Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau & Bradford Counties · Northeast Florida
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BRADFORD COUNTY · SUBDIVISIONS + ACREAGE

Bradford County subdivisions + acreage.

An honest guide to what's actually here. Bradford is not a subdivision county — most homes sit on single lots or acreage, with a handful of small platted communities near Starke and several manufactured home communities across the county. Every number below is footnoted to a named source with an as-of date, and where I could not verify a figure, I say so instead of estimating.

66
New Housing Units Permitted, 20259
2.33
Permits per 1,000 Residents91
~$20k
Median Asking Price per Acre18
41.7 ac
Average Listed Lot Size18
11,143
Total Housing Units, County1
73.3%
Homeownership Rate1
15.5–20.0
Total Millage Range by Jurisdiction10
$54
Minimum County Building Permit15
Start Here

The 60-second version

Bradford County has 11,143 total housing units in the entire county1, and in 2025 it permitted 66 new ones.9 Those two numbers explain everything else on this page. There is no master-planned community here, because there is no volume to build one. What exists instead is a handful of small platted subdivisions near Starke, several manufactured home communities, and a very large supply of raw land.

The permit history is worth reading in full, because it shows this is not a temporary slowdown. Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research counts 59 units permitted in 2000, 31 in 2010, 74 in 2020, 66 in 2021, 107 in 2022, 69 in 2023, 90 in 2024 and 66 in 20252. Even the 2022 peak of 107 units is a rounding error for a county of 28,307 people1. At 66 permits, that is 2.33 per 1,000 residents — and the 2025 figure is down 26.7% from 20249.

So the practical question in Bradford isn't "which subdivision?" It's "which of the four buying paths am I on?" Existing home on a lot in town. Existing home on acreage outside town. A manufactured home — and if so, do you own the dirt or lease it. Or raw land you develop yourself. Each one has different financing, different taxes, different due diligence, and different exit liquidity. This page walks all four.

Why every number here has a footnote

Bradford is small enough that the national data sites disagree with each other badly, and small enough that nobody bothers to check. Zillow showed 188 active county listings on August 3, 20266; Homes.com showed 225 the same day7. That is a 20% spread on a number that should be simple. I'd rather show you the disagreement than quietly pick whichever one flatters the story I want to tell.

The Real Bradford Market

Why Bradford isn't a subdivision county

If you're moving from Duval, Clay, or St. Johns, Bradford County reads differently. In those counties, the residential market is dominated by master-planned communities — 200 to 2,000-home subdivisions with HOAs, amenity centers, and coordinated marketing. Bradford has almost none of that, and the permit numbers above are why.

Bradford's residential market is instead dominated by three inventory types:

  1. Single-lot homes. Individual homes on individual parcels — no HOA, no builder marketing, just single-family homes for sale one at a time. This is the majority of Bradford inventory. Countywide homeownership runs 73.3%, well above the pattern in the metro counties east of here, and the median value of an owner-occupied unit was $212,500 in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey1.
  2. Manufactured and modular homes on land. A substantial share of the market — homes on 1 to 5-plus acre parcels, financed differently than stick-built. I want to be straight with you about a gap here: I could not pull a verified figure for what percentage of Bradford's housing stock is manufactured. The Census table that holds it (ACS B25024) was not retrievable from a source I could cite, so I am not going to publish a number I cannot stand behind. From working the county, it is a large minority of what trades — but treat that as my observation, not a statistic.
  3. Vacant land and rural acreage. From 1-acre residential lots to 200-plus acre timber parcels. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 418 farms across 61,282 acres in Bradford — roughly a third of the county's land — at an average farm size of 147 acres17. That agricultural land base is the raw material of the acreage market.

What makes all three work is location, not amenities. From Starke it's 13 miles and about 17 minutes to Keystone Heights, 26 miles and about 37 minutes to Gainesville, 46 miles and roughly an hour to Jacksonville, 37 miles and about 50 minutes to Lake City, and 40 miles and about 55 minutes to Palatka33. That is the whole value proposition of buying land here: you are inside an hour of two real job markets while paying rural land prices. It also explains why 50.6% of the county's workers 16 and older work outside the county, with a mean travel time of 32.4 minutes2.

A word on the rental math, since investors ask. The Census ACS 2020-2024 median gross rent for Bradford County is $8631. Zumper showed a median asking rent of $1,499 in Starke as of August 3, 2026 — but that figure is calculated from roughly 20 available listings on a rolling 30-day basis28, so treat it as a snapshot of what a small number of landlords are currently asking, not as a market rent. The honest read is that actual achieved rents sit somewhere between those two numbers, and a ~20-listing sample cannot tell you where. If you're underwriting a rental here, price it off comparable signed leases, not off a listing aggregator.

The takeaway: don't expect a "Nocatee equivalent" in Bradford. It doesn't exist here. What you get instead is more control — choose your parcel, choose your builder or manufacturer — fewer rules, since HOA presence is very limited, and lower per-acre cost. What you give up is the appraisal comfort, resale liquidity and predictable HOA-maintained streets that a large subdivision provides. That trade is the whole decision.

Land Scorecard

What Bradford land and homes actually price at

There is no single reliable "Bradford County median." The county is too small for most data providers to publish stable series, and with roughly 21 closed sales in a typical month3, any one month's median can swing on two or three transactions. So here is every figure I could verify, labeled by geography, period and source, so you can see the spread yourself.

