Is Fort Myers, FL a Good Place to Live?
Fort Myers is a mid-sized city of 88,699 in Florida, with a median household income of $57,403 and a 4.1% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 104 (US average = 100), which is 4% above the national average.
Strengths: Fort Myers stands out for solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Fort Myers is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Fort Myers 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: 103.5Fort Myers's overall cost of living index is 103.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Fort Myers costs roughly 4% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Fort Myers, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $318,900 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,322 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 48.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $57,403 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Fort Myers is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Fort Myers is served primarily by LEE. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20.5:1 (slightly above the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Fort Myers, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | LEE | — |
| Elementary Schools | 61 | — |
| Middle Schools | 18 | — |
| High Schools | 33 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 20.5:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 31.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 85.9% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Fort Myers sees average highs of 75.0°F in January and 91.6°F in July, with 57.4 inches of annual precipitation .
| Metric | Fort Myers, FL |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 75.0°F |
| Average High — July | 91.6°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 57.4" |
| Annual Snowfall | Trace / None |
Demographics
| Metric | Fort Myers, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 88,699 | — |
| Median Age | 40.6 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.1% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 24.5 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 55.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 22.2% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.6% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 2.1% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 20.4% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 22.4% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Fort Myers
Fort Myers, FL is covered by 5 ZIP codes: