Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fernandina Beach grades A− overall, 26th of 634 graded towns in Florida. It has 23 miles of trail. Its schools outperform 91% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $612K for a typical one and 7.7 times the Jacksonville metro’s $80K median household income. 38% of residents are 65 or older in Fernandina Beach, above both Florida’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 21 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. Fernandina Beach has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fort Clinch and Fairbanks House.
Where Fernandina Beach beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1811, comes before those of 98% of the Florida towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,390 in 1860, 13,052 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 6 maps from 1919 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Fernandina Beach is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fernandina Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaEverBank Field
29 mi Park & preserveJekyll Island
in town LandmarkFort Clinch
19 mi National MemorialFort Caroline National Memorial369K visitors a year
37 mi LandmarkIgbo Landing Historic Site
26 mi Stadium & arenaVyStar Veterans Memorial ArenaEverBank Field: AndrewAvitus, CC BY 3.0 · Jekyll Island: normanack on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Clinch: Fl295 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Caroline National Memorial: NPS Photo, Public domain · Igbo Landing Historic Site: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0 · VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena: Nichos (talk), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fernandina Beach, 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 Fernandina Beach.
Fernandina Beach has schools in the top 5% of Florida, draws workers from Jacksonville and beyond and fares better on crime within Florida than nationally.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #13 of 638 in Florida.
Fernandina Beach’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Fort Clinch State Park, 1,041 acres with 9.2 miles of trail.
| Fernandina Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 21% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.9 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fort Clinch State Park | 9.2 mi | 1,041 |
| 2. Main Beach Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 3. Central Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #15 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $612K.
Its public schools are run by the Nassau school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernandina Beach Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 721 | A− |
| Fernandina Beach High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 978 | A− |
| Emma Love Hardee ElementaryTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 639 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
At 7.7 years of the Jacksonville metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $612K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,293, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Fernandina Beach home is worth about $612,000, about the same as a year ago, 63% above the Florida typical home. 81% of Fernandina Beach households own their home.
| Fernandina Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,259 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8,565 jobs are based in Fernandina Beach, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
29% of working residents work locally in Fernandina Beach. Since 2013, Fernandina Beach has added 1,263 jobs, to 8,565 in 2023. The average trip to work in Fernandina Beach is 22 minutes.
| Fernandina Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fernandina Beach beats the Florida average on 17 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Fernandina Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 79% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Fernandina Beach | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.4% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 11.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Florida’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Fernandina Beach weather station records that about 45 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 98% of Florida places with climate records. January nights average 45.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of Florida places with climate records; July afternoons average 90.4°.
Fernandina Beach has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Fernandina Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
199 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 199 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fernandina Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Fernandina Beach; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Fernandina Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Coastal flooding makes up 19% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
11 places in Fernandina Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Fernandina Beach.
City in Florida, United States
Fernandina Beach is a city in and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States, in the state's northeastern corner. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the municipalities comprising Greater Jacksonville (formally the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area). As of the 2020 census, Fernandina Beach had a population of 13,052.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fernandina Beach grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #26 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Aaron Bean and Henrietta Cuttino Dozier.