MetricFigureGeography, period & source
Median asking price per acre~$19,999County land listings, Aug 3, 2026 — asking, not closed18
Average land listing price$769,983County land listings, Aug 3, 2026 (~129 properties)18
Median land listing price$500,000County land listings, Aug 3, 202618
Average listed lot size41.7 acresCounty land listings, Aug 3, 202618
Median sale price, homes$283,000County-level, October 2025, up 10.8% YoY3
Homes sold per month21County-level, October 2025 (15 a year earlier)3
Median days on market56 daysCounty-level, October 2025 (34 a year earlier)3
Median sale price, homes$230,000ZIP 32091 (Starke), latest published month 2026, down 17.9% YoY4
Days on market33.5 daysZIP 32091 (Starke), latest published month 20264
Zillow Home Value Index$219,876ZIP 32091 (Starke), through Jan 31, 2026, down 1.3% YoY5
Median value, owner-occupied$212,500County, ACS 2020-20241
Active listings, all types188 / 225County, Aug 3, 2026 — Zillow 1886, Homes.com 2257
House price index (all transactions)292.80County, 2025 annual, +1.6% over 2024; 209.71 in 20218

How to read the land row honestly. A $19,999 median asking price per acre is a real data point, but it is an asking price on roughly 129 active listings, and the average listed parcel is 41.7 acres18. In practice, a 1-acre lot with paved frontage and power at the road prices per acre at a large multiple of a 60-acre back parcel reached by an easement. Price per acre in Bradford is driven by road frontage, whether power is already at the road, wetland share, merchantable timber and whether the parcel already carries an agricultural classification. Anyone quoting you a single flat per-acre number for this county is selling, not appraising.

Notice that the ZIP-level and county-level numbers point opposite directions — county median sale up 10.8% year over year in October 20253, ZIP 32091 median sale down 17.9% in its latest published month4. Both are real; neither is wrong. That is what happens when you take a median of a handful of transactions. Do not let anyone build you a pricing argument on one month of Bradford data, in either direction.

The one long-run number I trust most is the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, because it uses repeat sales rather than a monthly median on a tiny sample. It put Bradford at 292.80 for 2025 against 288.25 in 2024, a 1.6% gain — and 209.71 back in 2021, which is roughly 40% appreciation over four years8. That is the shape of this market: a big run-up through the rate shock, then a flat-to-slightly-up 2025.

Named Subdivisions

Platted subdivisions near Starke

Bradford's platted subdivisions cluster near Starke — a city of 5,796 residents at the 2020 Census, estimated near 6,000 in 2025, incorporated April 4, 1870 and covering just 7.18 square miles at 167 feet of elevation30. That is the entire urban footprint of the county. Subdivision names show up in older plat books, and several carry basic deed restrictions rather than a full funded HOA. Always verify HOA status and any dues at the parcel level with the seller and title company — this is not a market where a web search gives you reliable HOA information. Names commonly seen in Starke-area plats include:

  • The Starke Golf & Country Club area — homes on and adjacent to the golf course east of downtown. Verify current course operating status with the club or seller directly; small-town courses have gone through operational changes historically, and a closed course changes the value proposition for every home that backs to it. Homes in the golf-adjacent submarket typically carry a modest premium over comparable homes elsewhere in Starke.
  • Older platted neighborhoods inside Starke city limits — smaller communities platted from the 1960s through the 1990s, generally without active HOAs. These are the walk-to-town options, close to the Call Street Historic District and the Andrews Center, the Romanesque 1902 former courthouse now on the National Register30.
  • Newer subdivisions along US-301 south — small platted subdivisions built from the 1990s onward on the south side of Starke, nearer the retail corridor. Some carry deed restrictions. Understand before you buy that US-301 is a through-route: it became Starke's reason for existing in the early 1900s as the quickest Jacksonville-to-Tampa run for northeastern travelers, and it still carries that traffic 26 miles north to Baldwin and Interstate 1030. Highway frontage and highway noise are real pricing factors here.

Because HOA structures and deed restrictions vary parcel by parcel and change over time, this page intentionally does not list specific HOA fees. Get the recorded declaration of covenants from the seller, read the Schedule B-II exceptions on the title commitment, and ask a direct question: is there a management company, and are dues actually being collected? A recorded covenant with no functioning association behind it is a very different thing from an HOA with a budget and a reserve study.

Cost to Own

Which jurisdiction you buy in changes your tax bill

This is the most under-appreciated decision in Bradford County, and it maps directly onto the subdivision-versus-acreage choice: subdivisions cluster inside Starke city limits, which is the county's highest-tax jurisdiction, while acreage is mostly unincorporated.

Where you buyTotal millageCity levy inside that total
City of Starke20.03514.387910
Lawtey17.89842.251210
Hampton17.70952.062310
Brooker15.88420.237010
Unincorporated — St. Johns River WMD15.5453none10
Unincorporated — Suwannee River WMD15.6472none10

By authority, the components are Bradford County 10.0000, Public Schools 5.3660, City of Starke 4.3879, Lawtey 2.2512, Hampton 2.0623, Brooker 0.2370, St. Johns River WMD 0.1793 and Suwannee River WMD 0.281210. An important caveat I want on the record: the Property Appraiser's millage page is labeled only "current millage" and states no tax year anywhere on it. Given that the County Commission set the FY2026-27 county rate at 10 mills around July 22, 202626 and Florida millage is not certified until the fall TRIM process, these are most likely the 2025 certified rates. Confirm the current year at 904-966-6216 before you rely on any of it.

The effective rate is much lower than the nominal millage, because of homestead exemptions and Save Our Homes caps on long-held homes. Bradford's median effective property tax rate is 0.85% of market value with a median annual bill of $1,176, below the Florida median effective rate of 1.10%. By city: Starke 0.84% and a $1,074 median bill, Lawtey 0.80% and $1,015, Hampton 0.89% and $1,143, Brooker 0.81% and $1,00214. Note the median bills are low partly because the assessed values behind them are low and heavily capped — a new buyer resets to market value and does not inherit the seller's Save Our Homes benefit.

One trend worth knowing if you are underwriting long-term carry cost: the county held its operating rate at 10 mills for FY2026-27, unchanged from the prior year, but flat millage on rising values still captures roughly $1.1 million more in revenue26. Over a longer window, county ad valorem revenues grew from $34.16 million in FY2021 to $40.48 million in FY2024, an 18.5% increase, while the operating millage rose from 9.1104 mills in FY2021 to 10.0000 in FY2024-25 against a 2025 rolled-back rate of 9.517827. Taxes here are going up in dollars even when the rate holds.

