Moving to
Forest City.

All Forest City data Compare Forest City

15,312people live here $85,606median household incomeNear US average $1,777median rent per month▲ 26% above US $369,900median home value▲ 11% above US

Forest City is an unincorporated community in Seminole County, FL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Forest City

Forest City is an unincorporated community in Florida with county unemployment below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Forest City deals with rent well above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, and above-average rainfall.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High rent burden for renters
Hot summers
Above-average rainfall
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Forest City compares

Median household income

Forest City$85,606

Florida avg$74,568

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Forest City$1,777

Florida avg$1,669

US$1,413

Median home value

Forest City$369,900

Florida avg$359,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Forest City

Based on Forest City's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,554

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,080 a year
52% of Forest City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$73,980

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $36,990
Homes cost 4.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 26% above US

$1,777/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,777 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $369,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $369,900 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Seminole County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Seminole County (county-wide)

Safety

125 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Forest City doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 527/100k · Policed by Seminole County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

27 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

75%

Work from home

14%

Carpool

9.2%

Walk

1.0%

Public transit

0.5%

Other

0.1%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 54°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

39% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Canaveral National Seashore (43 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Forest City's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,777/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Forest City →·All Florida cities →