Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Vero Beach grades B overall, 72nd of 634 graded towns in Florida. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 85% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 78% of Florida towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $362K, 4.9 years of the Sebastian metro’s $73K median household income. 26% of working residents work locally in Vero Beach, above both the Florida town median (5%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 19 of Florida’s 779 towns score lower on hazard risk. Vero Beach has 14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Vero Railroad Station and Old Palmetto Hotel.
Where Vero Beach beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 793 in 1920, 16,354 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Vero Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 2%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vero Beach, 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 Vero Beach.
Vero Beach is a second-home town, draws workers from Vero Beach South and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
17,927 jobs are based in Vero Beach, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.4 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
About one in 4 of Vero Beach’s working residents works in town. Vero Beach’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Vero Beach grew to 17,927 in 2023, 3,278 more than in 2013.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Indian River school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosewood Magnet SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 558 | A |
| Vero Beach High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,645 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
10 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The trail density in Vero Beach is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside North Park, at 53 acres.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside South Park | 1 mi | 19 |
| 2. Charles Park | 1 mi | 10 |
| 3. Veteran's Memorial Island Sanctuary | 0.6 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
704 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 96 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 704 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vero Beach. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime is rare: 12 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 53.9°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.3°. The Vero Beach 4se weather station 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.
Vero Beach has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 54°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,498 U.S. towns with household incomes like Vero Beach’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Vero Beach beats the Florida average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 13% of adults binge drink in Vero Beach.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Vero Beach | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.8% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.4% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
18.2% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 7.8% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). Vero Beach has grown 7.6% since 2020, to 17,603 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of Vero Beach adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.5 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 31% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Vero Beach | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.1% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.4% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $362K, is 9% below its April 2024 peak.
The typical Vero Beach home is worth about $362,000, down 1.2% in a year, close to the Florida typical home.
| Vero Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,221 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Vero Beach. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
22 mi Stadium & arenaFirst Data Field
3 mi GardenMcKee Botanical Garden
in town MuseumVero Beach Museum of Art
14 mi MuseumA. E. Backus Gallery & MuseumNational Navy UDT-SEAL Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · First Data Field: JoeCondon, Public domain · McKee Botanical Garden: Robert Lawton, CC BY 2.5 · Vero Beach Museum of Art: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · A. E. Backus Gallery & Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Vero Beach; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Vero Beach residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
Where Vero Beach’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Vero Beach on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Vero Beach.
City in Florida, United States
Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about 85 miles (137 km) southeast of Orlando along the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean on Florida's Treasure Coast. Because it is located about 65 miles (105 km) north of West Palm Beach at the northern end of the South Florida region, the city has adopted two similar mottos "The Gateway to the Tropics" and "Where the Tropics Begin". Vero Beach was named the 7th Best Small Beach Town in Florida by Southern Living Magazine in 2023. The main roadways in the city are U.S. Route 1…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Vero Beach.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; South Beach (B) comes closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vero Beach | #72 | B | D | A | A− | B+ |
| Vero Beach South | #193 | B− | C | — | A− | B+ |
| South Beach | #87 | B | D | — | A− | A |
| Indian River Shores | #174 | B− | D− | — | A− | A− |
| Gifford | #467 | C− | B− | — | A− | D− |
Vero Beach South, South Beach, Indian River Shores and Gifford report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Vero Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Vero Beach grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #72 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
14 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Welter and Ben Davis.