Illustration

A worked cost-to-own example

This is an illustration, not a median, and not a quote. I picked a $250,000 price point because it is a round number near what a decent Bradford home trades for — it is not the county median. For reference, the verified medians disagree with each other: $283,000 county-level in October 20253, $212,500 for owner-occupied value in ACS 2020-20241, and a $219,876 ZHVI for ZIP 32091 through January 20265.

Assumptions: $250,000 purchase, homesteaded, 10% down on a $225,000 loan at the Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate of 6.66% for the week of July 30, 202621; full $50,000 homestead exemption applied11; unincorporated St. Johns River WMD millage of 15.545310; PMI estimated at 10% down.

Line itemUnincorporated countyInside City of Starke
Principal & interest$1,446/mo$1,446/mo21
Property tax~$3,243/yr ($270/mo)~$4,141/yr ($345/mo)10
Homeowners insurancePlaceholder — see caveat below (~$2,000/yr, $167/mo used for arithmetic only)
PMI~$94/mo~$94/mo
Estimated all-in PITI~$1,977/mo~$2,052/mo

The tax math: with the full homestead exemption, school taxable value is $225,000 at 5.3660 mills = $1,207, and non-school taxable value is $200,000 at 10.1793 mills = $2,036, for $3,243 unincorporated. The same home inside Starke picks up the 4.3879-mill city levy and runs about $4,14110 — roughly $75 a month more, purely for the address.

The insurance line is a placeholder, and I want you to know it

Bradford County sits inland in wind Zone 1 with a 100-110 mph design wind speed, characterized as very low hurricane risk with low flood and low sinkhole risk, and Florida policies carry mandatory catastrophic ground collapse coverage23. Premiums here should run far below Florida's coastal-weighted numbers — Insurify estimates a Florida statewide average of $6,060 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, and separately Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reported rate decreases in 51 counties in 202622. But the only Bradford-specific range I could find, $1,700 to $2,400 for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, comes from an undated broker guide with no stated methodology, no carrier sample and no named publisher23. I used a $2,000 midpoint above so the arithmetic would work, and I am labeling it a placeholder rather than pretending it is a market figure. Get a real quote on the actual address before you rely on any PITI number, mine included. On an acreage parcel with outbuildings or an older manufactured home, the spread between carriers can be enormous.

What that means for affordability. At $1,977 a month and a 30% housing-to-income ratio, a buyer needs roughly $6,590 a month, about $79,100 a year, to carry that $250,000 unincorporated purchase comfortably. Bradford County's median household income is $63,0501 — a gap of roughly $16,000. To say it precisely: the median Bradford household cannot comfortably carry a $250,000 purchase at 10% down and today's rates without a larger down payment or a lower price point. That is not a knock on the county; it is the arithmetic of 6.66% money against a $63,050 median income, and it is exactly why the manufactured-home and land-plus-build paths below matter so much here.

Manufactured Home Communities

Manufactured home parks and land-lease communities

Bradford County has several manufactured home communities — some own-your-lot, some lease-your-lot. These are two completely different financial products wearing the same siding, and buyers need to know which one they're looking at before writing an offer:

  • Own-your-lot subdivisions. You buy both the home and the land under it. Standard mortgage or manufactured-home financing applies, and the property is taxed on the parcel at the millage for that jurisdiction. You build equity in dirt, which is the part that appreciates.
  • Land-lease communities. You buy the home but rent the lot from a park operator. Lot rent applies monthly, forever, and it can be raised. Financing is typically a chattel loan — higher rate, shorter term — rather than a mortgage, and the home is titled as personal property, not real property. Your monthly cost is a payment plus lot rent, and your asset is a depreciating structure on someone else's ground.

Both structures exist in Bradford County. If you're looking at any manufactured home community, ask specifically which type it is, what the lot rent is, what the lot rent has done over the last five years, and what the park's rules say about reselling the home in place. Do not assume based on how the listing is worded — "own your own home" in a park ad frequently means you own the home and lease the ground.

Moving a home onto a parcel: the county's actual rules

If you are buying land and setting a manufactured home on it, the permitting is straightforward but specific. Bradford County's minimum building permit cost is $54.00 — a $50 permit plus a $4 state surcharge. Homebuilders must obtain a septic number before submitting plans. Permits are required for new structures, additions, re-roofing, garage conversions, water heater and electrical work, HVAC, fences 8 feet or taller, and specifically for moving a used mobile home onto a parcel. Mobile home installers pay a one-time $50 county registration fee plus proof of workers' compensation and general liability. Farm buildings with an agricultural exemption, temporary construction sheds and hunting structures under 1,000 square feet are exempt. Any work over $5,000 requires a recorded Notice of Commencement. The Zoning Department is at (904) 966-621315.

Financing realities, stated plainly

FHA (Title I and Title II), VA and USDA all have manufactured-home mortgage options, with specific rules on home age — typically 1976 or newer and HUD-tagged25 — foundation type, and whether the home is permanently affixed to the land and titled as real property. Use a lender who does these routinely; regional community banks and credit unions in North Florida often outperform national lenders on manufactured-home files because they actually see them.

Where I have to be honest about a gap: I do not have a citable source for current chattel-versus-mortgage rate spreads specific to this market, or a list of which lenders are actively writing manufactured-home paper in Bradford County this month. Those things change quarterly and vary by borrower profile. What I can tell you is the structural rule that never changes — a manufactured home titled as real property, permanently affixed, on land you own, is a mortgage; anything else is a chattel loan. The difference in rate, term and long-run wealth outcome between those two is larger than almost any other decision you'll make on a Bradford purchase. Call me and I will walk you through which lenders are actually funding these right now.

