Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Florida. 4,668 people live in this town, settled in 1900.
More weak spots than strong ones. Where it falls short is health — CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country. Gifford’s overall grade is C−, better than 18% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 467th of 634 in Florida. It lags on incomes as well: the median household income is $33K, and just over two in five residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Its best grade is for schools — its schools outperform 78% of the state's. At about $236K, a typical home costs 3.2 years of the Sebastian metro’s $73K median household income.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow.
Where Gifford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
9,590 counted in 2010 and 5,511 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Gifford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,599 in 2000, a peak of 9,590 in 2010, 5,511 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
Gifford is unincorporated, so Indian River 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Gifford.
Gifford is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the Florida rate.
Against the 949 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gifford’s, it is less healthy than 78%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Gifford, 40% get no exercise outside work, where Florida’s towns sit at 25% and U.S. towns at 25%. Only 2 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Gifford. 9.9% of Gifford adults binge drink. The town does better than the Florida average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 24.
| Gifford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Gifford | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.9% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 9.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 26.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Indian River school district. One of its 3 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 3 public schools serve Gifford, with 1,210 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gifford Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 608 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Gifford has had 3 paid flood insurance claims since 2024. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 79% come from hurricanes and 16% from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Gifford households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 2,499 working residents takes 16.8 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
Among working residents in Gifford, 3% work locally. Only 4 of the 638 Florida towns we compare have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Gifford. The town’s mean commuting time is 17 minutes.
| Gifford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 42% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $33,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 52.8°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.7°. The Vero Beach 4se weather station records that about 56 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 92% of Florida places with climate records.
The January low here is 53°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
| Gifford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Gifford Park, at 38 acres. 0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: for Gifford, the trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Gifford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. MLK, Jr. Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. Gifford Park | 0.2 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
79.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida.
For households in Gifford, the share who own their home is 51%. The going rate for rent for Gifford comes to $892 a month.
| Gifford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $892 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gifford. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
24 mi Stadium & arenaFirst Data Field
5 mi GardenMcKee Botanical Garden
4 mi MuseumVero Beach Museum of Art
17 mi MuseumA. E. Backus Gallery & MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · First Data Field: JoeCondon, Public domain · McKee Botanical Garden: Robert Lawton, CC BY 2.5 · Vero Beach Museum of Art: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · A. E. Backus Gallery & Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Gifford; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Gifford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Where Gifford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Gifford.
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Gifford () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Indian River County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Sebastian–Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,511 at the 2020 census. Gifford has a rich African American history and is noted as the hometown of several African-American landscape artists who were members of The Highwaymen. Gifford is one of the poorest communities in Florida.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Gifford.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gifford | #467 | C− | B− | — | A− | D− |
| Vero Beach | #72 | B | D | A | A− | B+ |
Gifford reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gifford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gifford grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #467 of 634 in Florida. It grades D− for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $236,000, 37% 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Muni Long and Kenny Holmes.
