Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town with more to fix than most. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $43K, and just over a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. It lags on hazard risk as well — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. At about $350K, a typical home costs 6.2 years of the Homosassa Springs metro’s $57K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a D− overall, ranking 600th of 634 in Florida. Nationally, it does better than 2% of U.S. towns. Two Mile Prairie, at 2,853 acres with 11.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 39% of residents are 65 or older in Hernando, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Hernando beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Hernando’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Hernando is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,103 in 1990, 9,284 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hernando is unincorporated, so Citrus 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 Hernando.
Hernando has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Florida norm.
Two thirds of Hernando’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 23%. Federal aid has come to Hernando households in 11 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Paid flood insurance claims here since 2017: 5.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Citrus school district runs its public schools. Its two schools are below. Enrollment at Hernando’s public school: 730 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hernando Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 730 | B− |
| Solid Rock Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 269 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
17 miles of trail wind through 5 parks and preserves. For Hernando, the density of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Two Mile Prairie | 11.7 mi | 2,853 |
| 2. Tsala Apopka/Two-Mile Prairie Connector | 0.9 mi | 462 |
| 3. Withlacoochee State Forest | — | 2,853 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most people who work leave Hernando to do it: just 3% work in town. The town’s average commute comes in at 32 minutes. Also worth knowing: between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 177, to 1,079.
| Hernando | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 3,362 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hernando’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Hernando, 19% have been diagnosed with depression. CDC measures, 31 in all: Hernando beats Florida on 10 and trails on 12. 12% of adults in Hernando binge drink; 18% report frequent physical distress.
| Hernando | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hernando | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 13.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Inverness 3 Se weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 112 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Inverness 3 Se weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 279 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 86% of Florida places with climate records.
July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 45° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
77.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida. The median property tax bill is $1,172, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
For Hernando, the median rent is $964 a month. A typical home in the town is worth about $350,000, down 0.6% in a year, 7% below the Florida typical home. The share of households in Hernando who own their home: 85%.
| Hernando | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $964 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Hernando; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hernando residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Census-designated place in Florida, US
Hernando is a census-designated place in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 9,284 at the 2020 census, up from 9,054 at the 2010 census. At one time it was a city but it was disincorporated in the 1970s. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hernando.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Citrus Springs (D) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hernando | #600 | D− | C+ | — | C | C |
| Citrus Springs | #578 | D | C− | — | C | C |
| Citrus Hills | #514 | D | D | — | C | B+ |
| Pine Ridge | #572 | D | D | — | C | B− |
| Inverness Highlands North | #208 | C+ | B | — | C | B− |
Hernando, Citrus Springs, Citrus Hills, Pine Ridge and Inverness Highlands North report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hernando with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hernando grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #600 of 634 in Florida. It grades C for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
