, if you really want to steal the only title we feel worthy of (THE WORSE PLACE LIVE, BEST PLACE TO SEE IN YOUR REARVIEW MIRROR, IF YOU LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ONE).

    Reply

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