FLMap-doton-CocoaWest, 2004
Cocoa West’s story
Cocoa West in pictures
Census counts: 6,160 in 1990, 5,939 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
Explore the history →Cocoa WestFL
Public schools that outperform most of Florida. The town, home to 5,923 people, lies in Florida.
Population
5,923
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$159K
Census ACS
Household income
$34K
median
Median age
42.2
years
Jobs based here
1,478
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#430 of 634 in FL
Is Cocoa West a good place to live?
Taken together, its subjects give Cocoa West a C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 430th of 634 in Florida. Its weakest subject is health (D−): CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country. Where it does best is schools (B+): its public schools beat nearly three quarters of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. Homes run about $159K for a typical one, 2 times the Palm Bay metro’s $78K median household income. 34% of residents live below the poverty line here, above both Florida’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 8 of the 638 Florida towns we compare have a lower middle household income than Cocoa West. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
What makes Cocoa West stand out
Where Cocoa West beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Cocoa West for work
Where Cocoa West’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,478jobs based in Cocoa West
2%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Cocoa West grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Cocoa West is from typical.
HealthCape Canaveral Hospital 8.3 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskHurricanes top the listDOpen →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work trail most townsC−Open →SchoolsAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.9 of 20; 6.4% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landDOpen →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 90° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.2; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 75 attractions →Windover Archaeological Site and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cocoa West. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Ancient siteWindover Archaeological Site
13 mi MuseumKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
39 mi Stadium & arenaKia Center
31 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Bounce House
40 mi Stadium & arenaInter&Co Stadium
13 mi LandmarkSpace Mirror MemorialSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Windover Archaeological Site: ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Bill White, Public domain · Kia Center: 350z33 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Acrisure Bounce House: DampFrijoles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Inter&Co Stadium: Porsche997SBS, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Space Mirror Memorial: Seth Buckley, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Cocoa West: who provides what
Cocoa West is unincorporated, so Brevard County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Cocoa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesBrevard CountyBrevard County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBrevard Supervisor of ElectionsBrevard County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes32926, 3292232926 72% · 32922 28%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cocoa West.
Cocoa West trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
HealthD−
More of Cocoa West’s adults smoke cigarettes than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Against the 1,116 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cocoa West’s, it is less healthy than 78%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Cocoa West, the share who report frequent physical distress is 19%. The town does better than the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 22.
2%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Cocoa West | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 20% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Florida
1 better8 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Cocoa West | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 9.1% |
| More smokers | 21.6% | 12.4% |
Cape Canaveral Hospital
8.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
2nd
percentile among FL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB+
On state tests, Cocoa West’s schools beat 74% of Florida districts
Its one school is below. Cocoa West’s only public school teaches 619 students.
74%of FL districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 619 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Cocoa West, with hurricanes at the top
Of the losses FEMA expects in Cocoa West, 67% come from hurricanes and 23% from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Cocoa West households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017. The national flood insurance program has paid 7 claims here since 2008.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland flooding
7
paid flood claims since 2008
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, more of Cocoa West’s residents live below the poverty line
Cocoa West’s middle household income stands at $34,000. Commuting out is the norm here: 2% of working residents work locally. Since 2013, Cocoa West has added 298 jobs, to 1,478 in 2023. The top destinations are Cocoa (8%), Palm Bay (7%) and Melbourne (7%).
2%work in town
| Cocoa West | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 34% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Cocoa West2%
Cocoa8%
Palm Bay7%
Melbourne7%
Rockledge6%
22 mi
median commute distance
1,478
jobs based in Cocoa West
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in Cocoa West brings mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 52.2°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.3°.
It almost never snows. For Cocoa West, the January low is 52°F.
90°summer high
| Cocoa West | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 52°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter54–72°
Spring63–81°
Summer74–89°
Fall68–83°
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
In Cocoa West, 0.8% of the land is conserved
Just 20 of its 2,330 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Cocoa West itself; its outdoors grade is D.
Cocoa West has one park or preserve, 1 acres in all.
0.8%conserved
0.8%
conserved · 20 of 2,330 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cocoa West Recreation Complex | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B
Homes in Cocoa West sell for about $211K
Homes are within reach (B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2 years of the Palm Bay metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 98% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The rent at the middle of the market in Cocoa West is $1,162 a month. Among households here, 54% own their home.
$211Kmedian sale price
| Cocoa West | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,162 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
4
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cocoa West
17pages on Cocoa West
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cocoa West
About 2 of every 100 Cocoa West residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Cocoa West
CDP in Florida, United States
Cocoa West is a census-designated place (CDP) in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,939 at the 2020 census, up from 5,925 at the 2010 census. It is the closest place to Lake Poinsett and Canaveral Groves. Cocoa West is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 18 ft
- Area code
- 321
Cocoa West’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Cocoa West.
CocoaRockledgeCocoa West
How the neighbors grade
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocoa West | #430 | C− | B | — | B+ | D− |
| Cocoa | #466 | C− | C+ | D | B+ | C |
| Rockledge | #181 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
Cocoa West and Rockledge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cocoa West with a neighbor →
Questions about Cocoa West
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cocoa West, FL a good place to live?
Cocoa West grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #430 of 634 in Florida. It grades D− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Cocoa West, FL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $159,000, 58% below the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.