Melbourne, Florida

Population

Growing. Up 2.4% since 2020.

87,097

people, the 32nd-largest of Florida's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Florida's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

82.6%

of 60,666 jobs located in Melbourne are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in March: 4.6%.

4.7%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 4.4%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 79% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,525

a month. Florida's median is $1,669.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,856 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Brevard County.

• $1,207 Tract 625
• $3,063 Tract 712.05

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,136–$1,704

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,525 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 2,331 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 37% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 77% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.5% to the 41,217 homes here.

146–607

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 15% less than Florida's.

$306,400

median home value in Melbourne.

• $306,400 Melbourne
• $359,000 Florida
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year