Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town of 10,079 people was settled in 1854. A regional job hub with 11,161 jobs.
Trash & recyclingWhere it falls short is incomes — the median household income is $75K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. Green Cove Springs’s overall grade, B−, puts it better than 46% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 192nd of 634 in Florida. Schools are its strong suit: its schools rank ahead of 79% of Florida towns. At about $340K, a typical home costs 4.3 years of the Jacksonville metro’s $80K median household income. This Florida town has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Clay County Courthouse and St. Mary's Church. Green Cove Springs’ January low is 44°F, against 51°F in Florida’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where Green Cove Springs beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Charles E. Bennett Elementary School | PK–6 | 564 |
| School A | K–6 | — |
| Green Cove Springs Junior High School | 7–8 | 793 |
6,908 counted in 2010 and 9,786 in 2020; an estimated 10,079 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Green Cove Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 320 in 1880, 9,786 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Green Cove Springs, 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 Green Cove Springs.
Green Cove Springs draws workers from Jacksonville and beyond, fares better on crime within Florida than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Florida.
11,161 jobs are based in Green Cove Springs, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Only 15% of working residents stay in Green Cove Springs for work; the rest commute out. For Green Cove Springs, the typical journey to work is 29 minutes. Half commute less than 20 miles. The top destinations are Jacksonville (33%), Fleming Island (4%) and Gainesville (2%).
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of its 7 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Clay school district. Public school enrollment in Green Cove Springs: 1,600 students across 4 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Cove Springs Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 793 | B+ |
| R. C. Bannerman Learning CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 211 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Walkers can cover 3.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails in Green Cove Springs is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vera Francis Hall Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Magnolia Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 3. Spring Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Hastings 4ne weather station, 20 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 308 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 76% of Florida places with climate records. The Hastings 4ne weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 76 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 75% of Florida places with climate records.
Green Cove Springs’ July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
13% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Green Cove Springs. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Green Cove Springs is ahead of Florida on 1 and behind on 4. Two figures for adults locally: 40% have high blood pressure, 19% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Green Cove Springs | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.7% | 15.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.1% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 22.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 54% of Florida’s graded towns.
The violent offense rate for Green Cove Springs comes to 3.2 per 1,000 residents. The rate of thefts and burglaries for Green Cove Springs comes to 9.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.5 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No age group stands out against Florida: all are within 4 points. Green Cove Springs’ midpoint age comes in at 37.3 years. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Green Cove Springs at 10,079 residents, up 3.1% since 2020. College graduates make up 27% of adults 25 and older, against 34% across Florida.
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.3 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 31% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 63% are men (FL 50%).
| Green Cove Springs | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.8% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
On the market in Green Cove Springs: a median 75 days to sell. The typical Green Cove Springs home is worth about $340,000, down 0.6% in a year, 10% below the Florida typical home. For Green Cove Springs, the median rent is $1,114 a month.
| Green Cove Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,114 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Green Cove Springs, the risk rating from FEMA is 50 of 100. 55% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 20%. Since 1992, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Green Cove Springs; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Green Cove Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Where Green Cove Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Green Cove Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Green Cove Springs.
City in Florida, United States
Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. Green Cove Springs is a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,786 at the 2020 census, up from 6,908 at the 2010 census. The city is named after a hydrological spring adjacent to the St. Johns River. The river course curves here, and the area is sheltered by trees that are perennially green.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Green Cove Springs grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #192 of 634 in Florida. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
6 notable people were born here, including Augusta Savage and Charles E. Merrill.
