Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Apalachicola’s subject grades are an A+ for history, an A for the outdoors, and an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. 14% of the land in Apalachicola is conserved, above both the Florida town median (3%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 2 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on history. Apalachicola has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Apalachicola beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,904 in 1860, a low of 1,129 in 1870, 2,341 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Apalachicola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Apalachicola, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Apalachicola.
Its two schools are below. The Franklin school district runs its public schools. Apalachicola’s only public school teaches 356 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apalachicola Bay Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 356 | B |
| First Baptist Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 58 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Of the losses FEMA expects in Apalachicola, 48% come from hurricanes and 20% from inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 91% of U.S. communities. This Florida town has had 70 paid flood insurance claims since 1985.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For residents in Apalachicola, the share who are 65 or older is 32%. 2,473 people lived in Apalachicola by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 6% more than in 2020. The town’s age of the median resident is 52.7 years. Florida has 34% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 34%.
| Apalachicola | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 32% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 52.7 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 31% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Apalachicola | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.5% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.1% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.1% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.7% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.7% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 44° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values fell 2.8% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent for Apalachicola comes to $1,108 a month, against $1,647 a month in Florida’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. 69% of Apalachicola households are owner-occupiers.
| Apalachicola | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,108 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Walkers can cover 1.0 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. For Apalachicola, the trail density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lafayette Park | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 2. Battery Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Chapman Botanical Gardens | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles. Apalachicola had 1,295 jobs in 2023, down 81 from 2013. Also worth knowing: its mean commuting time is 18 minutes. The top destinations are St. George Island (10%), Tallahassee (8%) and Eastpoint (5%).
| Apalachicola | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The share of adults in Apalachicola who have diabetes: 16%. CDC measures, 31 in all: Apalachicola beats Florida on 5 and trails on 6.
| Apalachicola | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Apalachicola | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.7% | 15.9% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 73.3% | 65.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Apalachicola; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Apalachicola residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Coastal flooding makes up 8% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
5 places in Apalachicola on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Apalachicola.
City in Florida, United States
Apalachicola ( AP-ə-lach-i-KOH-lə) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,341 at the 2020 US census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($64,105 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
5 notable people were born here, including Mary Rogers Gregory and Will Kendrick.
