The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2024


The worst small towns in Florida are Homestead Base and Fellsmere for 2024 based on Friday Night Science.

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 284 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:


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


These are the worst small towns in Florida for 2024:

  1. Homestead Base
  2. Fellsmere
  3. Palmona Park
  4. Montura
  5. Moon Lake
  6. Pomona Park
  7. Dade City North
  8. Crescent City
  9. Five Points
  10. Interlachen

Worst Small Towns To Live In Florida Map

So what is the worst small town to call home in Florida for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Homestead Base 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 Homestead Base 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.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2024

1. Homestead Base

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,242
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $1,000
Unemployment Rate: 50.0%

2. Fellsmere

Fellsmere, FL

Source: Wikipedia User Ebyabe | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,885
Median Home Value: $242,765
Median Income: $43,482
Unemployment Rate: 19.2%

3. Palmona Park

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,112
Median Home Value: $80,006
Median Income: $26,979
Unemployment Rate: 5.9%

4. Montura

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,400
Median Home Value: $163,911
Median Income: $37,670
Unemployment Rate: 6.8%

5. Moon Lake

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,214
Median Home Value: $73,820
Median Income: $34,205
Unemployment Rate: 22.6%

6. Pomona Park

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,408
Median Home Value: $203,638
Median Income: $35,000
Unemployment Rate: 11.7%

7. Dade City North

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,959
Median Home Value: $131,102
Median Income: $42,877
Unemployment Rate: 14.7%

8. Crescent City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,040
Median Home Value: $197,237
Median Income: $36,625
Unemployment Rate: 16.7%

9. Five Points

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,022
Median Home Value: $281,971
Median Income: $40,000
Unemployment Rate: 21.9%

10. Interlachen

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,648
Median Home Value: $155,576
Median Income: $50,776
Unemployment Rate: 15.0%

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 2018-2022 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 – 284 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 2024, 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.

The worst small towns in Florida are Homestead Base, Fellsmere, Palmona Park, Montura, Moon Lake, Pomona Park, Dade City North, Crescent City, Five Points, and Interlachen.

