Kerr City Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
Lake Kerr’s story
138 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1888Lake Kerr is settled
Lake KerrFL
A town of 1,697, settled in 1888.
Morgan-Townsend House · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,697
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$110K
Census ACS
Household income
$42K
median
Median age
63.6
years
Jobs based here
128
A commuter town
Is Lake Kerr a good place to live?
Lake Kerr’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 47% of residents are 65 or older in Lake Kerr, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On incomes, just 4 of Florida’s 774 towns do worse. Lake Kerr's public schools trail 87% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. 34% of the land in Lake Kerr is conserved, where Florida’s towns sit at 3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Kerr City Historic District and Morgan-Townsend House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Kerr has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Lake Kerr for work
Where Lake Kerr’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
128jobs based in Lake Kerr
4%of working residents work in town
38 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lake Kerr grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Kerr is from typical.
Jobs & income$42K median household incomeD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $110K, 1.8 years of the Ocala metro’s $61K median household incomeAOpen →SchoolsDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthHCA Florida Putnam Hospital 19.7 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.3 of 20; 2.6% of households have no car; 2.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Lake Kerr: who provides what
Lake Kerr is unincorporated, so Marion County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDuke Energy18.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSalt Springs Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers91% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMarion CountyMarion County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMarion Supervisor of ElectionsMarion County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3213432134 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Kerr.
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Lake Kerr is less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns
Lake Kerr beats the Florida average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 19% of Lake Kerr adults have diabetes.
16%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Lake Kerr | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Florida
8 better9 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Lake Kerr | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.6% | 13.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.5% | 15.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 15.2% | 7.2% |
HCA Florida Putnam Hospital
19.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB−
Lake Kerr has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
10 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
33.6%conserved
33.6%
conserved · 3,553 of 10,567 acres
10 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Lake Kerr, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities.
82risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in Lake Kerr is longer
The average trip to work in Lake Kerr is 45 minutes. Since 2013, Lake Kerr has lost 75 jobs, to 128 in 2023. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Lake Kerr.
4%work in town
| Lake Kerr | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 45 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Lake Kerr4%
Ocala21%
Jacksonville3%
Orlando3%
Gainesville3%
38 mi
median commute distance
128
jobs based in Lake Kerr
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Lake Kerr has mild winters and hot summers
Lake Kerr has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Lake Kerr’s July high is 92°F.
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter48–71°
Spring58–83°
Summer72–91°
Fall63–83°
Dec 12
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A
In Lake Kerr, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Of the 631 Florida towns we compare, none has a lower median rent than Lake Kerr.
$135Kmedian sale price
| Lake Kerr | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $525 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 95% | 72% | 73% |
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 65 attractions →Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and 23 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Kerr. Close and well known come first.
40 mi Stadium & arenaBen Hill Griffin Stadium
14 mi National forestOcala National Forest
20 mi Zoo & aquariumSilver Springs
40 mi Theme parkMarineland of Florida
40 mi National MonumentFort Matanzas National Monument653K visitors a year
37 mi State parkPaynes PrairieSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: The original uploader was Hughs at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ocala National Forest: Sandra Friend, Public domain · Silver Springs: NeilEvans, Public domain · Marineland of Florida: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5 · Fort Matanzas National Monument: Saginaw66, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paynes Prairie: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Kerr
17pages on Lake Kerr
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake Kerr; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Lake Kerr residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Lake Kerr
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Lake Kerr is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern Marion County, Florida, United States, surrounding the lake of the same name. It is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Ocala, the Marion county seat, and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Palatka. Lake Kerr was first listed as a CDP for the 2020 census, at which time the population was 1,843. It is part of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 20 ft
Questions about Lake Kerr
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Kerr, FL expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $110,000, 71% 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 A.