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Compare towns

Stuart vs Cocoa

88 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.1× in Stuart) and home values (+34% in Stuart).

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Stuart, FLHomes around $374KFlorida · 18,520 people
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Cocoa, FLHomes around $298KFlorida · 19,554 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Stuart

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.

Stuart$2,160/mo
Typical home $374K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →
Cocoa$1,730/mo
Typical home $298K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,274/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Stuart and Cocoa.

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

Stuart places higher on 14 of 22 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.

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
StuartCocoa
Snow a year0″0″
January low56°F50°F
July high91°F90°F
Growing season (days)365d362d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th87th
Outdoors & history
StuartCocoa
Trails4 mi8 mi
Conserved land2.9%2.3%
Settled—1860
National Register places44
Archive photos126
Famous people born here24—
Community
StuartCocoa
Library hours a week55 hrs57 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.

Where they are

88 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Stuart ↔ Cocoa88 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.

StuartCocoa
People
Population 18,520Lowest 19,554Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.7%Highest FL: +14.6% +11.1%Lowest FL: +14.6%
Median age 48.6±5Highest 14% above FL 44.9±3.1Lowest 5% above FL
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.4%±2.9Lowest FL: 19.5% 17.5%±3.3Highest FL: 19.5%
Cocoa and Stuart are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.1%±3.1Highest FL: 21.3% 21.8%±2.6Lowest FL: 21.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.1%Highest FL: 34.1% 27.4%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.5Highest FL: 6.1% 3.8%±1.5Lowest FL: 6.1%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,225±$8kLowest 19% below FL $63,105±$10kHighest 15% below FL
Cocoa and Stuart are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $329,400±$33kHighest 8% below FL $246,100±$19kLowest 31% below FL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,586±$99Highest 5% below FL $1,274±$123Lowest 24% below FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,063Highest 24% below FL $1,645Lowest 40% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 69.3%±10.1Highest FL: 60.1% 61.5%±9.4Lowest FL: 60.1%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.3%Highest FL: 12.6% 13.1%Lowest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.9%Lowest FL: 67.6% 63.5%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Highest 6 yrs older than FL 1975Lowest 13 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 12% below FL 26 minHighest 9% below FL
Work from home 12.4%±3.4Highest FL: 15.7% 9.1%±2.5Lowest FL: 15.7%
Stuart and Cocoa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 23.8%Highest 8.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miLowest 20.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 4.18Highest 1.35Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Port St. Lucie (5%)Rockledge (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CocoaFew work in Stuart
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.9%Highest 2.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.9 miLowest 8.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 24Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.1Highest 56.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #188 of 488 in FL#460 of 488 in FL
School district MARTINBREVARD
High school in town Martin County High SchoolCocoa High School
Students per teacherat that high school 22.1Highest 16.1Lowest
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.

Stuart neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stuart’s Town Square.

Cocoa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cocoa’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Stuart and Cocoa

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Stuart

Towns like Stuart

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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