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

  1. Indian River Shores (Pop. 4,266)
  2. Wabasso Beach (Pop. 2,101)
  3. South Beach (Pop. 3,120)

For more Florida reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Florida

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value Median Income
1 Homestead Base 1,242 50.0% $0 $1,000
2 Fellsmere 4,885 19.2% $242,765 $43,482
3 Palmona Park 1,112 5.9% $80,006 $26,979
4 Montura 3,400 6.8% $163,911 $37,670
5 Moon Lake 4,214 22.6% $73,820 $34,205
6 Pomona Park 1,408 11.7% $203,638 $35,000
7 Dade City North 2,959 14.7% $131,102 $42,877
8 Crescent City 2,040 16.7% $197,237 $36,625
9 Five Points 1,022 21.9% $281,971 $40,000
10 Interlachen 1,648 15.0% $155,576 $50,776
11 Chattahoochee 2,975 5.7% $105,914 $51,473
12 Gifford 4,868 12.8% $235,581 $23,969
13 Goulding 3,476 14.7% $80,006 $25,799
14 Century 1,952 10.0% $185,898 $25,500
15 Bonifay 2,760 8.5% $140,214 $32,750
16 Lake Mack-Forest Hills 2,506 31.1% $171,710 $103,363
17 Lake Placid 2,349 9.8% $264,231 $45,019
18 Chipley 3,644 9.9% $213,843 $35,469
19 Zolfo Springs 1,759 5.5% $243,080 $44,038
20 Suncoast Estates 4,208 8.1% $126,127 $41,188
21 Wahneta 4,406 4.3% $94,662 $45,392
22 South Bay 4,830 9.4% $200,654 $48,438
23 Pine Manor 3,944 11.7% $225,899 $31,796
24 Bowling Green 2,484 13.8% $182,772 $46,429
25 Medley 1,018 2.0% $78,661 $38,583
26 Carrabelle 3,151 9.7% $278,781 $41,563
27 Frostproof 2,946 8.2% $203,214 $43,487
28 Lacoochee 1,353 53.0% $130,564 $1,000
29 Waldo 1,080 5.4% $168,024 $27,258
30 Taylor Creek 4,566 10.4% $151,944 $41,538
31 Madison 2,930 7.0% $179,237 $29,831
32 Eatonville 2,486 15.7% $232,751 $29,667
33 Inglis 1,697 7.4% $251,957 $48,571
34 Watertown 2,657 19.6% $155,440 $41,303
35 Center Hill 1,129 7.3% $338,125 $59,514
36 Woodville 4,356 6.3% $203,847 $40,313
37 Trenton 1,843 4.7% $265,141 $45,486
38 Moore Haven 2,034 5.7% $206,240 $40,375
39 Labelle 4,963 3.3% $166,063 $49,371
40 Hill ‘n Dale 3,010 3.4% $131,774 $52,250
41 Malone 2,162 3.2% $129,678 $45,855
42 Jasper 4,310 4.8% $167,530 $38,456
43 Graceville 2,717 4.9% $163,591 $36,625
44 Combee Settlement 4,880 5.2% $205,999 $37,763
45 Webster 1,267 5.0% $283,803 $53,125
46 Chiefland 2,016 3.5% $172,089 $38,536
47 Plantation Mobile Home Park 1,540 25.6% $364,006 $44,113
48 Blountstown 3,297 2.5% $146,202 $38,051
49 Flagler Estates 3,608 6.6% $252,792 $59,875
50 Campbell 2,262 11.6% $308,260 $38,117
51 Mayo 1,466 11.0% $238,120 $40,511
52 Alturas 3,460 4.9% $223,479 $65,625
53 Lawtey 1,082 26.2% $213,195 $48,355
54 Gretna 1,208 1.5% $83,614 $27,419
55 Bristol 1,351 6.5% $183,753 $45,042
56 Wewahitchka 1,668 3.4% $180,337 $43,287
57 Fanning Springs 1,114 4.0% $263,007 $48,281
58 Dunnellon 2,337 6.1% $279,572 $34,930
59 Samoset 4,235 6.7% $167,004 $45,188
60 Lake Panasoffkee 4,173 4.2% $207,462 $45,222
61 North Brooksville 3,661 6.9% $218,504 $61,098
62 Pine Air 2,318 8.8% $317,335 $47,237
63 Lake Butler 1,842 10.0% $259,235 $41,941
64 Buckhead Ridge 1,028 12.7% $151,137 $34,911
65 Harlem Heights 1,694 16.6% $173,458 $29,878
66 Dover 3,247 1.7% $423,203 $36,055
67 Wauchula 4,898 2.5% $202,480 $32,854
68 Pine Lakes 1,274 26.4% $112,949 $72,509
69 Greenville 1,546 0.0% $183,396 $52,204
70 Panacea 1,152 0.0% $394,711 $36,250
71 Zephyrhills North 3,280 11.0% $99,906 $40,603
72 Bunnell 3,355 3.8% $306,742 $42,831
73 Sneads 1,744 5.9% $151,717 $41,827
74 Pierson 1,332 0.0% $325,921 $50,179
75 Eastpoint 2,624 13.8% $809,670 $54,096
76 Paisley 1,071 7.3% $205,909 $68,635
77 Watergate 3,589 10.1% $247,010 $61,750
78 Apalachicola 2,504 8.1% $310,033 $61,322
79 Royal Palm Estates 1,759 7.1% $376,481 $47,982
80 Mangonia Park 1,950 4.2% $233,005 $44,632
81 San Castle 3,192 4.9% $264,894 $47,953
82 Harlem 2,576 16.6% $87,132 $1,000
83 East Bronson 1,924 3.1% $189,325 $49,447
84 Point Baker 3,591 12.1% $278,475 $51,130
85 Cypress Quarters 1,460 0.0% $286,946 $29,375
86 Taft 1,604 1.8% $220,117 $40,536
87 Baldwin 1,798 10.2% $194,836 $54,628
88 Astatula 2,573 6.9% $361,873 $61,893
89 Manatee Road 2,077 4.4% $189,997 $42,500
90 North Sarasota 2,573 6.5% $293,266 $60,615
91 Deland Southwest 1,233 0.5% $382,550 $39,000
92 Astor 1,469 3.6% $277,585 $53,929
93 Ridge Manor 4,430 4.6% $254,485 $51,033
94 Lake Hamilton 1,613 0.6% $266,640 $47,692
95 Roosevelt Gardens 2,322 8.8% $300,796 $45,146
96 Crystal River 3,398 11.0% $291,168 $46,795
97 Hawthorne 1,683 1.9% $207,253 $49,479
98 High Point 3,685 11.5% $164,449 $46,083
99 Floral City 4,830 4.5% $273,092 $55,616
100 Franklin Park 1,969 0.0% $0 $32,177
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.

10 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In Florida For 2024

  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).

  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.

  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.

  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!

  5. 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.

  6. 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).

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