Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,026, settled in 1921.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C, 367th of 634 graded towns in Florida. 55% of its land is conserved and it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.1 million for a typical one and 12.5 times the Key West area’s $88K median household income. Key Largo’s value of a typical home is $1,095,000, above both Florida’s towns ($370,000) and U.S. towns ($332,000). John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, at 3,778 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Among 638 Florida towns, just 6 have a higher January low than Key Largo.
Where Key Largo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
10,433 counted in 2010 and 12,447 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Key Largo is from typical.
Its best grade is an A+ for the outdoors (#19 of 638 in Florida; 3 miles of trails; 55% conserved land), which describes the town but isn’t part of the overall grade; its C comes from the livability subjects above.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,866 in 1970, 12,447 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1943 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Key Largo. Close and well known come first.
in town National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a year
18 mi National ParkBiscayne National Park487K visitors a year
33 mi LakeBiscayne Bay
in town State parkJohn Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
34 mi Zoo & aquariumZoo Miami
35 mi MuseumCharles Deering EstateEverglades National Park: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain · Biscayne National Park: National Park Service, Public domain · Biscayne Bay: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park: Jim Stuby (talk), Public domain · Zoo Miami: Averette, CC BY 3.0 · Charles Deering Estate: Zoohouse, CC BY-SA 3.0
Key Largo is unincorporated, so Monroe 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 Key Largo.
Key Largo keeps more of its land conserved than most of Florida and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
At 12.5 years of the Key West area’s $88K median household income, the typical home (about $1.09M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Homes sold in Key Largo spent a median 72 days on the market. Typical home values rose 3.9% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent in the town is $1,887 a month.
| Key Largo | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,887 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Monroe school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Largo SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 690 | B |
| Ocean Studies CharterTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 180 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Its 5,308 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Florida town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #19 of 638 in Florida.
Walkers can cover 2.5 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Key Largo’s trail network density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Key Largo Community Park | 1.3 mi | 15 |
| 2. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park | 1 mi | 3,778 |
| 3. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | — | 1,102 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected losses in Key Largo break down as 67% from hurricanes and 23% from coastal flooding. Since 1984, 680 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally. Also worth knowing: households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median commute is under 44 miles. Employers in Key Largo added 886 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 4,070. For working residents in the town, the share who work locally is 19%. The top destinations are Islamorada, Village of Islands (9%), North Key Largo (7%) and Key West (7%).
| Key Largo | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 62.2°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89°. The Tavernier weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 49 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 97% of Florida places with climate records.
Snowfall is close to zero. Of the 638 Florida towns we compare, none has a lower midsummer high than Key Largo.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Key Largo, 16% of adults binge drink. The town does better than the Florida average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 1. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% have been diagnosed with depression, 15% report frequent mental distress.
| Key Largo | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Key Largo | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.2% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.9% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among adults 25 and older, 39% have a four-year degree or more, against 34% across Florida. People 65 and older are 27% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (21% statewide). Key Largo’s midpoint age comes in at 49.6 years.
| Key Largo | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.6 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 31% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Key Largo | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.7% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.3% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.3% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.6% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.5% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Key Largo; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Key Largo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Coastal flooding makes up 23% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
31.6% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
3 notable people were born in Key Largo.
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Key Largo is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida, United States, located on the island of Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The population was 12,447 at the 2020 census, up from 10,433 in 2010. The name comes from the Spanish Cayo Largo, or "long key". It is both the first island and town of the Florida Keys to be reached from the Overseas Highway to Key West. It was also the location of one of the stations of the Overseas Railroad.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Key Largo.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key Largo | #367 | C | D | — | B | B |
| Tavernier | — | — | D | — | B | C+ |
| North Key Largo | — | — | D− | — | B | B− |
Tavernier and North Key Largo have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Key Largo, Tavernier and North Key Largo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Key Largo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Key Largo grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #367 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
3 notable people were born here, including Giuseppe Andrews and AJ Paterson.
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