Palatka vs Sebring

Which is the better fit for you?

Palatka, FL
42
Area Score
Bottom 5% nationally
Sebring, FL
39
Area Score
Bottom 2% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Palatka 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 Palatka to Sebring

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Palatka, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$116 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,271 in Sebring against $1,155 in Palatka.
The median home
27% more
$191,600 in Sebring against $150,500 in Palatka.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F milder
Normal January lows are 49°F in Sebring against 47°F in Palatka; July highs are 91°F against 90°F (summers 1°F hotter).

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

Palatka
Sebring
Opportunity: Palatka is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
33 · Bottom 9%
vs
27 · Bottom 5%
Growth: Palatka is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
50 · Bottom 49%
vs
36 · Bottom 23%
Climate: Palatka is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
90 · Top 4%
vs
85 · Top 10%
Physical resilience: Palatka is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
14 · Bottom 9%
vs
9 · Bottom 4%
Housing affordability
61 · Bottom 37%
vs
61 · Bottom 39%
Schools: Sebring is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
11 · Bottom 4%
vs
21 · Bottom 13%
Access: Palatka is the more favorable of the two.
Access
86 · Bottom 31%
vs
75 · Bottom 15%
Economic stability: Sebring is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
21 · Bottom 3%
vs
23 · Bottom 4%

Measured values

MetricPalatkaSebringSource period
Population10,65011,3822024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$32,021$44,184 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$20,076$30,510 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,081/sq mi978/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$150,500$191,6002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$901 ±$240$1,019 ±$742024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,155 — more favorable$1,271FY2026
Homeownership rate50.8%51.9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.8% — more favorable6.8%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.6% — more favorable−0.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher10.7%21.0% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate37.3%23.7% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)992312 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.32.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+41.4%−67.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low47°F49°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation51.4"52.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport30 mi — more favorable50 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate26.0 min ±3.1 min22.4 min ±2.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age35.345.62024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools8102024-25 school year
Students per teacher20.519.6 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency45.2%49.8% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency41.1%49.2% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility51.9%59.3%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.

2 rows above show 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. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Palatka

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, wildfire.

Sebring

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hurricane, cold wave.

Your best match

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

Palatka
—
Palatka: Your Score
42
Area Score
Sebring
—
Sebring: Your Score
39
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Palatka, FL · Sebring, FL · How this is calculated: methodology