Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Strong in places, weak in others. Its lowest grade is for cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $483K, 6.3 years of the Cape Coral metro’s $76K median household income. At C+ overall, Fort Myers Beach ranks 302nd of 634 in Florida. On that grade it does better than just over a third of U.S. towns. It also trails on hazard risk (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Where it does best is walkability (A+) — it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Only 36 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on the outdoors. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fort Myers Beach School and Mound House.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Fort Myers Beach beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4.4% 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 Fort Myers Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,463 in 1960, a peak of 9,284 in 1990, 5,582 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1921 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fort Myers 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 Fort Myers Beach.
Fort Myers Beach has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
The public schools here belong to the Lee school district. Its one school is below. 62 students attend Fort Myers Beach’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers Beach Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 62 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
13 miles of trail wind through 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Estero Bay Preserve State Park, at 86 acres. Protected or conserved: 4.4% of the land in Fort Myers Beach.
| Fort Myers Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bowditch Point Park | 0.9 mi | 13 |
| 2. Estero Bay Preserve State Park | — | 86 |
| 3. Lynn Hall Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3,046 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 662 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1988, Fort Myers Beach has seen 3,046 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts 76% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 15% to coastal flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Fort Myers Beach after 12 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearly a quarter of Fort Myers Beach adults get no exercise outside work, against 25% in Florida’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. The share of adults 18 to 64 in Fort Myers Beach who have no health insurance: 7.1%. Also worth knowing: of 31 CDC measures, Fort Myers Beach beats the Florida average on 18 and trails it on 7. Two figures for adults here: 10% binge drink, 48% have high blood pressure.
| Fort Myers Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 37% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Fort Myers Beach | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.8% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 18.6% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.3 years of the Cape Coral metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $483K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $483K, is 31% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical home value in Fort Myers Beach is about $483,000, about the same as a year ago, 29% above the Florida typical home. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 89%. Its median rent comes in at $1,836 a month.
| Fort Myers Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,836 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Naples Muni Ap weather station, 21 miles away, records that about 104 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 54.9°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.4°.
For Fort Myers Beach, the July high is 91°F. Snow is a rarity.
| Fort Myers Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 55°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 2,592 in 2013 to 1,032. The average commute for its 1,262 working residents takes 20.7 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
In Fort Myers Beach, 20% of workers do their job from home. Most people who work leave Fort Myers Beach to do it: just 7% work in town. For Fort Myers Beach, the average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs here fell by 1,560 from 2013 to 2023, to 1,032.
| Fort Myers Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Myers Beach. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Stadium & arenaHertz Arena3 mi State parkMound Key Archeological State Park
38 mi National PreserveBig Cypress National Preserve2.3M visitors a year
6 mi State parkKoreshan State Historic Site
14 mi MuseumEdison and Ford Winter Estates
27 mi State parkCayo Costa State ParkHertz Arena: Tthaas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Big Cypress National Preserve: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Koreshan State Historic Site: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cayo Costa State Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrea_pauline/, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Myers Beach
About 3 of every 100 Fort Myers Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Coastal flooding makes up 15% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
48.1% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Town in Florida, United States
Fort Myers Beach is a town located on the north end of Estero Island in Lee County, Florida, United States. The town is on the Gulf of Mexico and is accessed from the mainland by a bridge over Estero Bay. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was officially incorporated on December 31, 1995. The population was 5,582 at the 2020 census, down from 6,277 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Fort Myers Beach.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers Beach | #302 | C+ | D− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Bonita Springs | #375 | C | D | — | C+ | B+ |
Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Springs report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fort Myers Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fort Myers Beach grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #302 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living 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 D−.
2 notable people were born here, including David McCagg and Tyra Turner.
