The largest town in Bradford County: 5,796 residents at the 2020 Census with a 2025 estimate near 6,000, incorporated April 4, 1870, sitting on 7.18 square miles at 167 feet of elevation[27]. Historic downtown on Call Street, a working rural economy, and a real Northeast Florida small-town pace — 26 miles from Gainesville and 46 from Jacksonville[36][37]. Every number on this page is footnoted so you can check it yourself.
Starke is the county seat of Bradford County and the only place in the county with a real downtown, a hospital-grade emergency room and a full retail run. It sits where US-301 crosses SR-16, which is exactly why it exists — the highway became the fastest route between Jacksonville and Tampa for northeastern travelers in the early 1900s and made Starke a travel town[27]. Today it is a bedroom-and-service town: half the county's workforce drives somewhere else to work[19], houses cost roughly a third to half what comparable ones cost in Clay or St. Johns, and the trade-off is distance, thinner retail and a school district where only the high school grades above a C[23].
Bradford County closes about 21 homes a month[2]. At that volume, any single "median" is a small sample that swings hard from month to month, and the national portals disagree with each other by tens of thousands of dollars. I have published the disagreement instead of hiding it. Use these figures to understand the shape of the market, then let me pull the actual closings within a mile of the house you care about.
There is no clean, single, current "Starke median." Bradford County is too small for most data providers to publish city-level series, so the honest approach is to show you ZIP-level 32091 figures where they exist, county-level figures where they do not, and label which is which.
| Metric | Figure | Geography, period & source |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $230,000 | ZIP 32091 (Starke), latest published month 2026, down 17.9% YoY[4] |
| Zillow Home Value Index | $219,876 | ZIP 32091, through Jan 31, 2026, down 1.3% YoY[3] |
| Median list price | $282,333 | ZIP 32091, through Jan 31, 2026[3] |
| Days on market | 33.5 days | ZIP 32091, latest published month 2026[4] |
| Price per square foot | $165 | ZIP 32091, down 12.7% YoY[4] |
| Median sale price | $283,000 | County-level, October 2025, up 10.8% YoY[2] |
| Homes sold per month | 21 | County-level, October 2025 (15 a year earlier)[2] |
| Median days on market | 56 days | County-level, October 2025 (34 a year earlier)[2] |
| Price per square foot | $155 | County-level, October 2025, down 2.5% YoY[2] |
| Active listings | 188 / 225 | County-level, Aug 3, 2026 — Zillow 188, Homes.com 225[5][6] |
| Listing price range | $5,300 – $1,650,000 | County-level, Aug 3, 2026 (325 acres of land to a lakefront home)[6] |
| FHFA house price index | 292.80 | County-level, 2025 annual vs 288.25 in 2024 (+1.6%); 209.71 in 2021[7] |
| Median owner-occupied value | $212,500 | County-level, ACS 2020-2024[1] |
| Median gross rent | $863/mo | County-level, ACS 2020-2024[1] |
The long trend is up; the last twelve months are not. The FHFA All-Transactions index for Bradford County ran 209.71 in 2021 and 292.80 in 2025 — roughly 40 percent appreciation in four years[7]. But the 2024-to-2025 move was only 1.6 percent[7], the 32091 Zillow index slipped 1.3 percent over the year through January 2026[3], and county price per square foot fell 2.5 percent[2]. That is a market that ran hard and then flattened out. If you bought in 2021, you did well. If you are buying today, do not underwrite for another 40 percent.
Time on market roughly doubled at the county level. Median days on market went from 34 to 56 year over year as of October 2025[2]. Interestingly, the 32091 ZIP figure is much tighter at 33.5 days[4] — in-town Starke houses with municipal water and sewer at a $200,000-ish price point still turn over. The slow half of the market is out in the county: acreage, manufactured homes, fixers and anything priced off feel rather than comps.
Supply favors buyers, with a caveat. Roughly 188 to 225 active listings across the county[5][6] against about 21 sales a month[2] works out near nine months of supply, well past the six-month line that usually separates a buyer's market from a seller's. I want to be straight with you about that calculation, though: the inventory count is from August 2026 and the sales pace is from October 2025, because that is the most recent county month Redfin publishes. Mixing periods like that makes the number directional, not precise. The listing counts themselves disagree by more than 50 percent between portals, which tells you something about how thin the data is here.
