101 years in pictures
Census counts: 5,215 in 1980, 61,366 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
- 1925Palm Harbor is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

The city, settled in 1925, counts 61,512 residents.
The weak point is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $402K, 5.4 years of the Tampa metro’s $74K median household income. At C+ overall, Palm Harbor ranks 216th of 634 in Florida. That leaves it better than 44% of U.S. towns. It also trails on hazard risk (C): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 63% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Its strongest subject is health (B+): residents are healthier than 71% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Incomes are a strength too — the median household earns $79K. The biggest place to walk is Wall Springs Park, 49 acres with 1.2 miles of trail. 29% of residents are 65 or older locally, against 20% in Florida’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
Where Palm Harbor beats most towns.
Where Palm Harbor’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 Palm Harbor is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,215 in 1980, 61,366 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
Palm Harbor is unincorporated, so Pinellas 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 Palm Harbor.
Palm Harbor has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, has less no health insurance than most of Florida and has home values still below their peak.
Jobs based here grew from 12,944 in 2013 to 16,911.
For workers in Palm Harbor, the share who work from home is 23%. Most people who work leave Palm Harbor to do it: just 10% work in town. Jobs based in Palm Harbor grew to 16,911 in 2023, 3,967 more than in 2013. Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.8% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Pinellas school district runs its public schools. Three of its 16 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public school enrollment in Palm Harbor: 3,270 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Harbor Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,017 | B+ |
| Palm Harbor University HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,413 | A− |
| Elisa Nelson ElementaryTop results in townGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 421 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Florida is no health insurance: 9.4% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 15.9% statewide.
Among adults in Palm Harbor, 80% had a checkup this year. Of 31 CDC measures, Palm Harbor beats the Florida average on 10 and trails it on 2. 15% of adults in Palm Harbor report frequent mental distress; 20% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Palm Harbor | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.4% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.4% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 51.2°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.2°.
The January low for Palm Harbor comes to 51°F. It almost never snows.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 51°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (21% statewide). Palm Harbor’s median age is 50.9 years. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida. In Palm Harbor, 17% of residents are under 18.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 50.9 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 31% | 29% |
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 54.4, men 47.0.
| Palm Harbor | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.6% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The national flood insurance program has paid 1,678 claims in Palm Harbor since 1979. FEMA puts 37% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 32% to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Palm Harbor after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Count the trails in 10 parks and preserves and they come to 4.9 miles. The trail network density in Palm Harbor is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wall Springs Park Coastal Addition | 1.3 mi | 33 |
| 2. Wall Springs Park | 1.2 mi | 49 |
| 3. Westlake Village Park | 0.7 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical value, about $402K, is 10% below its April 2024 peak. 73.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida.
For Palm Harbor, the median rent is $1,806 a month. Zillow values the typical Palm Harbor home at about $402,000, about the same as a year ago, 7% above the Florida typical home. The share of renter households in Palm Harbor who spend 30% or more of their income on rent: 74%.
| Palm Harbor | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 74% | 59% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,806 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palm Harbor. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaRaymond James Stadium
21 mi Stadium & arenaBenchmark International Arena
40 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
21 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Tampa4.0M visitors a year
23 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí MuseumTropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raymond James Stadium: NASA, Public domain · Benchmark International Arena: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anna Maria Island: Bfpage at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Busch Gardens Tampa: Wolle8ball, CC BY 3.0 · Salvador Dalí Museum: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Palm Harbor
About 4 of every 100 Palm Harbor residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
4 notable people were born in Palm Harbor.
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Palm Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 61,366.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Palm Harbor.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Harbor | #216 | C+ | D | — | B | B+ |
| Dunedin | #109 | B | D | B+ | B | B+ |
| Tarpon Springs | #293 | C+ | C− | C+ | B | B |
| East Lake | #266 | C+ | D− | — | B | A− |
| Clearwater | #394 | C | D | C | B | B− |
Palm Harbor and East Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Palm Harbor with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Palm Harbor grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #216 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
4 notable people were born here, including Tucker Albrizzi and Ben Sweat.