Demographics of Jacksonville, Florida

The U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 estimates Jacksonville's population at 961,739, establishing it as the most populous city in Florida under its consolidated city-county government. The city's median age of 36.4 sits well below Florida's statewide figure of approximately 42, a gap that reflects Jacksonville's comparatively younger urban age structure relative to the retirement-destination communities that dominate statewide averages. Median household income stands at $66,981 and the median home value at $266,100, both figures derived from ACS 2023 estimates for the consolidated city boundaries.

These four headline figures — population, age, income, and home value — frame the demographic portrait developed in detail across the sections below. Jacksonville's scale as a consolidated municipality covering approximately 874 square miles means its population encompasses both dense urban neighborhoods and large rural and suburban tracts within Duval County, a structural feature that shapes how its demographic indicators compare with other Florida cities.

With a population of 961,739 recorded by the ACS 2023, Jacksonville stands as the most populous municipality in Florida when measured under its consolidated city-county boundaries — a governmental structure formalized on October 1, 1968, when the City of Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County's government, as documented by Ballotpedia. That consolidation instantly made Jacksonville one of the largest cities in the United States by land area, and its population has grown substantially in the decades since.

Jacksonville's median age of 36.4 is a demographic marker that distinguishes it sharply from much of Florida. The statewide median age hovers near 42, pulled upward by the concentration of retirees in South and Central Florida. Jacksonville's figure aligns more closely with national urban norms, a pattern attributable in part to the city's large military population — Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, and several other installations maintain thousands of active-duty personnel and their families within Duval County, as documented by the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development. Military households tend to skew younger than the general civilian population, reinforcing Jacksonville's below-state median age.

The city's geographic expanse — approximately 874 square miles according to NCH Stats — encompasses a diverse mix of urban cores, suburban tracts, and rural areas within Duval County. Four independent municipalities within the county (Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach) maintain their own separate governments and are not included in Jacksonville's population totals, per Ballotpedia.

The ACS 2023 records Jacksonville's median household income at $66,981. This figure falls modestly below both Florida's statewide median and the national median, a gap consistent with Jacksonville's economic profile as a city where large service, logistics, and public-sector employment sectors generate mid-range incomes across a broad workforce. The city's consolidated government encompasses income levels across both its densest urban neighborhoods and its more sparsely populated outer tracts, which influences where the median falls.

The poverty rate of 15.0 percent — also from ACS 2023 — indicates that one in seven Jacksonville residents lives below the federal poverty threshold. This rate exceeds the national average of roughly 12 to 13 percent and reflects the income stratification common to large southeastern cities with sizable service-industry workforces. Jacksonville's economy draws heavily on finance and insurance, healthcare, logistics, and military-related employment, as described by the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development; these sectors span a wide wage distribution, from entry-level positions to high-skill professional roles, contributing to the spread of household incomes across the city.

The military and defense sector adds an additional layer to income patterns: the JAXUSA Partnership, citing the Florida Military and Defense Economic Impact Summary of January 2024, documents $11.7 billion in sales activity and $5.7 billion in consumption generated by area military installations — a concentration of federal spending that supports an employment base ranging from entry-level service roles to specialized aerospace and defense contracting positions. Approximately 3,000 military personnel separate annually from local units, per the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development, adding a steady stream of mid-career workers into the regional economy.

Jacksonville's housing stock totals 422,355 units, of which 384,741 are occupied households, according to the ACS 2023. Owner-occupied units account for 57.4 percent of occupied housing, while renter-occupied units comprise 42.6 percent. The homeownership rate of 57.4 percent aligns closely with Florida's statewide ownership rate and reflects the relatively affordable entry-level home prices that Jacksonville's large land area and suburban development patterns have historically supported compared to Florida's coastal resort markets.

The median home value of $266,100 is the principal measure of housing wealth in Jacksonville's owner-occupied segment. This figure positions Jacksonville below the Florida statewide median home value of approximately $300,000 to $320,000 (as of ACS 2023 estimates), a gap attributable in part to the city's geographic expanse: Jacksonville encompasses large areas of lower-density residential land that tend to carry lower per-unit valuations than the densely built coastal markets in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Sarasota counties. The median gross rent of $1,375 per month describes the cost of the rental housing stock across the city's 42.6 percent renter households.