Rents are the murkiest number on this page. The Census ACS median gross rent for Bradford County is $863 a month[1]. Zumper's median asking rent for Starke listings is $1,499[48] — but that figure is calculated from roughly twenty active listings on one platform on a rolling 30-day basis[48], so it reflects what a handful of landlords are asking today, not what the county's ~2,900 renter households actually pay. If you are sizing rental yield on a Starke purchase, underwrite closer to the ACS figure and treat the asking-rent number as the optimistic ceiling. I am not going to publish year-over-year rent percentages off a twenty-listing sample; they are noise.
Market figures dated as shown, all accessed August 2026. Small-county medians move on a handful of transactions. Call me at 904-606-9163 and I will pull the actual closed comps for your street.
Starke sits at the crossing of US-301 and SR-16 in the middle of Bradford County — county seat, county courthouse, county sheriff, and the only real commercial center in a county of 28,307 people spread across 294 square miles of land[1][28]. It is a working small town: a historic downtown along Call Street, a mix of older bungalow and cottage homes on tree-lined streets, and newer subdivisions extending outward from the town center.
Downtown is the part people underestimate. The Call Street Historic District is a National Register district with locally owned restaurants and antique shops, the Andrews Center is the Romanesque 1902 former Bradford County courthouse and is itself on the National Register, and the Florida Twin Theatre has been showing movies since 1941[27]. That is a genuine walkable core, which almost nothing else in Bradford County has.
For everyday medical care, be precise about what is here. HCA Florida Starke Emergency at 922 E Call St is a 24/7 freestanding emergency room that operates as an extension of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville — it has CT, digital radiography, a full-service lab, and stroke and pulmonary embolism treatment, but it is not a full inpatient hospital campus[25]. UF Health Family Medical Group – Starke at 1550 S. Water Street is an outpatient family medicine clinic, Monday to Friday 8 to 5, closed weekends — there is no "UF Health Starke" hospital[26]. Anything requiring admission means Gainesville or Jacksonville. I correct this one on nearly every showing, because a lot of listing copy out there says "hospital in town."
Starke has kept its agricultural identity, and here too the popular story and the data have drifted apart. The Bradford County Strawberry Festival has run for nearly three decades in Starke and the 2026 edition was held in late March into early April[51]. The Bradford County Agricultural Fair ran February 26 to March 8, 2026 at the fairgrounds on N Temple Ave, returning after a governance scandal that led the county to appoint twenty-one new board members, hire a new fair manager and open board meetings to the public[50]. But the 2022 Census of Agriculture shows strawberries do not register among the county's leading commodities anymore. Bradford County agriculture today is 418 farms on 61,282 acres — about a third of the county — 58 percent livestock and poultry, led by 7,506 head of cattle and 6,408 acres of forage and hay[44]. Strawberries are heritage and festival identity; cattle and hay are the working economy.
The corrections footprint is real and it is worth being direct about. Florida State Prison is at 23916 NW 83rd Ave in unincorporated Bradford County with a Raiford mailing address, capacity 1,492[29]. Florida State Prison West Unit and New River Correctional Institution are also in Bradford[28]. Union Correctional Institution — the one everybody calls "Raiford" — is across the county line in Union County, founded 1913 with a maximum capacity of 2,172[30]. Buyers routinely mix up the two counties. None of these facilities sit in Starke's residential neighborhoods, but they are a major local employer and they distort the county's demographics: 4,319 of Bradford's 28,303 residents at the 2020 Census were in group quarters — over 15 percent — which is why the county reads 55.9 percent male to 44.1 percent female[19].
For buyers, the value story is straightforward: Bradford County's medians run far below Duval, Clay and St. Johns, and in Starke you can still find single-family homes on quarter-acre to half-acre lots at price points that no longer exist in the greater Jacksonville metro. The trade-offs are equally honest — commutes are long if you work in Jacksonville daily, retail is limited, and the school district's grades are modest[23].