Rural Acreage Submarket

Buying raw land in Bradford County

The rural acreage submarket is where Bradford competes hardest with Clay and Alachua, and it is genuinely deep. The county covers 300 square miles total — 294 land and 6.5 water — making it the third-smallest county in Florida by land area, bordered by Baker, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Union and Duval31. Within that footprint, the 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 418 farms across 61,282 acres, about a third of the county's land, with an average farm size of 147 acres, up 22% from 2017 even as the farm count fell 15%17. That consolidation — fewer, bigger farms — is exactly the pattern that puts land on the market.

Bradford has real inventory in every band:

  • 1-5 acres. Rural residential parcels, well and septic, near town or on paved county roads. Typical build site for a new manufactured home or a modest stick-built.
  • 5-20 acres. Homestead-scale parcels. Room for a house, a barn, a garden, maybe small livestock. Often on dirt or lightly paved county roads.
  • 20-100 acres. Small farm and timber scale. Agricultural classification often applies. Multiple building sites possible; timber income possible. The county's dominant ag products are livestock and forage — 58% livestock and poultry versus 42% crops, led by 7,506 head of cattle and 6,408 acres of forage and hay17. That is what the land around you is actually doing.
  • 100+ acres. Timber, cattle or investment scale. Requires specialized valuation including a timber cruise and confirmation of ag classification.

Due diligence checklist for land parcels

  • Road access. Confirm whether the road is paved, county-maintained dirt, or a private easement. This affects financing, insurance, school bus service and emergency response. Bradford contains 75.6 state highway centerline miles and 204.9 state highway lane miles2 — everything else is county road, private road or easement.
  • Septic before anything else. The county requires a septic number before you can submit building plans15. Get a soil percolation test. Not every soil in this county supports a conventional drainfield, and a mound or performance-based system changes your build budget materially.
  • Well quote. Order one from a driller who works that specific part of the county before you close, not after. Depth to water and casing requirements vary across the county, and a bad assumption here is a five-figure surprise.
  • Flood zone. Check FEMA's Flood Map Service Center for the specific parcel24. Bradford's overall flood risk is characterized as low23, but creek, swamp and lake edges are a different story parcel to parcel. I could not obtain an authoritative county-wide figure for acreage in Special Flood Hazard Areas, so do not take a county-level "low risk" label as a substitute for pulling the actual map on your parcel.
  • Zoning and setbacks. Confirm with the Zoning Department at (904) 966-6213. I am not publishing a table of Bradford zoning districts, minimum lot sizes and setbacks, because the county's own Building FAQ does not list them and directs callers to the Zoning Department instead15. A page that invented that table would read more authoritative and be worth less than nothing to you.
  • Survey and title exam. Old rural parcels here routinely carry easement problems and heir-property issues — land passed down without probate, with a dozen partial owners who all have to sign. Catching that before you're under contract saves the deal.
  • Agricultural classification status. Huge tax difference, and it does not ride along with the deed. See the next section.
  • Timber cruise. If there is merchantable timber, get a cruise from a certified forester before you offer. Standing timber can be a meaningful share of the parcel's value, or nearly none of it, and you cannot tell by looking from the road.
  • Water access, if that's why you're buying. Bradford County Parks & Recreation maintains public boat ramps at Hampton Lake, at Sampson and Rowell Lakes (14300 SW 75th Avenue, Starke), at Little Lake Santa Fe and at Santa Fe Lake, plus Santa Fe Swamp WMA at 7,272 acres and Raiford WMA at 9,141 acres along the New River32. If a listing implies lake access, confirm whether it means deeded frontage, a recorded easement, or simply that a public ramp exists somewhere in the county — those are three very different values.
  • Utilities and internet. Comcast is extending multi-gigabit symmetrical service to more than 3,500 homes and businesses in Hampton, Lawtey, Starke and surrounding areas with completion expected by Fall 2026, supported by a public-private partnership with Florida's Broadband Opportunity Program and the federal Capital Projects Fund29. That matters if you work from home. It also matters that 90.4% of county households already had a broadband subscription in ACS 2020-20241 — meaning roughly one in ten did not. Confirm service at the specific address; a build-out announcement is not a service address.
Greenbelt

The agricultural classification, and the trap in it

Florida's agricultural classification — everyone calls it greenbelt — assesses qualifying land on its agricultural use value rather than its market value. On a large parcel the tax difference is not small. Here are Bradford County's actual rules:

  • Apply by March 1 each year16.
  • January 1 is the statutory assessment date — the land must already be in bona fide commercial agricultural use on January 1, not planned for it16.
  • The classification is not transferable. A new application is required whenever the property changes ownership or use16.
  • Agricultural zoning alone does not qualify a property16. Zoning is permission; classification is about what you are actually doing on the ground.

Here is the trap. A listing shows a low annual tax figure because the seller has greenbelt. You close. Your classification does not carry over, and unless you reapply by March 1 and the land is in bona fide commercial agricultural use on January 1, your tax bill resets toward market value. I have seen buyers underwrite a purchase on the seller's tax line and get a very unpleasant TRIM notice in August. Call the Property Appraiser's office at 904-966-6216 before you write the offer and ask directly what it will take for you to qualify.

I also want to flag what I could not verify: Bradford County does not publish minimum acreage thresholds, minimum income tests, or per-use assessment values by category — timber versus pasture versus row crop. The Property Appraiser's page states the rules and the deadline but no thresholds or assessment tables16. So anyone quoting you "you need X acres and $Y in sales" for Bradford greenbelt is guessing. Ask the office.

One related item for anyone buying land to run a business on: Bradford businesses must file an annual tangible personal property return, and a $25,000 exemption applies, so many small operations owe no TPP tax at all11.

Financing

Land loans vs. home loans — and why conventional lenders balk

This is the part that surprises buyers coming from a metro county, so let me be direct about the mechanics.

