Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Florida.
Hilliard grades C+ overall, 255th among Florida's 634 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 91% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, the median household income is $65K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Hilliard, above both the Florida town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 33 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. Hilliard's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Hilliard beats most towns.
Where Hilliard’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 Hilliard is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 607 in 1950, 2,967 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1917 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hilliard, 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 Hilliard.
Hilliard carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Florida (mostly inland flooding), has schools in the top 5% of Florida and has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Florida.
Its A ranks #15 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Nassau school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Hilliard Middle-Senior High, with 773 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilliard Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 687 | A+ |
| Hilliard Middle-Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 773 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 10th Avenue Baseball Grounds | — | 7 |
| 2. Hilliard Park | — | 6 |
| 3. EF Burnham Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 306 in 2013 to 689.
Most working residents leave Hilliard for work: only 5% work in town. Hilliard’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Hilliard grew to 689 in 2023, 383 more than in 2013.
| Hilliard | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hilliard beats the Florida average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 20% of Hilliard adults report frequent mental distress.
| Hilliard | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Hilliard | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18% | 12.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.2% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 20.4% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 92.6°, the #2 highest of 958 Florida places with climate records; January nights average 41.2°. The Folkston 9 Sw weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 114 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
The July high in Hilliard is 93°F. Hilliard has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Hilliard is 41°F.
| Hilliard | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 93°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Florida towns; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hilliard since 2016.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Hilliard home is worth about $346,000, up 2.9% in a year, 8% below the Florida typical home. 59% of households own their home in Hilliard.
| Hilliard | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,147 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 Hilliard. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaEverBank Field
40 mi Park & preserveJekyll Island
32 mi National MemorialFort Caroline National Memorial369K visitors a year
14 mi MuseumOkefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
30 mi Stadium & arenaVyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
30 mi MuseumUSS OrleckEverBank Field: AndrewAvitus, CC BY 3.0 · Jekyll Island: normanack on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Caroline National Memorial: NPS Photo, Public domain · Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain · VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena: Nichos (talk), Public domain · USS Orleck: U.S. Navy, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Hilliard; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hilliard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Town in the state of Florida, United States
Hilliard is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States; northwest of Jacksonville. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,967, down from 3,086 at the 2010 census. Hilliard was named "2003 Rural Community of the Year" by former Florida governor Jeb Bush, for its collaboration with the YMCA to establish a local chapter, which included a swimming pool and exercise facility.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hilliard grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #255 of 634 in Florida. It grades C for health and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($79,643 across the Jacksonville, FL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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