Starke is small enough that you can drive the whole town in fifteen minutes, but the submarkets inside it price very differently. Here is how I actually think about them when I am pulling comps.
The streets around Call, Walnut, Cherry and Thompson — the oldest housing in the county. Cottages and bungalows, many pre-1950 and some pre-1920, on shaded lots inside the National Register Call Street district[27]. This is where the character is and where the deferred maintenance is. Expect knob-and-tube remnants, original wiring runs, pier-and-beam foundations, window units, and roofs that have been layered rather than replaced. These homes are on city water and sewer, they carry the full 20.0351-mill Starke rate[8], and they are the fastest-moving product in town at the right price. Budget for a real four-point inspection, not a walkthrough.
US-301 is the spine of the county and runs straight through the center of Starke[27]. South of downtown toward the retail cluster you get 1990s-and-later subdivisions and the most convenient daily errands in Bradford County. North of downtown, Temple Avenue runs past the fairgrounds toward Lawtey and, eventually, Baldwin and I-10 26 miles up[27]. The honest note: 301 carries steady through-traffic including trucks, and frontage or near-frontage homes price below comparable interior-street houses for that reason. If you are looking at anything within a block of 301, go stand in the yard at 5:30 on a weekday before you fall in love with the kitchen.
SR-16 leaves downtown Starke heading southeast, curves around the northwest shore of Kingsley Lake and passes Camp Blanding on its way to Green Cove Springs and St. Augustine[34]. The Bradford County side is rural residential and small acreage, and it is the corridor of choice for anyone connected to Camp Blanding. Understand what "Kingsley Lake access" does and does not mean: Kingsley is a near-perfectly round 2,000-acre sinkhole lake, 82 feet deep, sitting on Trail Ridge — and it is in Clay County, roughly half its shoreline lies inside Camp Blanding, the rest is private residential with about 180 private docks, and there are no public boat ramps or beaches[33]. A Bradford County listing that mentions Kingsley Lake is describing a drive, not a right.
Southwest of town, Sampson Lake and Rowell Lake are connected by a canal passable by small boat and are known locally for fishing[54]. Bradford County Parks maintains a shared public boat ramp at 14300 SW 75th Avenue, Starke[47]. This is genuine lake-adjacent housing inside Bradford County — a mix of older waterfront cottages, seasonal camps that have been converted to full-time, manufactured homes on their own land, and newer builds. Well and septic is the norm. Flood zone and elevation matter enormously here, parcel by parcel; never assume.
The neighborhood around Starke Golf and Country Club is a small, distinct submarket of golf-adjacent housing — the closest thing Starke has to a "nice subdivision" label. It is a handful of streets, not a master-planned community, and inventory there is thin enough that one listing changes the comps. Verify current course operating status with the club directly before you pay a golf-course premium.
Outside the city limits, homes sit on one to ten-plus acres on well and septic, at the unincorporated millage of 15.5453 (St. Johns River WMD) or 15.6472 (Suwannee River WMD) instead of Starke's 20.0351[8]. Bradford County land listings run a median asking price near $19,999 per acre with an average listed lot size of 41.7 acres — but note that is asking-price data across roughly 129 listings, not closed sales[49]. If the land is in bona fide commercial agricultural use, the greenbelt classification is worth real money, but it must be applied for by March 1, the land has to already be in ag use on January 1, and it is not transferable — a new application is required whenever the property changes hands[46]. Agricultural zoning by itself does not qualify a parcel[46]. That single rule catches more buyers than anything else in this county.
Bradford County has 11,143 total housing units as of July 1, 2025, up from 10,723 at the 2020 Census, which counted 9,462 occupied and 1,261 vacant[1]. Homeownership runs 73.3 percent and the median value of an owner-occupied unit is $212,500[1]. Those two numbers together describe the market well: a high-ownership, modest-value county where most people own outright or on small mortgages.