The scale of the housing stock — 422,355 total units — reflects both Jacksonville's consolidated municipal footprint and its role as the dominant housing market in Northeast Florida. The city's ongoing downtown redevelopment activity includes approximately 1,250 new residential units in the pipeline, 200,000 square feet of retail, and 110 hotel rooms, as documented in the 2024–2025 State of Downtown Report released by Downtown Vision Inc. and reported by the Jacksonville Free Press. These additions represent a fraction of the citywide housing stock but are concentrated in the urban core, where the mix of tenure and unit type differs markedly from the suburban norm.

Jacksonville's labor force participation rate of 76.2 percent and unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, both drawn from the ACS 2023, describe a workforce in which a high proportion of the working-age population is actively engaged in the labor market. A participation rate of 76.2 percent exceeds the national average of approximately 62 to 63 percent for the overall civilian population aged 16 and over, though it is important to note that ACS labor force participation figures capture a somewhat different universe than the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly surveys. The city's 4.5 percent unemployment rate is consistent with moderate tightness in a large regional labor market.

The industrial composition of Jacksonville's employment base spans finance and insurance, healthcare, logistics and port activity, and an extensive military and defense sector. The Port of Jacksonville supports approximately 50,000 jobs in Northeast Florida with a documented regional economic impact of $2.7 billion, and it serves as the exclusive U.S. headquarters of three major maritime shippers serving Puerto Rico — TOTE Maritime, Crowley Maritime, and Trailer Bridge — as noted in publicly available city economic development data. The City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development identifies healthcare, financial services, aviation and aerospace, manufacturing, and distribution as targeted industries for economic growth.

The military installations within and near Jacksonville generate a labor market dynamic unlike most Florida cities. The City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development documents Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, Kings Bay Naval Base, Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Naval Aviation Depot Jacksonville, and Marine Corps Blount Island Command as the principal installations. According to the JAXUSA Partnership, these installations collectively produced $11.7 billion in sales activity and $5.7 billion in consumption, figures drawn from the Florida Military and Defense Economic Impact Summary of January 2024. The approximately 3,000 military personnel separating annually from local units supply a continuous flow of skilled workers — particularly into aviation and aerospace — into the regional civilian economy, per the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development.

The ACS 2023 documents that 21.6 percent of Jacksonville residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This rate falls below the Florida statewide figure of approximately 31 percent and the national average of roughly 35 percent, placing Jacksonville in a position common to large southeastern cities where a substantial share of employment is concentrated in sectors — logistics, military support, healthcare services, and construction — that draw heavily on sub-baccalaureate credentials and vocational training.

The lower bachelor's attainment rate does not preclude a skilled workforce; Jacksonville's industrial mix rewards technical certifications, skilled trades, and military occupational specialties that do not appear in the bachelor's-or-higher ACS category. The City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development notes that approximately 3,000 military personnel separate annually from local installations into civilian employment, bringing with them training in aviation, mechanics, logistics, and information technology. These workers carry documented competencies that are central to the city's targeted aerospace, manufacturing, and distribution industries even without four-year degrees.

Jacksonville is home to several higher education institutions that contribute to degree attainment over time, though the ACS 2023 snapshot captures the cumulative stock of educational credentials in the current adult population rather than enrollment trends. The 21.6 percent figure reflects both the city's historical economic structure and the composition of its large, diverse adult workforce — which, at 961,739 residents, spans a wide range of age cohorts with different educational norms at the time they completed their schooling.

All population, age, income, housing, labor, and education figures cited on this page are drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, 2023. ACS figures are sample-based estimates and carry margins of error; they describe conditions during the survey reference period rather than a single census date. All headline figures reflect Jacksonville's consolidated city-county boundary, which encompasses the vast majority of Duval County. The four independent municipalities within Duval County — Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach — are not included in Jacksonville's ACS universe, as documented by Ballotpedia.

Florida statewide and U.S. national comparator figures used in comparison rows are approximations derived from published ACS 2023 summary data and are labeled with a tilde (~) to indicate they are rounded reference values rather than precise figures from the brief. Contextual information about Jacksonville's economic structure, military installations, and historical development is drawn from the City of Jacksonville Office of Economic Development, the JAXUSA Partnership, Britannica, and Ballotpedia, as cited in the relevant sections. Geographic area data is sourced from NCH Stats. Downtown development pipeline figures are drawn from the Downtown Vision Inc. 2024–2025 State of Downtown Report as reported by the Jacksonville Free Press and the City of Jacksonville Downtown Investment Authority. This page was produced using data accessed on April 30, 2026.