1. Raw land has no house securing the note

A residential mortgage is priced against a dwelling a lender can foreclose on and resell. Bare dirt is a different risk, and most residential lenders simply do not write it. What you find instead is a land loan from a local or regional bank, or a Farm Credit-type lender, generally with a larger down payment and a shorter term than a 30-year mortgage. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed at 6.66% and the 15-year at 6.04% for the week of July 30, 202621but that survey covers conforming home mortgages, not land loans. Land paper prices higher. I do not have a citable current spread for this market, so I am not going to invent one; get quotes from two local banks before you assume a number.

2. The comparable-sales problem

About 21 homes sold countywide in a typical month as of Redfin's October 2025 reading, up from 15 a year earlier3. Only 66 new units were permitted in all of 20259. When an appraiser needs three recent, reasonably similar sales to support a 22-acre parcel with a 1998 doublewide and a pole barn, those sales may not exist within a defensible radius or timeframe. That is the single most common way a Bradford deal dies: not the buyer, not the seller, but the appraisal coming in short or the file getting kicked because the comps are stretched. Build appraisal contingency time into your contract and pick a lender whose appraiser panel actually covers rural North Florida.

3. Construction-to-perm adds a third layer

If you're buying land and building, you're stacking a land purchase, a construction draw schedule and a permanent mortgage. Local lenders who have done Bradford County construction before know the permitting rhythm; national call-center lenders often do not. The county's process is not complicated — $54 minimum permit, septic number before plans, Notice of Commencement over $5,00015 — but a lender who has never seen it will slow you down.

USDA Rural Development: probably yes, but verify the address

Bradford County is rural, and Starke's population of roughly 6,00030 sits far below USDA's small-town thresholds, so most of this county should map as eligible for USDA's zero-down Single Family Housing Guaranteed program. But eligibility is drawn by boundary line, not by county name, and it must be checked address by address on USDA's official property eligibility map19. Do not take my word or any lead-generation site's word for it — pull the map on the specific parcel.

On income, most Bradford buyers clear the test easily. The 2026 USDA guaranteed loan standard income limits are $122,800 for a 1-4 member household and $162,100 for a 5-8 member household, and Bradford County is not on the list of counties with elevated limits, so the standard limits apply20. Against a county median household income of $63,0501, the large majority of local buyers qualify on income. USDA's Florida State Office can be reached at (352) 338-3400.

One structural note: USDA financing is for a home, not for bare land you intend to hold. If your plan is land now and build later, USDA generally comes in at the construction or purchase-of-improved-property stage, not the raw-dirt stage.

Straight Talk

Risks to weigh before you buy land or a manufactured home here

What genuinely works here

  • Entry price. A $219,876 ZHVI in ZIP 32091 through January 20265 buys something the metro counties east of here priced out years ago.
  • Low effective taxes. 0.85% median effective rate against Florida's 1.10%14, plus up to $50,000 in homestead exemption11 and a Save Our Homes cap of 2.7% for 202612.
  • Portability. Up to $500,000 of accumulated Save Our Homes savings transfers to a new homestead, within a three-tax-year window extended by Amendment 5 in 202013.
  • Low catastrophe exposure. Wind Zone 1, 100-110 mph design speed, very low hurricane risk, low flood and sinkhole risk23.
  • Real appreciation history. The FHFA index ran 209.71 in 2021 to 292.80 in 20258.
  • Broadband arriving. 3,500+ locations in Hampton, Lawtey and Starke by Fall 202629.

What you're taking on

  • Thin liquidity. ~21 sales a month countywide3 and median days on market widening from 34 to 56 year over year3. Unusual properties sit.
  • Appraisal risk on anything atypical — acreage, manufactured, or a big custom build in a $283,000 market3.
  • Affordability gap. ~$79,100 income needed for the $250,000 illustration above against a $63,050 median household income1.
  • Softening labor market. Unemployment ran a 3.2% annual average in 2023, 3.7% in 2024, 4.5% in 2025, and 5.5% in April 202634.
  • Commuter reality. 50.6% of workers 16+ work outside the county, mean travel time 32.4 minutes2. Budget for the fuel.
  • Greenbelt does not transfer16, and neither does the seller's capped assessment.
  • Chattel-financed homes in land-lease parks depreciate. That is not a Bradford problem; it is a structure problem, and it is common here.
Currently Available

Bradford County inventory

Live MLS feed. All Bradford County inventory. To filter to a specific city, use Starke, Lawtey, Hampton, or Brooker.

Common Questions

Bradford subdivision, manufactured home + acreage FAQs

Are there many named subdivisions in Bradford County?

No. Bradford County is primarily a single-lot and acreage market. There are a handful of platted subdivisions in and around Starke plus several manufactured home communities, but most of the county is individual homes on individual parcels and rural land. The construction pipeline backs this up: the county authorized 66 new private housing units by building permit in 2025, down from 90 in 20249, and even the recent peak year of 2022 was only 107 units2. That is 2.33 permits per 1,000 residents against a July 2025 population of 28,3071 — nowhere near enough volume to support master-planned development.

Are there HOA communities in Bradford County?

A limited number. Some smaller platted subdivisions near Starke carry recorded deed restrictions rather than a funded, actively managed HOA. There is no public database that will tell you reliably. Ask the seller for the recorded declaration of covenants, read the title commitment's Schedule B-II exceptions, and ask whether a management company exists and whether dues are actually being collected. I do not publish HOA fee figures for Bradford communities because they change and vary parcel by parcel.

What does land cost per acre in Bradford County?

Land.com showed a median asking price of about $19,999 per acre across roughly 129 listed Bradford County properties as of August 3, 2026, with an average listing price of $769,983, a median listing price of $500,000 and an average lot size of 41.7 acres18. Read those as asking prices, not closed sales — nobody publishes a closed price-per-acre series for a county this small. In practice price per acre swings enormously with paved road frontage, power at the road, timber value, wetland share and whether the parcel already carries an agricultural classification.