Construction is barely happening. The county authorized 66 new private housing units by building permit in 2025, down from 90 in 2024 — a 26.7 percent drop[18]. The longer run: 66 in 2021, 107 in 2022, 69 in 2023, 90 in 2024, 66 in 2025[19]. Even the 2022 peak of 107 units is a tiny pipeline for a county of 28,000. That works out to about 2.33 permits per 1,000 residents in 2025[18][1]. Practically, that means you are almost always buying existing housing here, and the "new construction" option that dominates Clay and St. Johns barely exists in Starke.
The eras you will see in Starke:
Building here, if that is your plan. Bradford County's minimum building permit cost is $54.00 — a $50 permit plus a $4 state surcharge — and homebuilders must obtain a septic number before submitting plans[45]. Permits are required for new structures, additions, re-roofing, garage conversions, water heater and electrical work, HVAC, fences eight feet or taller, and moving a used mobile home[45]. Farm buildings with an agricultural exemption, temporary construction sheds and hunting structures under 1,000 square feet are exempt[45]. A Notice of Commencement is required on work over $5,000[45]. The Zoning Department is at (904) 966-6213[45] — and you will need them, because the county does not publish its zoning district minimums and setbacks online. I could not find a published table of lot-size minimums by district; call zoning before you buy a parcel expecting to split it.
Water and sewer. Homes inside Starke town limits typically have municipal water and sewer. Outside town limits, most are on well and septic. I could not find a published county-wide percentage split, so I will not invent one — but on every rural closing I want a well flow test and a septic scope, not just a visual.
This is the section most Starke listing pages skip, and it is the section that decides whether a house is affordable. Bradford County's millage structure has one dominant feature: the City of Starke levy. Living inside the city limits costs you an extra 4.3879 mills over the unincorporated county, and that is the single largest swing factor in cost-to-own anywhere in Bradford[8].
| Taxing district | Total millage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| City of Starke | 20.0351 | Highest in the county; includes the 4.3879-mill city levy[8] |
| Lawtey | 17.8984 | City levy 2.2512[8] |
| Hampton | 17.7095 | City levy 2.0623[8] |
| Brooker | 15.8842 | Lightest municipal burden — city levy just 0.2370[8] |
| Unincorporated county (SJRWMD) | 15.5453 | Lowest total in Bradford County[8] |
| Unincorporated county (SRWMD) | 15.6472 | Suwannee River Water Management District side[8] |
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, Suwannee River WMD 0.2812[8].
A note on the tax year. These are the rates currently posted by the Bradford County Property Appraiser. The page is labeled "current millage" and does not state a tax year anywhere on it, and the county only set its FY2026-27 operating rate on roughly July 22, 2026, with Florida millage not certified until the fall TRIM process — so these are most likely the 2025 certified rates[8][9]. Confirm the applicable year with the Property Appraiser at 904-966-6216 before you rely on it for a budget.
On approximately July 22, 2026, the Bradford County Commission held the county operating rate at 10 mills for fiscal year 2026-27, unchanged from the prior year — which still captures roughly $1.1 million more in revenue as assessed values rise[9]. That is the pattern to watch. The county's operating millage was 9.1104 mills in FY2021 and rose to 10.0000 by FY2024-25, and the 2025 rolled-back rate was 9.5178[10]. Ad valorem revenues grew from $34.16 million in FY2021 to $40.48 million in FY2024 — an 18.5 percent increase[10]. A flat millage in a rising-value county is still a tax increase in dollars, and Bradford has been running that play for several years.
The good news for owners: the effective rate is much lower than the nominal millage suggests. Bradford County's median effective property tax rate is 0.85 percent of market value, with a median annual bill of $1,176 — below Florida's 1.10 percent median[11]. Within the county, Starke's effective rate is 0.84 percent with a median bill of $1,074; Lawtey 0.80 percent ($1,015), Hampton 0.89 percent ($1,143), Brooker 0.81 percent ($1,002)[11]. The gap between a 0.85 percent effective rate and a 1.55-to-2.00 percent nominal millage is homestead exemptions and Save Our Homes caps on long-held homes[11]. Which is exactly why a house that has been in one family for twenty years may show a tax bill that has nothing to do with what you will pay after the sale resets the assessment.
