Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 1,494 residents, this town was settled in 1892.
East Palatka’s weakest subject grade is a D for hazard risk. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in East Palatka, where Florida’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. East Palatka's public schools trail 70% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. East Palatka has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far East Palatka is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,989 in 1990, 1,573 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1985 and 3 maps from 1915 on.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Ordered by what stands out in East Palatka.
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to East Palatka households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. FEMA puts 42% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 38% to inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical rent for East Palatka comes to $1,101 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 1.2% in value. Among households locally, 75% are owner-occupiers.
| East Palatka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,101 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
East Palatka’s peak summer temperature is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, East Palatka has added 258 jobs, to 694 in 2023. Only 3% of working residents stay in East Palatka for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Palatka (15%), Jacksonville (9%) and St. Augustine (5%). For half of commuters, work is under 28 miles away.
| East Palatka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In East Palatka, 17% of adults smoke cigarettes. This Florida town beats the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| East Palatka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | East Palatka | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8% | 9.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.2% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.9 miles of trail. For East Palatka, the trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| East Palatka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 3% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
East Palatka is unincorporated, so Putnam County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
1 within 15 miles of the center of East Palatka
About 2 of every 100 East Palatka residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($47,934 across the Palatka, FL area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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