How does manufactured home financing work in Bradford County?

It depends entirely on whether the home is titled as real property or as personal property. If you own the land and the home is permanently affixed and titled with the land, FHA, VA and USDA all have manufactured-home programs with rules on home age, the HUD tag25, foundation type and permanent affixation, and you are shopping a mortgage. If you are in a land-lease community and only buying the home, you are typically looking at a chattel loan — higher rate, shorter term, and the home depreciates like a vehicle rather than appreciating like a house. Use a lender who writes these routinely; regional banks and credit unions often outperform national lenders on manufactured-home files.

Does USDA zero-down financing work in Bradford County?

Very likely for most of the county, but it must be checked address by address on USDA Rural Development's official property eligibility map19. Bradford is rural and Starke's population is far below USDA's small-town thresholds30, so most parcels here map as eligible — but eligibility is drawn by boundary line, not by county. Income rarely disqualifies buyers here: the 2026 USDA guaranteed loan standard income limits are $122,800 for a 1-4 member household and $162,100 for 5-820, against a county median household income of $63,0501.

Why do conventional lenders balk at Bradford County land and acreage?

Comparable sales. About 21 homes sold countywide in a typical month as of Redfin's October 2025 reading3, and only 66 new housing units were permitted in all of 20259. When an appraiser needs three recent, similar sales for a 22-acre parcel with a 1998 doublewide, they may not exist inside a reasonable radius or timeframe. Add that raw land has no dwelling to secure the note, and most conventional residential lenders either decline it or push you to a land loan with a larger down payment and a shorter term. Local and regional banks that already lend on North Florida timber and pasture are usually the right first call.

How does the agricultural (greenbelt) classification work here?

Bradford County's agricultural classification must be applied for by March 1 each year, and January 1 is the statutory assessment date — the land has to already be in bona fide commercial agricultural use on January 1. Critically, the classification is not transferable: a new application is required whenever the property changes ownership or use. Agricultural zoning by itself does not qualify a property16. So if you buy a greenbelt parcel, assume the classification comes off at closing unless you reapply and qualify in your own right. Call the Property Appraiser at 904-966-6216 before you write the offer, not after.

What permits do I need to build or move a home onto Bradford County land?

The county's minimum building permit cost is $54.00, which is a $50 permit plus a $4 state surcharge, and homebuilders must obtain a septic number before submitting plans. Permits are required for new structures, additions, re-roofing, garage conversions, water heater and electrical work, HVAC, fences 8 feet or taller, and for moving a used mobile home onto a parcel. Mobile home installers pay a one-time $50 county registration fee plus proof of workers' compensation and general liability. Farm buildings with an agricultural exemption, temporary construction sheds and hunting structures under 1,000 square feet are exempt. Work over $5,000 requires a recorded Notice of Commencement. Zoning Department: (904) 966-621315.

Does it cost more in property taxes to buy inside Starke than out in the county?

Yes, and it is the single biggest cost-to-own swing in Bradford County. As currently posted by the Bradford County Property Appraiser, total millage runs 20.0351 mills inside the City of Starke, 17.8984 in Lawtey, 17.7095 in Hampton, 15.8842 in Brooker, and 15.5453 or 15.6472 in the unincorporated county depending on water management district10. On a $250,000 homesteaded home that works out to roughly $4,141 a year inside Starke versus about $3,243 unincorporated — about $75 a month. The Property Appraiser's millage page does not state a tax year, so confirm the current certified rate at 904-966-6216 before you rely on it.

What should I check before buying raw land in Bradford County?

Legal access and whether the road is county-maintained, a soil percolation test and septic feasibility, a well quote from a driller who works that specific area, the FEMA flood zone24, zoning and setbacks confirmed with the Zoning Department at (904) 966-621315, a current survey plus a title exam for easements and heir-property issues, whether an agricultural classification exists and whether you can requalify for it16, and a timber cruise from a certified forester if there is merchantable timber. In a county with roughly 21 sales a month3, none of this gets caught for you by market volume — you have to go find it.

Are there gated communities in Bradford County?

Very few, if any active. Most Bradford neighborhoods are open. This is not a gated-community market, and with 66 units permitted in 20259 it is not about to become one.

Can I do new construction on my Bradford parcel?

Yes. Both stick-built and manufactured/modular new construction happens regularly in Bradford. Use a builder or manufacturer with recent Bradford County permit experience — small counties can have quirks in permitting timelines, and the septic-number-before-plans requirement15 catches out-of-county builders constantly.

Are there 55+ or age-restricted communities in Bradford?

Very limited. If age-restricted living is a priority, Clay County — Fleming Island, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs — offers substantially more inventory. See my 55+ Communities page.

How do I tell a real HOA from historical deed restrictions?

Ask the seller for the recorded declaration of covenants, or CC&Rs. The title commitment will list them as exceptions. If there's an active HOA, there will be a management company, a budget and an assessment; if there's not, what you have is a set of old recorded restrictions that may or may not be enforceable in practice. Those are very different things for a buyer planning to put a shop building or a second dwelling on the lot.