Bradford County sits inland in wind Zone 1 with a 100-110 mph design wind speed, characterized as very low hurricane risk, low flood risk and low sinkhole risk; catastrophic ground collapse coverage is mandatory in Florida policies[16]. That inland position is a genuine cost advantage over coastal Florida. Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reported that home insurance rates decreased in 51 counties so far in 2026[17]; separately, the consumer comparison site Insurify estimates a Florida statewide average of $6,060 per year for a home with $300,000 in dwelling coverage[17] — that is an aggregator's estimate, not a regulator's figure, and I am labeling it as such.
For Bradford specifically, the only county-level number I could find is a broker guide quoting $1,700 to $2,400 a year for $300,000 dwelling coverage[16]. I am publishing it with a warning: that page carries no publication date, no methodology, no carrier sample and no named publisher. I could not locate a Florida OIR data-call figure or a Citizens rate filing specific to Bradford County. Treat that range as indicative only and get a real quote before you write an offer. Insurance is now the line item that kills more Florida deals than interest rates do, and I would rather tell you the number is soft than pretend it is solid.
Here is a worked example so you can see the mechanics. This is a calculation from the cited inputs below, not a published figure and not a lender quote. I have used a $250,000 purchase price because it is a round illustrative number in the middle of the range this market trades in — it is not the median. For reference, the county median sale was $283,000 in October 2025[2], the ZIP 32091 median sale was $230,000 in the latest published 2026 month[4], and the Census median owner-occupied value was $212,500[1].
| Line item | Inside Starke city limits | Unincorporated county |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price (illustration) | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Down payment | 10% ($25,000) | 10% ($25,000) |
| Loan amount | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| Rate used | 6.66% 30-year fixed — Freddie Mac PMMS, week of July 30, 2026 (15-year: 6.04%)[15] | |
| Principal & interest | $1,446/mo | $1,446/mo |
| Total millage applied | 20.0351[8] | 15.5453 (SJRWMD)[8] |
| Property tax, homesteaded | ~$4,141/yr → $345/mo | ~$3,243/yr → $270/mo |
| Insurance (unverified placeholder) | ~$167/mo | ~$167/mo |
| PMI at 10% down | ~$94/mo | ~$94/mo |
| Estimated all-in PITI | ~$2,052/mo | ~$1,977/mo |
Assumptions, stated plainly. The tax line applies the full $50,000 homestead exemption: school-taxable value $225,000 at 5.3660 mills, non-school taxable value $200,000 at the remaining millage[8][12]. The rate is the Freddie Mac survey average for the week of July 30, 2026[15], not a rate you have been quoted. The insurance line uses the midpoint of that undated broker range[16] and is the weakest number in the table — replace it with a real binder before you budget. PMI is an estimate and varies by credit score and lender. No HOA, no CDD, no flood policy is included. This is arithmetic, not advice.
Income needed. At the unincorporated figure of about $1,977 a month and a 30 percent housing-to-income ratio, a buyer needs roughly $6,590 a month, or about $79,100 a year[1][15]. Run the same arithmetic on the in-city payment of about $2,052 and you need closer to $82,100. Bradford County's median household income is $63,050[1]. So the median local household cannot comfortably afford a $250,000 purchase at today's rates without a larger down payment or a lower price point. That is not a knock on Starke — it is the same math running in most of Florida right now — but it explains why the sub-$200,000 segment here moves and the $300,000-plus segment sits.
USDA financing. Zero-down USDA Rural Development loans are the single most useful tool in this market, and Starke's size and rural position make eligibility plausible for many addresses. But USDA eligibility is drawn by mapped boundary, not by county line, so it has to be checked address by address on the official USDA property eligibility map[42]. On income, the 2026 USDA guaranteed loan standard limits are $122,800 for a 1-4 member household and $162,100 for 5-8; Bradford County is not on the elevated-limit list, so the standard caps apply[43]. Against a $63,050 county median household income[1], the large majority of local buyers clear the income test comfortably. Send me the address and I will check the map with you.
