Is Lake Helen, FL a Good Place to Live?
Lake Helen is a small town of 2,836 in Florida, with a median household income of $91,861 and a 3.9% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 102 (US average = 100), which is 2% above the national average.
Strengths: Lake Helen stands out for lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B-).
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Lake Helen is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Lake Helen 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: 102.0Lake Helen's overall cost of living index is 102.0, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Lake Helen costs roughly 2% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Lake Helen, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $286,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,170 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 85.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $91,861 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeLake Helen's violent crime rate is 232.9 per 100,000 residents — 39% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Lake Helen is served primarily by VOLUSIA. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18.1:1 (slightly above the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Lake Helen, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | VOLUSIA | — |
| Elementary Schools | 48 | — |
| Middle Schools | 12 | — |
| High Schools | 14 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 18.1:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 24.8% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 87.9% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Lake Helen sees average highs of 69.1°F in January and 90.9°F in July, with 55.5 inches of annual precipitation .
| Metric | Lake Helen, FL |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 69.1°F |
| Average High — July | 90.9°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 55.5" |
| Annual Snowfall | Trace / None |
Demographics
| Metric | Lake Helen, FL | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,836 | — |
| Median Age | 41.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 28.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 92.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.7% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 23.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 23.2% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Lake Helen
Lake Helen, FL is covered by 1 ZIP code: