How Cocoa compares across Florida
Cocoa is ranked on 33 lists against the 635 Florida towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
Cocoa lands in the top half on 7 of 22 lists
Each dot is Cocoa’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in FL, the right end is last. Areas where Cocoa does best come first.
Drier than 88% of Florida
Not better or worse, just Cocoa’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Cocoa out-ranks 2 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every FL list, and where Cocoa lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Silver Springs · 0.4 yrs
#147
Cheapest rent#1 Chattahoochee · $613/mo
#146
Lowest property tax#1 Silver Springs · $199/yr
#142
Rent easiest to afford#1 Milton · 23.2%
#141 Getting around
P Shortest commute#1 Pensacola Station · 9.7 min #230
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Tierra Verde · 58.9%
#341
Most trails#1 Lely · 6.3 mi / sq mi
#207
Most walkable#1 West Miami · 544 / sq mi
#414 People
Most educated#1 Indian River Shores · 79.3%
#359
F
Youngest#1 Florida Gulf Coast University · 19.5
#379
Oldest#1 Timber Pines · 74.8
#258
Most residents 65+#1 The Villages · 85.2%
#250
Most kids#1 Wauchula · 39.3%
#394 Health
Healthiest#1 Bay Hill · 98 / 100
#489
H
Lowest obesity#1 Highland Beach · 20%
#537
Fewest smokers#1 Pelican Bay · 5%
#467
N
Most active#1 Nocatee · 15%
#387
Fewest uninsured#1 Longboat Key · 4%
#394
Lowest depression#1 Olympia Heights · 12%
#380
Closest to a top hospital#1 Fernandina Beach · 0.2 mi
#370 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Lower Grand Lagoon · 57.1%
#349
Most new homes#1 Westlake · 146.3 per 1,000
#148
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Little River · +102.6%
#345
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Miami Shores · 63.2 per home
#70 
Climate
Mildest winters#1 Key West · 64.8°
#168
Hottest summers#1 Ave Maria · 92.7°
#472
Coolest summers#1 Key Largo · 89.0°
#76
Longest growing season#1 Arcadia · 324 days
Wettest#1 Destin · 64 in
#486 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 North Miami Beach · 20.3 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Winter Park · 17.4 per resident
Safety
Safest#1 Gulf Breeze · 4.8
The number on the right is Cocoa’s spot. All of Florida’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every FL list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.