Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cape Canaveral’s strongest subject is walkability (A): it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $318K, 4.1 years of the Palm Bay metro’s $78K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 121st of 634 in Florida. The town has 1 place on the National Register. 36% of residents are 65 or older here, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. Its trail network density is 1.7 miles per square mile, above both Florida’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Cape Canaveral beats most towns.
3.1% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Cape Canaveral is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,258 in 1970, 9,972 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1987 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cape Canaveral. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
18 mi Ancient siteWindover Archaeological Site
39 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Bounce House
10 mi LandmarkSpace Mirror Memorial
10 mi MuseumUnited States Astronaut Hall of Fame
17 mi BeachPlayalinda BeachKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Bill White, Public domain · Windover Archaeological Site: ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Acrisure Bounce House: DampFrijoles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Space Mirror Memorial: Seth Buckley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United States Astronaut Hall of Fame: Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 · Playalinda Beach: User:JohnWalton031954, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cape Canaveral, 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 Cape Canaveral.
Cape Canaveral is a second-home town, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Across 4 parks and preserves: 3.8 miles of trail.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jetty Park | 0.4 mi | 11 |
| 2. Manatee Sanctuary Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
| 3. Canaveral City Park | 0.2 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its one school is below. Cape Canaveral’s only public school teaches 273 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape View Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 273 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Households in Cape Canaveral have drawn federal disaster aid in 13 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Expected losses in Cape Canaveral break down as 81% from hurricanes and 11% from inland flooding. Also worth knowing: the national flood insurance program has paid 66 claims in the town since 1984.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
23% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 7.8% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cape Canaveral. People 65 and older are 36% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 5% of residents (20% statewide). Its midpoint age comes in at 60.1 years.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 36% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 5.1% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 60.1 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 31% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 60.1, men 60.1.
| Cape Canaveral | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 2.6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.2% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 28.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.5% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.3% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.4% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.3% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 10,242 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cape Canaveral’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Florida is food insecurity: 8.7% of its 9,176 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.8% statewide.
Among adults in Cape Canaveral, 14% report frequent mental distress. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Cape Canaveral is ahead of Florida on 15 and behind on 6.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cape Canaveral | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 16.8% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 13.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.4% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 53.3°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.4°. The Titusville weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 77 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 98% of Florida places with climate records.
Snow almost never falls. Its January low comes in at 53°F.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
24.2% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
The top destinations are Cocoa Beach (11%), Palm Bay (5%) and Orlando (5%). Most people who work leave Cape Canaveral to do it: just 8% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 467, to 4,862. In Cape Canaveral, the average trip to work is 23 minutes.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.5% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $318K, is 12% below its August 2022 peak.
In Cape Canaveral, the going rate for rent is $1,318 a month. The typical home value here is about $318,000, down 1.2% in a year, 15% below the Florida typical home. For households in the town, the share who own their home is 59%.
| Cape Canaveral | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,318 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Cape Canaveral; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Cape Canaveral residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Small city in Florida, US
Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,912 at the 2020 US census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Cape Canaveral.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | #121 | B | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Cocoa Beach | #229 | C+ | D | — | B+ | A− |
Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cape Canaveral with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Cape Canaveral grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #121 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including James Wilson Williams and Mason Denaburg.
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