Moving to
On Top of the World.

All On Top of the World data Compare On Top of the World

16,007people live here $60,670median household income▼ 25% below US $1,212median rent per month▼ 14% below US $303,900median home valueNear US average

On Top of the World is an unincorporated community in Marion 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 On Top of the World

On Top of the World is an unincorporated community in Florida with rent below the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. On Top of the World deals with household incomes below the national average, hot summers, above-average rainfall, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.

The good

Rent below the national average
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Hot summers
Above-average rainfall
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How On Top of the World compares

Median household income

On Top of the World$60,670

Florida avg$74,568

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

On Top of the World$1,212

Florida avg$1,669

US$1,413

Median home value

On Top of the World$303,900

Florida avg$359,000

US$332,700

What it takes to move to On Top of the World

Based on On Top of the World's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,424

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,480 a year
37% of On Top of the World renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$60,780

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $30,390
Homes cost 5.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 14% below US

$1,212/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,212 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $303,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $303,900 · 37% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.9% county unemployment

Unemployment in Marion County is 4.9%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Marion County (county-wide)

Safety

224 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

On Top of the World doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Marion 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 632/100k · Policed by Marion County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 10% below US

23 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.4 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 23% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

70%

Work from home

23%

Other

4.0%

Walk

2.1%

Carpool

1.7%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 47°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

0 public schools inside the boundary

No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district. There is 1 private school inside it.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Fort Matanzas National Monument (76 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

On Top of the World's strongest points are rent below the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,212/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home).

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