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Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau — QuickFacts: Bradford County, Florida (population 28,307, total housing units 11,143, homeownership rate 73.3%, median value of owner-occupied units $212,500, median gross rent $863, median household income $63,050, broadband subscription 90.4%). Population as of July 1, 2025 (V2025 vintage); social and economic figures ACS 2020-2024. census.gov — accessed August 2026.
  2. Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research — Bradford County Area Profile (units permitted 2000-2025, commuting share and mean travel time, employment by sector, state highway centerline and lane miles, population series). Data vintages as noted inline. edr.state.fl.us — accessed August 2026.
  3. Redfin — Bradford County, FL Housing Market (median sale price $283,000, 21 homes sold, 56 median days on market, $155 per square foot). As of October 2025, the most recent county month Redfin publishes. redfin.com — accessed August 2026.
  4. Redfin — 32091 (Starke) Housing Market (median sale price, days on market, price per square foot). Most recent month shown, 2026. redfin.com — accessed August 2026.
  5. Zillow — Starke, FL 32091 Home Values (Zillow Home Value Index $219,876, down 1.3% year over year; median list price $282,333). Through January 31, 2026. A county-level ZHVI for Bradford County could not be verified and is not published here. zillow.com — accessed August 2026.
  6. Zillow — Bradford County, FL homes for sale (active listing count: 188). As of August 3, 2026. zillow.com — accessed August 2026.
  7. Homes.com — Bradford County, FL market data (active listing count: 225, ranging $5,300 to $1,650,000). As of August 3, 2026. homes.com — accessed August 2026.
  8. Federal Housing Finance Agency — All-Transactions House Price Index for Bradford County, FL, via FRED (series ATNHPIUS12007A): 292.80 in 2025, 288.25 in 2024, 209.71 in 2021. 2025 annual value; series updated March 31, 2026. fred.stlouisfed.org — accessed August 2026.
  9. U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey — New Private Housing Units Authorized, Bradford County, FL, via FRED (series BPPRIV012007): 66 units in 2025, 90 in 2024, -26.7% year over year. Updated May 28, 2026. All structure types combined; a single-family/multifamily split was not available from this series. Permits per 1,000 residents derived from this figure and the July 1, 2025 population. fred.stlouisfed.org — accessed August 2026.
  10. Bradford County Property Appraiser — Tax Rates / Current Millage (district totals: Starke 20.0351, Lawtey 17.8984, Hampton 17.7095, Brooker 15.8842, unincorporated SJRWMD 15.5453, unincorporated SRWMD 15.6472; by authority: county 10.0000, schools 5.3660, Starke 4.3879, Lawtey 2.2512, Hampton 2.0623, Brooker 0.2370, SJRWMD 0.1793, SRWMD 0.2812). The source page does not state a tax year; given the FY2026-27 county rate was set in July 2026 and Florida millage is certified in the fall TRIM process, these are most likely 2025 certified rates. Confirm at 904-966-6216. bradfordappraiser.com — accessed August 2026.
  11. Bradford County Property Appraiser — FAQs (homestead exemption structure: first $25,000 against all taxes including school district taxes, second $25,000 against assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 excluding school taxes; March 1 filing deadline with late filing through the 25th day after TRIM notices are mailed if justified; Florida permanent residency, ownership and occupancy required; tangible personal property annual return with $25,000 exemption). bradfordcountypropertyappraise.org — accessed August 2026.
  12. AppealDesk — Florida property assessment caps: Save Our Homes annual assessment increase cap of 3% or CPI change, whichever is lower; 2.7% for 2026, down from 2.9% for 2025; 10% cap on non-homestead residential and investment property, excluding school district levies. appealdesk.com — accessed August 2026.
  13. Florida Amendment 5 (2020) — extended the Save Our Homes portability window from two tax years to three; up to $500,000 of accumulated savings portable. Passed November 3, 2020, 74.49% to 25.51%. en.wikipedia.org — accessed August 2026.
  14. Ownwell — Bradford County, Florida property tax trends (median effective rate 0.85% of market value, median annual bill $1,176, Florida median effective rate 1.10%; by city: Starke 0.84%/$1,074, Lawtey 0.80%/$1,015, Hampton 0.89%/$1,143, Brooker 0.81%/$1,002). Last updated April 13, 2026. ownwell.com — accessed August 2026.
  15. Bradford County, Florida — Building & Zoning FAQs (minimum permit cost $54.00 = $50 permit + $4 state surcharge; septic number required before plan submittal; permit-required work including re-roofing, garage conversions, water heater and electrical, HVAC, fences 8 feet or taller and moving a used mobile home; mobile home installer one-time $50 registration plus workers' comp and general liability; exemptions for agricultural-exempt farm buildings, temporary construction sheds and hunting structures under 1,000 sq ft; Notice of Commencement required over $5,000; Zoning Department (904) 966-6213). This page does not publish zoning district names, minimum lot sizes or setbacks. bradfordcountyfl.gov — accessed August 2026.
  16. Bradford County Property Appraiser — Agricultural (Greenbelt) Classification: March 1 application deadline, January 1 statutory assessment date with bona fide commercial agricultural use required as of that date, classification not transferable on change of ownership or use, agricultural zoning alone does not qualify. Office: 904-966-6216. No minimum acreage, income threshold or per-use assessment table is published on this source. bradfordappraiser.com — accessed August 2026.
  17. USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — 2022 Census of Agriculture, Bradford County, Florida County Profile (418 farms on 61,282 acres, average farm 147 acres up 22% from 2017, farm count down 15% since 2017, $22,372,000 market value of products sold ranking 49th in Florida, 58% livestock and poultry / 42% crops, 7,506 head of cattle and calves, 6,408 acres of forage/hay). nass.usda.gov — accessed August 2026.
  18. Land.com — Bradford County, FL land listings: median asking price approximately $19,999 per acre, average listing price $769,983, median listing price $500,000, average lot size 41.7 acres, across roughly 129 listed properties. Asking-price data, not closed sales. As of August 3, 2026. land.com — accessed August 2026.
  19. USDA Rural Development — Single Family Housing Property Eligibility Map. Eligibility is determined address by address; a county name is not a determination. Florida State Office (352) 338-3400. eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov — accessed August 2026.
  20. Neighbors Bank — 2026 USDA guaranteed loan income limits: $122,800 for 1-4 member households and $162,100 for 5-8 member households; Bradford County is not on the list of counties with elevated limits, so standard limits apply. neighborsbank.com — accessed August 2026.
  21. Freddie Mac — Primary Mortgage Market Survey: 30-year fixed 6.66%, 15-year fixed 6.04%, week of July 30, 2026 (up from 6.58% and 5.96% the prior week). This survey covers conforming home mortgages and does not price raw land loans. freddiemac.com — accessed August 2026.
  22. Spectrum News 13 — Florida insurance regulators report premium decreases in 51 counties in 2026. Note on attribution: the $6,060 statewide average annual premium for $300,000 dwelling coverage cited in the same article is an Insurify estimate, not a Florida Office of Insurance Regulation figure. Reported July 30, 2026. mynews13.com — accessed August 2026.
  23. Florida Coverage Guide — Bradford County page (wind Zone 1, 100-110 mph design wind speed, very low hurricane risk, low flood and low sinkhole risk, mandatory catastrophic ground collapse coverage in Florida policies; quotes $1,700-$2,400 per year for $300,000 dwelling coverage). Treated as indicative only and used solely as a clearly labeled placeholder input to the illustrative PITI table: this page carries no publication date, no last-updated timestamp, no methodology, no carrier sample and no named publisher. A primary-source Bradford County average premium could not be obtained. floridacoverageguide.com — accessed August 2026.
  24. FEMA — Flood Map Service Center. Pull the effective flood map for the specific parcel; a county-level risk characterization is not a substitute. msc.fema.gov — accessed August 2026.
  25. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code, effective for homes built June 15, 1976 and later; the basis for the HUD tag lenders require). hud.gov — accessed August 2026.
  26. Bradford County Telegraph — "Bradford holds tax rate at 10 mills, sets 3% employee raises." County Commission action of approximately July 22, 2026; flat 10-mill rate still captures roughly $1.1 million more in revenue as values rise; briefed by Finance Director Dana LaFollette. bctelegraph.com — accessed August 2026.
  27. Florida Association of Counties — Bradford County profile (PDF): operating millage 9.1104 in FY2021 rising to 10.0000 in FY2024-25; 2025 rolled-back rate 9.5178; ad valorem revenues $34.16M in FY2021 to $40.48M in FY2024, an 18.5% increase. Published August 2025. fl-counties.com — accessed August 2026.
  28. Zumper — Starke, FL rent research: median asking rent of $1,499 across all unit types, calculated from approximately 20 available rentals listed on Zumper on a rolling 30-day basis. Year-over-year percentage changes from this source are not published on this page because a sample that small does not support them; compare against the Census ACS median gross rent of $863. As of August 3, 2026. zumper.com — accessed August 2026.
  29. Business Wire — "Ultra-Fast, Reliable Internet from Xfinity Coming to Bradford County, Florida": multi-gigabit symmetrical service to more than 3,500 homes and businesses in Hampton, Lawtey, Starke and surrounding areas, completion expected Fall 2026, supported by Florida's Broadband Opportunity Program and the federal Capital Projects Fund. Published March 2, 2026. businesswire.com — accessed August 2026.
  30. Starke, Florida — 5,796 residents at the 2020 Census with a 2025 estimate of about 6,000; incorporated April 4, 1870; 7.18 square miles at 167 feet elevation; Andrews Center (1902 former courthouse, National Register), Florida Twin Theatre (operating since 1941), Call Street Historic District; US-301 history and the 26-mile run north to Baldwin and I-10. en.wikipedia.org — accessed August 2026.
  31. Bradford County, Florida — total area 300 square miles (294 land, 6.5 water), third-smallest in Florida by land area; created 1858 as New River County and renamed 1861; borders Baker, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Union and Duval counties. en.wikipedia.org — accessed August 2026.
  32. Bradford County Parks & Recreation Department — public boat ramps (Hampton Lake; Sampson and Rowell Lakes, 14300 SW 75th Avenue, Starke; Little Lake Santa Fe; Santa Fe Lake), county parks, and wildlife management areas (Santa Fe Swamp WMA 7,272 acres; Raiford WMA 9,141 acres along the New River). bradfordcountyfl.gov — accessed August 2026.
  33. Distance-Cities — driving distances and times from Starke, FL: Keystone Heights 13 miles / ~17 minutes; Gainesville 26 miles / ~37 minutes; Jacksonville 46 miles / ~1 hour; Lake City 37 miles / ~50 minutes; Palatka 40 miles / ~55 minutes. distance-cities.com — accessed August 2026.
  34. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Unemployment Rate in Bradford County, FL, via FRED (series FLBRAD7URN): 5.5% in April 2026, not seasonally adjusted; annual averages 3.2% in 2023, 3.7% in 2024, 4.5% in 2025. fred.stlouisfed.org — accessed August 2026.

