Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Matlacha

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Florida›Lee County

MatlachaFL

A town of 770.

Is Matlacha a good place to live?

Matlacha’s median age is 65.2 years, above both the Florida town median (42.5 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Matlacha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

By the sea

Matlacha lives by the ocean

Coastal flooding makes up 21% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.

21%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
99thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
8storm & flood disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap

Getting set up

Moving to Matlacha: who provides what

Matlacha is unincorporated, so Lee County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGreater Pine Island Water AssociationNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLee CountyLee County provides services here
SchoolsLee County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereLee Supervisor of ElectionsLee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3399333993 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 Matlacha.

Who lives here

51% of residents are 65 or older

People 65 and older are 51% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 0% of residents (21% statewide). 24% of Matlacha adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, below both Florida’s towns (31%) and U.S. towns (29%).

65.2median age · FL 42.6
MatlachaFloridaUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%
High school23%
Some college45%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s16%
Graduate8%

Women and men · all residents

62% women, 38% men

About 62 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±8.5 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Matlacha
MatlachaFLU.S.
Under 100%10.3%11.6%
10 to 1713.4%9.2%10.3%
18 to 240%8.1%9.1%
25 to 340%12.7%13.7%
35 to 440%12.7%13.2%
45 to 549.7%12.3%12.2%
55 to 6426.4%13.4%12.7%
65 to 7442.7%11.7%10.2%
75 and older7.8%9.6%7%
No diploma0%10.1%10.4%
High school23.1%27.2%26%
Some college45.4%18.5%19.1%
Associate’s7.2%10.1%8.8%
Bachelor’s16.2%21.3%21.6%
Graduate8.1%12.9%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points

Natural hazards

Very high risk in Matlacha, with hurricanes at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities.

87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
87Very high riskLowerHigher
HurricanesCoastal floodingInland flooding
8
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Most of Matlacha’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them

Most working residents leave Matlacha for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Matlacha is 22 minutes. Since 2013, Matlacha has added 40 jobs, to 117 in 2023.

2%work in town
MatlachaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work22 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town2.3%5%8%

Where working residents work

In Matlacha2%
Cape Coral14%
St. James City12%
Fort Myers8%
Bokeelia3%
17 mi
median commute distance
117
jobs based in Matlacha
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Matlacha

Matlacha has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Matlacha’s July high is 92°F.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter56–76°
Spring65–84°
Summer76–91°
Fall69–86°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Matlacha is

Matlacha beats the Florida average on 15 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 49% of adults have high blood pressure in Matlacha.

MatlachaFlorida townsU.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)49%37%35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)18%13%12%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)11%15%16%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)85%79%79%
31 measures vs. Florida
15 better8 too close to call8 worse
What stands outMatlachaFL
Fewer uninsured adults8.5%15.9%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity7.9%13.9%
More adults who have had cancer16.3%9.1%
Cape Coral Hospital
8.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Matlacha has set aside 3.8% of its land for conservation

0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

3.8%conserved
MatlachaFlorida townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.3 miles per square mile0.40.4
Conserved land3.8%3%4.3%
3.8%
conserved · 16 of 425 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Matlacha Community Park0.1 mi8

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Housing

Homes in Matlacha sell for about $570K

83% of Matlacha households own their home.

$570Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Edison and Ford Winter Estates and 12 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Matlacha. Close and well known come first.

All 25 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hertz Arena: Tthaas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cayo Costa State Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrea_pauline/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Koreshan State Historic Site: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Warm Mineral Springs: Blas0082, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Matlacha

15pages on Matlacha
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Matlacha

Small town

770 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

About Matlacha

Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Matlacha ( MAT-lə-shay "MAT-la-shay") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The CDP had a population of 598 at the 2020 census, down from 677 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Matlacha is an "Old Florida" fishing village, home to many brightly colored art galleries, island boutiques, seafood restaurants, and traditional Floridian cottages. The village was largely devastated by Hurricane Ian in October 2022.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.7 sq mi
Elevation
0 ft
Area code
239

Questions about Matlacha

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Matlacha, FL a good place to live?

Matlacha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.