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%

Starke$1,330/mo

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

Okeechobee$1,710/mo

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

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

Health

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

11Starke

8Okeechobee

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

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

Left end = #1 in Florida. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Starke’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

StarkeOkeechobee

Snow a year0″0″

January low43°F 52°F

July high91°F 92°F

Growing season (days)277d 355d

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

Outdoors & history

StarkeOkeechobee

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land3.5%0.6%

Settled—1835

National Register places3 2

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here12 —

Community

StarkeOkeechobee

Library hours a week49 hrs 40 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.

StarkeFL OkeechobeeFL

Starke ↔ Okeechobee203 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

StarkeOkeechobee

People

Population 5,877Highest 5,479Lowest

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

Median age 37±2.6Lowest 13% below FL 38.4±3.5Highest 10% 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 25.9%±6.4Highest FL: 19.5% 24.1%±5Lowest 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+ 13.6%±3.4Lowest FL: 21.3% 19.2%±3.7Highest 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+ 18.2%Lowest FL: 34.1% 21.1%Highest FL: 34.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.3%±3.2Highest FL: 6.1% 4.7%±3.1Lowest 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 $52,258±$16kLowest 30% below FL $57,044±$7kHighest 24% 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 $214,300±$36kHighest 40% below FL $197,700±$23kLowest 45% 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 $840±$61Lowest 50% below FL $1,061±$97Highest 36% below FL

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

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.9%±17.5Highest FL: 60.1% 43.1%±17.1Lowest 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 28.7%Highest FL: 12.6% 15.8%Lowest FL: 12.6%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 7.1%±5.4Highest FL: 15.7% 2.8%±2.4Lowest 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 16.1%Lowest 26.1%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miLowest 33.3 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OkeechobeeFew work in Starke

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.5%Highest 0.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 1.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 1Lowest

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

Schools

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

School district BRADFORDOKEECHOBEE

High school in town Bradford High SchoolNone in town

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.

Starke neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Life in Starke on a Saturday

1 neighbor in Starke can answer.

Okeechobee neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 3d

Work from Home in Okeechobee

1 neighbor in Okeechobee can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Starke and Okeechobee

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Towns like Starke

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Pahokee5,609 people · $152K 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.

Starke vs Okeechobee

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

Life in Starke on a Saturday

Work from Home in Okeechobee

Set another town beside Starke and Okeechobee

Towns like Starke

Post to Starke

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