FruitCoveChurch, 2012
Fruit Cove’s story
149 years in pictures
Census counts: 5,904 in 1990, 32,143 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1917 on.
- 1877Fruit Cove is settled
Fruit CoveFL
Public schools that outperform most of Florida. With 35,877 residents, this town was settled in 1877.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
35,877
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$484K
Census ACS
Household income
$142K
median
Median age
41.3
years
Jobs based here
4,478
A commuter town
TownGrade
A−
#7 of 634 in FL
Is Fruit Cove a good place to live?
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Where it does best is schools: its schools rank ahead of 96% of Florida towns. It is strong on health as well (A) — residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $484K, 6.1 years of the Jacksonville metro’s $80K median household income. All told, that adds up to an A− overall and a rank of 7th of 634 in Florida. Set against the rest, it does better than 83% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Alpine Groves Park, at 56 acres. Fruit Cove’s middle household income is $142,000, where Florida’s towns sit at $73,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Fruit Cove stand out
Where Fruit Cove beats most towns.
ST. JOHNS schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Durbin Creek Elementary School | PK–5 | 1,090 |
| Julington Creek Elementary School | PK–5 | 923 |
| Cunningham Creek Elementary School | PK–5 | 730 |
SchoolsA+
#1 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools
NCES · EDFacts.
31 measures vs. Florida
20 better11 too close to call0 worse
| Widest gap | Fruit Cove | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 16.8% |
HealthA
Beats FL on 20 of 31 CDC measures, trails it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Fruit Cove for work
Where Fruit Cove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4,478jobs based in Fruit Cove
4%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Fruit Cove grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Fruit Cove is from typical.
SchoolsSchools rank among the strongest comparedA+Open →HealthAscension St. Vincent's St. Johns County 2.6 miles awayAOpen →Jobs & incomeAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesC−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 0.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 1% conserved landC−Open →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 92° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.3; 54% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 55 attractions →EverBank Field and 39 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fruit Cove. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaEverBank Field
23 mi National MonumentCastillo de San Marcos National Monument598K visitors a year
16 mi Stadium & arenaVyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
21 mi National MemorialFort Caroline National Memorial369K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumUSS Orleck
21 mi State parkFort Mose Historic State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
EverBank Field: AndrewAvitus, CC BY 3.0 · Castillo de San Marcos National Monument: National Park Service, Public domain · VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena: Nichos (talk), Public domain · Fort Caroline National Memorial: NPS Photo, Public domain · USS Orleck: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Fort Mose Historic State Park: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
_underway_off_Point_Loma,_in_1964.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Fruit Cove: who provides what
Fruit Cove is unincorporated, so St. Johns County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterJea Major Grid water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSt. Johns CountySt. Johns 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 hereSt. Johns Supervisor of ElectionsSt. Johns County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3225932259 100%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 Fruit Cove.
Fruit Cove has schools in the top 5% of Florida, has less food insecurity than most of Florida and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Florida.
SchoolsA+
Fruit Cove’s grade for schools is an A+
That grade ranks #1 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools. It comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $484K.
Below: Two of its 8 schools, each with why it was picked. Its public schools are run by the St. Johns school district. The 4 public schools in Fruit Cove teach 3,412 students between them.
96%of FL districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland Point Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,282 | A |
| Durbin Creek Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,090 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
HealthA
A smaller share of adults in Fruit Cove say their health is fair or poor than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Its widest gap with Florida is food insecurity: 7.3% of its 23,893 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.8% statewide.
Fruit Cove: 7.3% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 6 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Fruit Cove.
95%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Fruit Cove | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 25% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Florida
20 better11 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Fruit Cove | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 16.8% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 15.9% |
Ascension St. Vincent's St. Johns County
2.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
98th
percentile among FL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Fruit Cove stands out in Florida and nationally, with fewer of its residents who live below the poverty line
Jobs based here grew from 3,084 in 2013 to 4,478. 28.7% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
The top destinations are Jacksonville (52%), St. Augustine (6%) and Palm Valley (1%). Jobs based in Fruit Cove grew to 4,478 in 2023, 1,394 more than in 2013. 29% of workers work from home in the town. Most working residents leave Fruit Cove for work: only 4% work in town.
4%work in town
| Fruit Cove | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 29% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $142,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Fruit Cove4%
Jacksonville52%
St. Augustine6%
Palm Valley1%
Tampa1%
14 mi
median commute distance
4,478
jobs based in Fruit Cove
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Fruit Cove: mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 44.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 78% of Florida places with climate records; July afternoons average 91.6°.
Fruit Cove’s January low comes in at 45°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
92°summer high
| Fruit Cove | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter47–68°
Spring58–80°
Summer72–91°
Fall62–81°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Top of a high hazard risk in Fruit Cove: inland flooding
64 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1979. Fruit Cove’s FEMA risk score stands at 62 of 100. Expected losses in Fruit Cove break down as 63% from inland flooding and 23% from hurricanes. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2022.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
64
paid flood claims since 1979
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC−
Fruit Cove has set aside 0.9% of its land for conservation
Just 111 of its 11,792 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Fruit Cove itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
In 6 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.8 miles of trail.
0.9%conserved
0.9%
conserved · 111 of 11,792 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alpine Groves Park | 0.1 mi | 56 |
| 2. Mills Field Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Julington Creek Plantation Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C−
Homes in Fruit Cove sell for about $540K
The share of households in Fruit Cove who are owner-occupiers: 87%. In Fruit Cove, the midpoint rent is $2,336 a month. On the market in the town: a median 57 days to sell.
$540Kmedian sale price
| Fruit Cove | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,336 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 72% | 73% |
Market temperature
57
days on market
97.6%
sale-to-list price
41
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fruit Cove
17pages on Fruit Cove
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Fruit Cove
Jones Technical InstituteCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Jacksonville8.5 mi$16,920 tuitionChamberlain University-FloridaUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Jacksonville10.3 mi$19,975 tuitionUniversity of North FloridaUniversity or college · Public · Jacksonville13.8 mi$6,389 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Fruit Cove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
About Fruit Cove
CDP in Florida, United States
Fruit Cove is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. It is located in the community of St. Johns. The population was 32,143 at the 2020 census, up from 29,362 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 19 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- Area code
- 904
Fruit Cove’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Fruit Cove.
JacksonvilleFruit Cove
How the neighbors grade
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Cove | #7 | A− | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Jacksonville | #437 | C− | C | — | C+ | C+ |
Fruit Cove and Jacksonville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fruit Cove with a neighbor →
Questions about Fruit Cove
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fruit Cove, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fruit Cove grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #7 of 634 in Florida. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Fruit Cove, FL expensive?
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−.