A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Okeechobee$1,710/mo

Typical home $290K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,061/mo · Housing →

Starke$1,330/mo

Typical home $236K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.48% · or rent about $840/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Okeechobee and Starke.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Starke places higher on 11 of 20 FL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

DOkeechobeeBetter than 11% of districts in the state CStarkeBetter than 32% of districts in the state

Health

DOkeechobeeHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns DStarkeHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns

8Okeechobee

11Starke

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 631 towns #623#59 Most conserved landOutdoors · 578 towns #511#262 Most new homesHousing · 250 towns #118#217 Most walkableOutdoors · 635 towns #173#422 Fastest growingGrowth · 614 towns #581#397 Lowest obesityHealth · 633 towns #610#480 Shortest commuteGetting around · 635 towns #232#361 Lowest property taxCost of living · 626 towns #134#43

Left end = #1 in Florida. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Okeechobee’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

OkeechobeeStarke

Snow a year0″0″

January low52°F 43°F

July high92°F 91°F

Growing season (days)355d 277d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd 75th

Outdoors & history

OkeechobeeStarke

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land0.6%3.5%

Settled1835 —

National Register places2 3

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here—12

Community

OkeechobeeStarke

Library hours a week40 hrs 49 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

203 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OkeechobeeFL StarkeFL

Okeechobee ↔ Starke203 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Florida average

OkeechobeeStarke

People

Population 5,479Lowest 5,877Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.5%Lowest FL: +14.6% +6.4%Highest FL: +14.6%

Median age 38.4±3.5Highest 10% below FL 37±2.6Lowest 13% below FL

Okeechobee and Starke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 24.1%±5Lowest FL: 19.5% 25.9%±6.4Highest FL: 19.5%

Starke and Okeechobee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 19.2%±3.7Highest FL: 21.3% 13.6%±3.4Lowest FL: 21.3%

Okeechobee and Starke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.1%Highest FL: 34.1% 18.2%Lowest FL: 34.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±3.1Lowest FL: 6.1% 5.3%±3.2Highest FL: 6.1%

Starke and Okeechobee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $57,044±$7kHighest 24% below FL $52,258±$16kLowest 30% below FL

Okeechobee and Starke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $197,700±$23kLowest 45% below FL $214,300±$36kHighest 40% below FL

Starke and Okeechobee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,061±$97Highest 36% below FL $840±$61Lowest 50% below FL

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,564Highest 43% below FL $1,027Lowest 62% below FL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.1%±17.1Lowest FL: 60.1% 57.9%±17.5Highest FL: 60.1%

Starke and Okeechobee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.8%Lowest FL: 12.6% 28.7%Highest FL: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 55.1%Lowest FL: 67.6% 56.3%Highest FL: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 7 yrs older than FL 1978Lowest 10 yrs older than FL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 9% below FL 28 minHighest about the FL average

Work from home 2.8%±2.4Lowest FL: 15.7% 7.1%±5.4Highest FL: 15.7%

Starke and Okeechobee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 26.1%Highest 16.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 33.3 miHighest 27.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.83Highest 1.64Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Port St. Lucie (3%)Jacksonville (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in StarkeFew work in Okeechobee

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 3.5%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miHighest 0.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 2Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 108Highest 55.9Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #364 of 488 in FL #315 of 488 in FL

School district OKEECHOBEEBRADFORD

High school in town None in townBradford High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 23.8

Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Okeechobee neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 3d

Work from Home in Okeechobee

1 neighbor in Okeechobee can answer.

Starke neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Life in Starke on a Saturday

1 neighbor in Starke can answer.

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Set another town beside Okeechobee and Starke

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Bordering Okeechobee

+ Compare

Cypress Quarters1,697 people · $220K homes

Towns like Okeechobee

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Parker4,509 people · $224K homes

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Belleview5,805 people · $210K homes

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Perry7,068 people · $151K homes

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Springfield8,230 people · $189K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Okeechobee vs Starke

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Okeechobee

Starke places higher on 11 of 20 FL lists

What daily life feels like in each

203 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Work from Home in Okeechobee

Life in Starke on a Saturday

Set another town beside Okeechobee and Starke

Bordering Okeechobee

Towns like Okeechobee

Post to Okeechobee

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