Fish Hawk vs St. Petersburg

Which is the better fit for you?

Fish Hawk, FL
62
Area Score
Top 40% nationally
St. Petersburg, FL
54
Area Score
Bottom 33% nationally

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Fish Hawk receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Fish Hawk to St. Petersburg

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 102.5 against 102.5 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$930 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,917 in St. Petersburg against $2,847 in Fish Hawk.
The median home
34% less
$371,100 in St. Petersburg against $561,000 in Fish Hawk.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F milder
Normal January lows are 55°F in St. Petersburg against 53°F in Fish Hawk; July highs are 90°F against 91°F (summers 1°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Fish Hawk
St. Petersburg
Opportunity: Fish Hawk is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
55 · Bottom 47%
vs
50 · Bottom 37%
Growth: St. Petersburg is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
52 · Top 46%
vs
66 · Top 20%
Climate: St. Petersburg is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
81 · Top 13%
vs
83 · Top 10%
Physical resilience: Fish Hawk is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
35 · Bottom 27%
vs
34 · Bottom 27%
Housing affordability: Fish Hawk is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
65 · Bottom 46%
vs
54 · Bottom 26%
Schools: Fish Hawk is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
79 · Top 13%
vs
29 · Bottom 24%
Access: St. Petersburg is the more favorable of the two.
Access
96 · Top 33%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Fish Hawk is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
68 · Top 30%
vs
50 · Bottom 35%

Measured values

MetricFish HawkSt. PetersburgSource period
Population26,186262,7322024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$135,271 — more favorable$75,1922024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$51,007 ±$4,643$51,961 ±$1,3102024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,615/sq mi4,251/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$561,000$371,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,280$1,663 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,847$1,917 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index102.5102.52023
Homeownership rate80.1%62.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.8%4.2% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.0% — more favorable−1.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher55.0% — more favorable42.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate6.9% — more favorable12.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)8,2172,84112 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents5.410.8 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+12.6%+175.3% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high91°F90°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low53°F55°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation49.5"46.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport15 mi10 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute42.4 min26.7 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.243.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools7352024-25 school year
Students per teacher20.515.7 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency77.8% — more favorable50.0%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency75.1% — more favorable50.9%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility18.8%52.2%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Fish Hawk

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

St. Petersburg

Elevated or high exposure: coastal flooding, hurricane.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Fish Hawk
—
Fish Hawk: Your Score
62
Area Score
St. Petersburg
—
St. Petersburg: Your Score
54
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Fish Hawk, FL · St. Petersburg, FL · How this is calculated: methodology