AreaProfile

Palm River-Clair Mel vs St. Petersburg

Which is the better fit for you?

Palm River-Clair Mel, FL
50
Area Score
Bottom 19% nationally
St. Petersburg, FL
54
Area Score
Bottom 33% nationally

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St. Petersburg 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 Palm River-Clair Mel 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
−$373 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,917 in St. Petersburg against $2,290 in Palm River-Clair Mel.
The median home
37% more
$371,100 in St. Petersburg against $271,700 in Palm River-Clair Mel.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F milder
Normal January lows are 55°F in St. Petersburg against 53°F in Palm River-Clair Mel; 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

Palm River-Clair Mel
St. Petersburg
Opportunity: St. Petersburg is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
43 · Bottom 23%
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: Palm River-Clair Mel is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
35 · Bottom 28%
vs
34 · Bottom 27%
Housing affordability: Palm River-Clair Mel is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
61 · Bottom 39%
vs
54 · Bottom 26%
Schools: St. Petersburg is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
13 · Bottom 5%
vs
29 · Bottom 24%
Access
99 · Top 9%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Palm River-Clair Mel is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
53 · Bottom 41%
vs
50 · Bottom 35%

Measured values

MetricPalm River-Clair MelSt. PetersburgSource period
Population27,844262,7322024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$71,787 ±$6,213$75,192 ±$1,8752024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$31,732$51,961 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,437/sq mi4,251/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$271,700$371,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,525 ±$140$1,663 ±$302024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,290$1,917 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index102.5102.52023
Homeownership rate60.5%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 higher25.0%42.6% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate12.8% ±3%12.1% ±0.9%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 airport10 mi10 miNASR current cycle
Average commute32.4 min26.7 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.943.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools10352024-25 school year
Students per teacher19.615.7 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency46.3%50.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency42.4%50.9% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility63.6%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.

3 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.

Physical risk tradeoff

Palm River-Clair Mel

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.

Palm River-Clair Mel
—
Palm River-Clair Mel: Your Score
50
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: Palm River-Clair Mel, FL · St. Petersburg, FL · How this is calculated: methodology