Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Melbourne grades C+ overall, 245th of 634 graded towns in Florida, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. 28% of working residents work locally in Melbourne, where Florida’s towns sit at 5% and U.S. towns at 8%. Melbourne is home to Eastern Florida State College.
Where Melbourne beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Allen Elementary School | PK–6 | 619 |
| Longleaf Elementary School | PK–6 | 578 |
| DR. W.J. Creel Elementary School | PK–7 | 542 |
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Melbourne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 99 in 1890, 84,678 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Melbourne, 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 Melbourne.
Melbourne draws workers from Palm Bay and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
50 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. Melbourne’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Wickham Park, 471 acres with 17.7 miles of trail.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wickham Park | 17.7 mi | 471 |
| 2. Howard E. Futch Memorial Park | 0.6 mi | 9 |
| 3. Wells Park | 0.5 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Brevard school district. Three of its 29 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Allen Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 619 | B+ |
| Melbourne Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,210 | B |
| West Shore Junior/Senior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 948 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
57,592 jobs are based in Melbourne, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Melbourne’s working residents works in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Melbourne. Since 2013, Melbourne has added 11,151 jobs, to 57,592 in 2023.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
427 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 44 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 427 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Melbourne.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 53.4°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.3°. The Melbourne Wfo weather station records that about 76 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 89% of Florida places with climate records.
Melbourne has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Melbourne is 53°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
18% of Melbourne residents are under 18. Melbourne has grown 2.8% since 2020, to 87,097 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 23% of Melbourne residents are 65 or older.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 31% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.5 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.2 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 45.4, men 40.1.
| Melbourne | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.5% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Melbourne home is worth about $358,000, down 0.5% in a year, close to the Florida typical home.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,525 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 59% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,195 U.S. towns with household incomes like Melbourne’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Melbourne beats the Florida average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Melbourne | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Melbourne | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.4% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.9% | 13.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Melbourne. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Ancient siteWindover Archaeological Site
29 mi MuseumKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
29 mi LandmarkSpace Mirror Memorial
9 mi Zoo & aquariumBrevard Zoo
in town MuseumAmerican Muscle Car Museum
37 mi BeachPlayalinda BeachWindover Archaeological Site: ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: Bill White, Public domain · Space Mirror Memorial: Seth Buckley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brevard Zoo: Rusty Clark from merritt usland FLA, CC BY 2.0 · American Muscle Car Museum: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Playalinda Beach: User:JohnWalton031954, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Melbourne
About 8 of every 100 Melbourne residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
76,068 counted in 2010 and 84,678 in 2020; an estimated 87,097 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Melbourne on the National Register of Historic Places.
31 notable people were born in Melbourne.
City in Florida, United States
Melbourne (MEL-burn) is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located 72 miles (116 km) southeast of Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, so named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city had an estimated population of 87,561 as of July 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville metropolitan statistical area. Downtown Melbourne and most of the city lie inland of the Indian River Lagoon, with a small part extending over to the barrier island.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Melbourne.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | #245 | C+ | C− | — | B+ | B− |
| West Melbourne | #97 | B | C− | B− | B+ | A− |
| Palm Bay | #334 | C | C | C+ | B+ | C+ |
| Indian Harbour Beach | #63 | B+ | D | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Melbourne Village | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Palm Shores | — | — | B− | — | B+ | A |
| Merritt Island | #125 | B | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
Palm Shores has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Melbourne, Palm Shores and Merritt Island report no FBI crime data of their own. Melbourne Village isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Melbourne with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Melbourne grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #245 of 634 in Florida. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($78,476 across the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, 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 C−.
31 notable people were born here, including Jim Morrison and Darrell Hammond.
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