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Compare towns

Osprey vs Laurel

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+39.4 pts in Laurel) and home values (+57% in Osprey).

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Osprey, FLKnown for its schoolsFlorida · 5,943 people
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Laurel, FLKnown for its schoolsFlorida · 11,741 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

OspreyKnown for its schools
Schools#1 for schools in FLof 488 towns Housing$656K typical home75% above the FL typical home Outdoors#71 most conserved land in FL4.7 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Osprey →
LaurelKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 86%of FL districts HealthHealthier than 71%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#83 most trails in FL12 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves All about Laurel →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Growth since 2010+39.4 pts
Laurel has grown faster since 2010
Laurel +49.1%Osprey +9.7%
Home values+57%
Homes cost more in Osprey
Osprey $750,000Laurel $478,900
Property tax bill+52%
Tax bills are bigger in Osprey
Osprey $5,256Laurel $3,449
Trails2.5×
Laurel has more miles of trail
Laurel 11.6 miOsprey 4.7 mi
Bachelor’s degree++14.5 pts
More adults in Osprey have a degree
Osprey 56.7%Laurel 42.2%
Jobs per worker+89%
Osprey is more of a job hub
Osprey 0.83Laurel 0.44
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,020 more a month in Osprey

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.

Osprey$3,820/mo
Typical home $656K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.70% · or rent about $2,196/mo · Housing →
Laurel$2,800/mo
Typical home $479K (Census) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,323/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,020 a month, about $12,300 a year, between Osprey and Laurel.

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.

Where they are

Osprey and Laurel share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

OspreyLaurelOspreyLaurel
Osprey ↔ Laurel3.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
58 Laurel residents work in Osprey (1.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Laurel →
Report cards

Osprey places higher on 10 of 19 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
AOspreyBetter than 86% of districts in the state ALaurelBetter than 86% of districts in the state
Health
A−OspreyHealthier than 77% of U.S. towns B+LaurelHealthier than 71% of U.S. towns
10Osprey
7Laurel

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Cheapest rentCost of living · 626 towns #557#173 Fastest growingGrowth · 614 towns #319#44 Most walkableOutdoors · 635 towns #416#283 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 635 towns #173#58 Most educatedPeople · 635 towns #54#166 Lowest property taxCost of living · 626 towns #570#463 Most affordableCost of living · 630 towns #600#493 Most conserved landOutdoors · 578 towns #71#150

Left end = #1 in Florida. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Osprey’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
OspreyLaurel
Snow a year0″0″
January low52°F52°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th88th
Outdoors & history
OspreyLaurel
Trails5 mi12 mi
Conserved land13.6%7.3%
National Register places31
Archive photos8—
Community
OspreyLaurel
Library hours a week31 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

OspreyLaurel
People
Population 5,943Lowest 11,741Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.7%Lowest FL: +14.6% +49.1%Highest FL: +14.6%
Median age 64.5±1.6Highest 51% above FL 63.7±1.4Lowest 50% above FL
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 10.2%±2.9 FL: 19.5% 10.2%±2.7 FL: 19.5%
Age 65+ 48.4%±4.5Highest FL: 21.3% 46.8%±2.3Lowest FL: 21.3%
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 56.7%Highest FL: 34.1% 42.2%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±2.1Highest FL: 6.1% 2.3%±1.2Lowest FL: 6.1%
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $103,516±$8kHighest 39% above FL $92,340±$9kLowest 24% above FL
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $750,000±$61kHighest 109% above FL $478,900±$31kLowest 33% above FL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,196±$902Highest 32% above FL $1,323±$350Lowest 21% below FL
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,256Highest 93% above FL $3,449Lowest 26% above FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.4%±12.4Highest FL: 60.1% 47.5%±33.7Lowest FL: 60.1%
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.1%Highest FL: 12.6% 5.6%Lowest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.6%Lowest FL: 67.6% 91.4%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1998Highest 10 yrs newer than FL 1983Lowest 5 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 17% below FL 25 minHighest 11% below FL
Work from home 27.2%±5.4Highest FL: 15.7% 23.7%±5.8Lowest FL: 15.7%
Osprey and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 8.3%Highest 6.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 13.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Highest 0.44Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sarasota (15%)Sarasota (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Laurel1% work in Osprey
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.6%Highest 7.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.7 miLowest 11.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 1.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.8Lowest 81.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #1 of 488 in FL—
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.

Osprey neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Osprey’s Town Square.

Laurel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel’s Town Square.

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Bordering Osprey

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Vamo2,936 people · $364K homes
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Palmer Ranch16,867 people · $593K homes

Towns like Osprey

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Sanibel6,418 people · $957K homes
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Lauderdale-by-the-Sea6,232 people · $681K homes
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Belleair4,428 people · $633K homes
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Fort Myers Beach5,513 people · $642K 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.

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