Is Cottondale, FL a Good Place to Live?
Cottondale is a small town of 965 in Florida, with a median household income of $49,375 and a 1.8% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 93 (US average = 100), which is 7% below the national average.
Strengths: Cottondale stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Cottondale is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Cottondale city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 92.7Cottondale's overall cost of living index is 92.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Cottondale costs roughly 7% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Cottondale, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $84,500 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $777 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 65.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $49,375 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Cottondale is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Cottondale is served primarily by JACKSON. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.8:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Cottondale, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | JACKSON | — |
| Elementary Schools | 3 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 3 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 14.8:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 5.9% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 82.7% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Cottondale sees average highs of 63.6°F in January and 93.0°F in July, with 64.7 inches of annual precipitation .
| Metric | Cottondale, FL |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 63.6°F |
| Average High — July | 93.0°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 64.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | Trace / None |
Demographics
| Metric | Cottondale, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 965 | — |
| Median Age | 50.5 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.8% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 25.6 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 81.5% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 11.2% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.4% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 19.0% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 19.7% | 16.8% |