Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C+, ranked 305th of 634 in Florida. Its public schools beat 78% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation and it has 22 miles of trail. 37% of residents are 65 or older in Sebastian, above both the Florida town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Sebastian has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bamma Vickers Lawson House and Sebastian Grammar and Junior High School.
Where Sebastian beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican Island Elementary School | PK–5 | 354 |
| Sebastian Elementary School | PK–5 | 312 |
| Sebastian Charter Junior High School | 6–8 | 295 |
21,929 counted in 2010 and 25,054 in 2020; an estimated 27,352 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.3% since 2020, after 14.3% 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 Sebastian is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 386 in 1930, 25,054 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sebastian, 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 Sebastian.
Sebastian fares better on crime within Florida than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
22 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Sebastian’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. North Sebastian Conservation Area, at 628 acres with 8.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Sebastian Conservation Area | 8.3 mi | 628 |
| 2. Stormwater park | 4 mi | 161 |
| 3. L K Hardee Park | 0.6 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Indian River school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican Island Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 354 | B− |
| Sebastian Charter Junior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 295 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Since 1979, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sebastian.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
People 65 and older are 37% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (21% statewide). The median age in Sebastian is 58.2 years. Sebastian has grown 9.3% since 2020, to 27,352 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.2 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 31% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 59.7, men 56.7.
| Sebastian | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.2% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.1% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.7% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.1% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.2% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.8% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Jobs based here grew from 3,240 in 2013 to 4,293.
Most working residents leave Sebastian for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Sebastian has added 1,053 jobs, to 4,293 in 2023. The top destinations are Vero Beach (13%), Melbourne (4%) and Palm Bay (3%).
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.9% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 53.1°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.5°. The Vero Beach 4se weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 56 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 92% of Florida places with climate records.
Sebastian has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,464 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sebastian’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Sebastian beats the Florida average on 12 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 13% of Sebastian adults binge drink.
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Sebastian | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.7% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.2% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Sebastian home is worth about $347,000, about the same as a year ago, 8% below the Florida typical home. 85% of households own their home in Sebastian.
| Sebastian | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,451 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 17.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 68% of Florida’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 471 to 273 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sebastian. Close and well known come first.
23 mi MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
34 mi Zoo & aquariumBrevard Zoo
32 mi Stadium & arenaFirst Data Field
13 mi GardenMcKee Botanical Garden
27 mi MuseumAmerican Muscle Car MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brevard Zoo: Rusty Clark from merritt usland FLA, CC BY 2.0 · First Data Field: JoeCondon, Public domain · McKee Botanical Garden: Robert Lawton, CC BY 2.5 · American Muscle Car Museum: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Sebastian; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Sebastian residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
9.8% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
5 places in Sebastian on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Florida, United States
Sebastian is the most populous city in Indian River County, Florida. It is located at the confluence of the St. Sebastian River and the Indian River. It is located near the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge just inland of the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, Sebastian had a population of 25,054. Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian−Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sebastian.
Roseland and Wabasso have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Roseland and Wabasso report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sebastian with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sebastian grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #305 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health, B− for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($73,491 across the Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Bryan Augenstein and Jim Gary.
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