What I could not verify, and therefore did not publish: the manufactured/mobile home share of Bradford County housing stock (ACS table B25024 was not retrievable from a citable source); Bradford County zoning district names, minimum lot sizes and setbacks (the county's own FAQ does not list them and directs callers to (904) 966-6213); greenbelt minimum acreage, minimum income thresholds and per-use assessment values; the share of county parcels on well and septic versus municipal water and sewer; FEMA flood-zone acreage or the percentage of parcels in Special Flood Hazard Areas; current chattel-versus-mortgage rate spreads and the roster of lenders actively writing manufactured-home paper here; a primary-source Bradford County average homeowners insurance premium; the percentage of active listings with price cuts; and new listings per month. Where the data did not exist from a source I trust, I said so in the text rather than estimating.

This page intentionally avoids listing HOA fees or definitively naming HOA-versus-non-HOA subdivisions, because these change over time and vary parcel by parcel. Always verify with the current owner, the title company, and any applicable HOA management before writing an offer. Page last reviewed and figures verified August 3, 2026 — market data changes; verify with primary sources before acting.

Chris Moore · The Moore Group at Momentum Realty · Licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate SL3389080 · 904-606-9163 · cmgroup904@gmail.com. This page is general information, not legal, tax, insurance or lending advice. Tax, insurance and payment figures shown are illustrations built from the cited inputs and the assumptions stated inline; your actual figures will differ by address, exemption status, carrier and lender.