What it's like to live in Stuart
Stuart is a small city in Florida with air quality that stays clean most of the year and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Stuart deals with household incomes below the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Clean air
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 63" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Stuart compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Stuart
Based on Stuart's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,172
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,440 a year
- 67% of Stuart renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$65,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,940
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 12% above US
$1,586/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,586 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $329,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $329,400 · 67% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Martin County is 4.2%, 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.
Martin County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
313 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1457/100k · Stuart Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.6 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; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 58°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
35% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 35% 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
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Cypress National Preserve (99 miles away).
Bottom line
Stuart's strongest points are air quality that stays clean most of the year and a population that has grown fast since 2020; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,586/mo) equals 32% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.
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