Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Port St. Lucie’s weakest is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $384K, 5.2 years of the Port St. Lucie metro’s $75K median household income. It also trails on hazard risk — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Where it does best is health: it is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns. The overall grade comes out at D, 512th of 634 in Florida. Set against the rest, it does better than 14% of U.S. towns. Only 19 of Florida’s 779 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is McCarty Ranch Preserve, 3,046 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. Port St. Lucie's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Port St. Lucie beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
164,603 counted in 2010 and 204,851 in 2020; an estimated 268,062 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 30.9% since 2020, after 24.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Port St. Lucie is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 330 in 1970, 204,851 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1973 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port St. Lucie, 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 Port St. Lucie.
Port St. Lucie has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has added a third more jobs in ten years, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
194 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 17 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, Port St. Lucie has seen 194 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 74% come from hurricanes and 20% from inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Port St. Lucie households in 16 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Three of its 39 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The public schools here belong to the St. Lucie school district. Public school enrollment in Port St. Lucie: 9,738 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Hammock K-8 SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,727 | C+ |
| Treasure Coast High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,124 | C |
| Morningside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 653 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 23,479 in 2013 to 34,305.
17% of working residents work locally in Port St. Lucie. The town had 34,305 jobs in 2023, up 10,826 from 2013. Also worth knowing: its average trip to work stands at 31 minutes, above both the Florida town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Half commute less than 14 miles.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Count the trails in 41 parks and preserves and they come to 39 miles. Parks and preserves in Port St. Lucie: 41, covering 6,227 acres. In Port St. Lucie, the trail density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Savannas Preserve State Park | 2.6 mi | 2,531 |
| 2. Oxbow Eco-Center | 2.4 mi | 235 |
| 3. Westmoreland | 1.5 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 53.7°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.6°. The Ft Pierce weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 70 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 83% of Florida places with climate records.
Port St. Lucie’s typical July afternoon high stands at 91°F. Its January low stands at 54°F, above both Florida’s towns (51°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Snow almost never falls.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 54°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Port St. Lucie's reported crime rate is below Florida's. The level of property crime for Port St. Lucie comes to 6.2 per 1,000 residents. 351 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The share of adults in Port St. Lucie who had a checkup this year: 77%. The town tracks Florida closely on all 31 CDC measures. In Port St. Lucie, 31% of adults have obesity, and 15% binge drink.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No age group stands out against Florida: all are within 4 points. Since 2020, Port St. Lucie has grown 31%, to 268,062 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Port St. Lucie: just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older. College graduates make up 28% of adults 25 and older, against 34% across Florida.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.9 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
51.0% women, 49.0% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 44.9, men 43.0.
| Port St. Lucie | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 22% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Among renter households in Port St. Lucie, 63% spend 30% or more of their income on rent. Zillow values the typical Port St. Lucie home at about $384,000, down 0.9% in a year, close to the Florida typical home. The town’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,937 a month.
| Port St. Lucie | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,937 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 72% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 63% | 59% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port St. Lucie. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi LakeLake Okeechobee
in town Stadium & arenaFirst Data Field17 mi Ancient siteUrca de Lima
16 mi MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum39 mi Zoo & aquariumLion Country Safari
14 mi MuseumElliott Museum27K visitors a yearLake Okeechobee: NASA, Public domain · First Data Field: JoeCondon, Public domain · National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elliott Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Port St. Lucie
About 5 of every 100 Port St. Lucie residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
Where Port St. Lucie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 notable people were born in Port St. Lucie.
City in the United States
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most-populous municipality in the county and the sixth-most populous city in Florida, with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Orlando and 113 miles (182 km) north of Miami. It is a principal city in the Port St. Lucie metropolitan statistical area, which includes St. Lucie and Martin Counties, and as of 2021 had an estimated population of 502,521. Port St. Lucie is also a principal city in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie combined statistical area, which had an estimated population of 6,841,100 as of 2021. It is one of the cities of the Treasure Coas…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Port St. Lucie.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port St. Lucie | #512 | D | D | — | B− | B |
| River Park | #523 | D | C− | — | B− | C+ |
| White City | #420 | C− | C− | — | B− | C+ |
| Indian River Estates | #586 | D− | C | — | B− | C− |
| Jensen Beach | #318 | C | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Palm City | #183 | B− | D | — | B+ | A |
Port St. Lucie, River Park, White City, Indian River Estates, Jensen Beach and Palm City report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Port St. Lucie with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Port St. Lucie grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #512 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
6 notable people were born here, including Ace Hood and Jaida Parker.
