Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Silver Springs's standout: it has 10 miles of trail and 37% conserved land. Overall it grades C−, 486th among Florida's 634 graded towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 87% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Silver Springs, above both Florida’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 638 Florida towns, just 4 have a lower median household income than Silver Springs. T. W. Randall House and Silver Springs is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Silver Springs beats most towns.
37.2% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Silver Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Silver Springs is unincorporated, so Marion 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 Silver Springs.
Silver Springs keeps more of its land conserved than most of Florida, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its 1,470 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of Florida towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #8 of 638 in Florida.
Silver Springs’ trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile. Trails total 10 miles in 4 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: the biggest park or preserve is Silver Springs Sandhill, at 463 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coehadjoe Park | 1.5 mi | 90 |
| 2. Silver Springs Sandhill | — | 463 |
| 3. Indian Lake State Forest | — | 224 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
73.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida. The median property tax bill is $199, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Values fell 2% in the year to September 2026. Silver Springs: 40% of households live in a home they own. The typical rent for Silver Springs comes to $1,176 a month.
| Silver Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,176 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Silver Springs had 747 jobs in 2023, up 60 from 2013. For most workers, Silver Springs is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The typical journey to work locally is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Ocala (45%), Gainesville (3%) and Jacksonville (2%).
| Silver Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Orange Springs 2ssw weather station, 19 miles away, records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Orange Springs 2ssw weather station, 19 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 284 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 81% of Florida places with climate records.
For Silver Springs, the midsummer high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 803 U.S. towns with household incomes like Silver Springs’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Two figures for adults in Silver Springs: 18% report frequent mental distress, 19% worry about having enough food. In Silver Springs, 14% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Silver Springs | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Silver Springs | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 15.4% | 12.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 7.2% |
| More adults with depression | 20.4% | 17.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA puts 44% of Silver Springs’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 34% to inland flooding. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 65% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Silver Springs after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Silver Springs. Close and well known come first.
35 mi Stadium & arenaBen Hill Griffin Stadium
in town Zoo & aquariumSilver Springs
15 mi National forestOcala National Forest
26 mi Ancient siteDevil's Den
30 mi State parkPaynes Prairie
35 mi MuseumFlorida Museum of Natural History200K visitors a yearBen Hill Griffin Stadium: The original uploader was Hughs at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Silver Springs: NeilEvans, Public domain · Ocala National Forest: Sandra Friend, Public domain · Devil's Den: Eric Beach, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paynes Prairie: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Florida Museum of Natural History: WillMcC, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Silver Springs
About 2 of every 100 Silver Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Where Silver Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Florida, US
Silver Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County of northern Florida. It is the site of the Silver Springs, a group of artesian springs and a historic tourist attraction that is now part of Silver Springs State Park. The community is part of the Ocala metropolitan area. It was first listed as a CDP for the 2020 census, when it had a population of 2,844. One of Florida's first tourist attractions, the springs drew visitors even before the U.S. Civil War. Glass-bottom boats have been a popular way to see the 242-acre (98 ha) complex. A small amusement park with various animals, a concert stage, a carousel, and exhibits also developed.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Silver Springs.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Springs | #486 | C− | B | — | D | C+ |
| Ocala | #610 | D− | C− | D | D | C |
Silver Springs reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Silver Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Silver Springs grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #486 of 634 in Florida. It grades C+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($61,010 across the Ocala, 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 B.
