Fruit Cove is an unincorporated community in St. Johns 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 Fruit Cove

Fruit Cove is an unincorporated community in Florida with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, a population that has grown fast since 2020, 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. Fruit Cove deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Fast-growing population
  • Average class sizes

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average commute times
  • High rent burden for renters
  • Hot summers

How Fruit Cove compares

Median household income

Fruit Cove$141,863
Florida avg$74,568
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Fruit Cove$2,336
Florida avg$1,669
US$1,413

Median home value

Fruit Cove$484,000
Florida avg$359,000
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Fruit Cove

Based on Fruit Cove's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,672

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $93,440 a year
  • 52% of Fruit Cove renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$96,800

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $48,400
  • Homes cost 3.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 65% above US

$2,336/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,336 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $484,000. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $484,000 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.0% county unemployment

Unemployment in St. Johns County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

St. Johns County (county-wide)

Safety

76 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Fruit Cove doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the St. Johns 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 430/100k · Policed by St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 15% above US

30 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 29% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
67%
Work from home
29%
Carpool
3.1%
Other
1.0%
Walk
0.5%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 49°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°7.5"Jan: 2.93" precipitationFeb: 2.26" precipitationMar: 3.14" precipitationApr: 2.40" precipitationMay: 3.16" precipitationJun: 7.32" precipitationJul: 6.00" precipitationAug: 6.28" precipitationSep: 6.08" precipitationOct: 3.55" precipitationNov: 2.03" precipitationDec: 2.45" precipitation47°JJan: high 66°F, low 47°FFFeb: high 69°F, low 50°FMMar: high 74°F, low 55°FAApr: high 81°F, low 61°FMMay: high 86°F, low 69°FJJun: high 90°F, low 74°F92°JJul: high 92°F, low 76°FAAug: high 91°F, low 76°FSSep: high 88°F, low 74°FOOct: high 82°F, low 66°FNNov: high 73°F, low 56°FDDec: high 68°F, low 50°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 49% above US

54% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (23 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Fruit Cove's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,336/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (29% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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