Living in Fort Pierce South, Florida: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 0.2% above the U.S. average in the Port St. Lucie metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Fort Pierce South to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town6 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byHCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityOrlando is about 94 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Fort Pierce South meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Fort Pierce South runs into the built-up area around Port St. Lucie (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 9.4%St. Lucie County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,153 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $50,503U.S.: $80,734
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 3%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 100.2U.S. average = 100 (the Port St. Lucie metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 9.4% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Port St. Lucie metro area, not Fort Pierce South alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 5,028The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 40 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 20%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 17%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (21%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (15%); schools, health care and social services (13%)
Unemployment rate: 8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 26 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 4%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 30%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, Fort Pierce, FL, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 1 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

6 public schools in Fort Pierce South, run by St. Lucie.

Colleges in or next to town: Indian River State College (10,000 to 19,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Florida's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 76%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 85%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 53°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 70 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 1 a year
Rain and melted snow: 55.9 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 10 feet

Weather station: Ft Pierce (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Fort Pierce, FLCity of 52,0001

Orlando, FLMetro of 3 million94

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Fort Pierce, Orlando.

St. Lucie County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Campus life. Check Indian River State College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Fort Pierce South's history on Wikipedia.

Know Fort Pierce South?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

White City, FL5,700 people, 3 miles
Fort Pierce North, FL7,200 people, 5 miles
Indian River Estates, FL7,700 people, 5 miles
River Park, FL5,700 people, 6 miles
Lakewood Park, FL13,900 people, 9 miles
Hutchinson Island South, FL4,200 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

St. Lucie Village, FL642 people, 6 miles
Ocean Breeze, FL402 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.