Punta rassa barracks, 1906
Punta Rassa’s story
154 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,493 in 1990, 1,620 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
- 1872Punta Rassa is settled
Punta RassaFL
A town of 1,335, settled in 1872.
Population
1,335
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$590K
Census ACS
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
80.9
years
Jobs based here
1,523
A job hub
Is Punta Rassa a good place to live?
The best of Punta Rassa’s subject grades is an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for cost of living. Punta Rassa’s median rent is $2,771 a month, where Florida’s towns sit at $1,647 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Only 18 of Florida’s 774 towns score lower on cost of living. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. 16% of the land in Punta Rassa is conserved, above both Florida’s towns (3%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Estero Bay Preserve State Park, at 452 acres. Punta Rassa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Punta Rassa stand out
Where Punta Rassa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
By the sea
Punta Rassa lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 16% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
16%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
99thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
393paid flood-insurance claims since 1988
97thpercentile for hurricane risk
On the water
- Estero Bay Preserve State Park Directions ↗
- Causeway Islands Park - Island A
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
How Punta Rassa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Punta Rassa is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $590K, 7.7 years of the Cape Coral metro’s $76K median household incomeD−Open →Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listDOpen →SchoolsBehind 64% of Florida districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Jobs & income$91K median household incomeBOpen →HealthHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns; Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Health 9.7 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Punta Rassa: who provides what
Punta Rassa is unincorporated, so Lee County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLee County UtilitiesNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLee CountyLee County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereLee Supervisor of ElectionsLee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3390833908 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 Punta Rassa.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
With 7.0 jobs for every working resident, Punta Rassa draws in 1,514 commuters
Most working residents leave Punta Rassa for work: only 4% work in town. Punta Rassa’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Punta Rassa grew to 1,523 in 2023, 103 more than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Punta Rassa | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Punta Rassa4%
Fort Myers6%
Tampa4%
Jacksonville3%
Cape Coral3%
94 mi
median commute distance
1,523
jobs based in Punta Rassa
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Punta Rassa faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Since 1988, 393 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Punta Rassa.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesCoastal floodingInland flooding
393
paid flood claims since 1988
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsA−
Punta Rassa has set aside 16.2% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
16.2%conserved
16.2%
conserved · 462 of 2,853 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Estero Bay Preserve State Park | — | 452 |
| 2. Causeway Islands Park - Island A | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Punta Rassa
Punta Rassa has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Punta Rassa is 92°F.
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter57–76°
Spring66–84°
Summer76–91°
Fall70–86°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Punta Rassa stands out in Florida and nationally: a smaller share of its adults have obesity
21% of adults have obesity in Punta Rassa. No town among the 637 in Florida we compare has a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Punta Rassa. 58% of adults have high blood pressure in Punta Rassa.
58%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Punta Rassa | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 4.4% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 37% | 36% |
31 measures vs. Florida
19 better4 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Punta Rassa | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 2.8% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 26% | 9.1% |
Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Health
9.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade D−
A smaller share of households own their home in Punta Rassa than in most of Florida or the rest of the country
36% of Punta Rassa households own their home.
$603Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Hertz Arena and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Punta Rassa. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Stadium & arenaHertz Arena
12 mi MuseumEdison and Ford Winter Estates10 mi State parkMound Key Archeological State Park
12 mi State parkKoreshan State Historic Site
19 mi State parkCayo Costa State Park
7 mi MuseumBailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & AquariumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hertz Arena: Tthaas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Koreshan State Historic Site: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cayo Costa State Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrea_pauline/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium: Invertzoo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Punta Rassa
17pages on Punta Rassa
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Punta Rassa
Florida SouthWestern State CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Fort Myers8 mi$3,401 in-state tuitionFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Fort Myers14.3 mi$6,118 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Punta Rassa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Small town
1,335 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
IonaPunta Rassa
About Punta Rassa
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Punta Rassa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,620 at the 2020 census, down from 1,750 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3 ft
- Area code
- 239
Questions about Punta Rassa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Punta Rassa, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $590,000, 57% above the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.