Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 16,421, settled in 1886. 46% more nonprofits per person than the typical Florida town.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Marco Island grades B+ overall, ranked 36th of 634 in Florida. It reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 83% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $849K, 9.4 years of the Naples metro’s $90K median household income. 59% of residents are 65 or older in Marco Island, above both the Florida town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). No town in Florida scores higher than Marco Island on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, at 6,033 acres.
Where Marco Island beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Marco Island’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 Marco Island is from typical.
Its grades run from A for safety (better than 89% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,694 in 1980, 15,760 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1924 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marco Island, 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 Marco Island.
Marco Island is a second-home town, draws workers from Golden Gate and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Florida.
At 9.4 years of the Naples metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $849K) costs more against local pay than in 94% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $849K, is 13% below its July 2022 peak.
Marco Island’s median rent is $1,990 a month. The typical Marco Island home is worth about $849,000, up 1.1% in a year, more than twice the Florida typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A− for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $849K.
Its public schools are run by the Collier school district. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommie Barfield Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 474 | A+ |
| Marco Island AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 298 | A |
| Marco Island Charter MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 277 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
7,263 jobs are based in Marco Island, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 5,359 in 2013 to 7,263.
36% of Marco Island working residents work locally. Since 2013, Marco Island has added 1,904 jobs, to 7,263 in 2023. 35% of Marco Island workers work from home.
| Marco Island | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 35% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 36% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its 6,414 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Florida towns.
3.1 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The trail density in Marco Island is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans' Community Park | 0.9 mi | 8 |
| 2. Tigertail Beach Park | 0.5 mi | 46 |
| 3. Mackle Park | 0.4 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 78 to 55 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Among 132 Florida towns, just 4 have a lower violent crime rate than Marco Island.
| Marco Island | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1,029 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 128 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 1,029 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marco Island.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
26% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Marco Island. Marco Island beats the Florida average on 20 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 10% of adults binge drink in Marco Island.
| Marco Island | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 37% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Marco Island | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.8% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.1% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 18.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 56.3°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.2°.
Marco Island has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Marco Island | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 56°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marco Island. Close and well known come first.
13 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a year
21 mi National PreserveBig Cypress National Preserve2.3M visitors a year
35 mi Stadium & arenaHertz Arena35 mi State parkMound Key Archeological State Park
35 mi State parkKoreshan State Historic Site
17 mi Zoo & aquariumNaples ZooEverglades National Park: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain · Big Cypress National Preserve: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hertz Arena: Tthaas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Koreshan State Historic Site: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Naples Zoo: Exupery67, CC BY 4.0
None within 15 miles of Marco Island; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Marco Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
40.7% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
City in Florida, United States
Marco Island is a city and barrier island in Collier County, Florida, 20 miles (32 km) south of Naples on the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is the largest barrier island in Southwest Florida's Ten Thousand Islands area, which extends southerly to Cape Sable. Marco Island is home to an affluent beach community with resort amenities. Marco Island is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,760 at the 2020 census, down from 16,413 at the 2010 census. The population more than doubles during the winter. Parts of the island have scenic, high elevations relative to the generally flat south Florida landscape. The island has a tropical cl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Marco Island.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Island | #36 | B+ | D− | A | A− | A− |
| Goodland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Goodland isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Marco Island with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Marco Island grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #36 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Bruce J. Scott and Mark Calvi.
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