Flood. The New River and its tributaries run through Bradford County, and rural properties near Sampson, Rowell or Santa Fe Lake edges can sit in mapped zones. I could not retrieve an authoritative FEMA or county figure for what share of Bradford parcels fall in Special Flood Hazard Areas — the only characterization I found is a secondary guide calling county flood risk low[16] — so I will not publish a percentage. Confirm the FEMA zone on the specific parcel before you write an offer; our flood zones guide explains what each code does to your premium.
Starke is served by the Bradford County School District, headquartered at 501 West Washington Street, Starke, FL 32091, phone (904) 966-6860[21][24]. In 2024-25 the district enrolled 2,848 students PK-12 across 11 school entities, with 148.97 FTE classroom teachers, a 19.12 student-teacher ratio and 421.54 total FTE staff[21]. Florida's Office of Economic and Demographic Research counts 6 traditional public schools for 2025-26 — four elementary, one middle, one senior high — and the district also operates North Florida Technical College as its postsecondary arm[19].
Bradford High School, 581 N Temple Avenue, enrolled 785 students in grades 9-12 in 2024-25 with 33.0 FTE teachers and a 23.79 student-teacher ratio[22]. 389 students — roughly half — qualified for free or reduced-price lunch[22]. NCES classifies its locale as "Town, Distant"[22]. Bradford County is a single-high-school county, which shapes local identity more than anything else here — Friday nights, sports schedules and community events all rotate around Bradford High.
School grades. FloridaSchoolGrades.com lists the following for Bradford district (04): Bradford High School B; Bradford Middle School C; Starke Elementary C; Southside Elementary C; Lawtey Community School (K-6) C; Hampton Elementary C; Brooker Elementary C[23]. Only the high school grades above a C. I want to flag something honestly here: that source page does not state which school year the grades cover. It also lists seven schools, while EDR counts six traditional schools and NCES counts eleven school entities[19][21][23] — those three lists do not reconcile, which usually means charter, alternative and postsecondary entities are being counted differently. If school quality is driving your decision, call the district at (904) 966-6860 and confirm both the current grade year and the current attendance zoning for the specific address before you write an offer. Boundaries get adjusted, and I am not going to let a stale letter grade decide where your kid goes to school.
Context you should have. Only 15.2 percent of Bradford County residents 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, against 83.4 percent who are high school graduates[1]. That is roughly half the Florida rate for bachelor's attainment, and it constrains the local wage base as much as it reflects the schools. Meanwhile 18.2 percent of county residents live in poverty, rising to 26.4 percent for those under 18[19]. A district serving that population with a B high school is doing more work than the letter suggests.
For families exploring charter or private options, choices are limited within the county itself — most private-school families drive to Gainesville or Middleburg. Homeschool co-ops exist in the community, and the district maintains a homeschool registration process for the Florida-required paperwork[24].
Bradford County's 2024 average annual employment was 6,314 across 565 establishments[19]. The sector mix tells you almost everything about this economy:
| Sector | Share of employment | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Trade, transportation & utilities | 30.2% | Largest sector[19] |
| Government | 25.3% | Second largest; average wage $53,814[19] |
| Leisure & hospitality | 12.8% | Average wage $23,246[19] |
| Education & health services | 8.9% | [19] |
| Construction | 5.3% | [19] |
| Natural resources & mining | 4.7% | Includes agriculture and timber[19] |
| Manufacturing | 4.2% | [19] |
| Average annual wage, all industries | $48,900[19] | |
One in four jobs in this county is a government job[19], and government pays about $5,000 a year above the county average[19]. That is the single most important economic fact about Starke. Here is what sits behind it:
The direction of travel matters. Bradford County's unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in April 2026, up from 5.0 percent in December 2025[20]. The annual average went 3.2 percent in 2023, 3.7 percent in 2024, 4.5 percent in 2025 — a clear softening trend[20]. County real GDP was $729.4 million in 2024, up from $699.2 million in 2023, about 0.1 percent of Florida's economy[19]. Per capita personal income rose from $37,499 in 2020 to $46,074 in 2024, a 22.9 percent four-year gain[19]. Incomes are rising; employment is loosening. Both things are true at once, and that is the tension in the current market.
The one piece of concrete good news. Comcast is extending multi-gigabit symmetrical internet 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 Fund[41]. For context, 90.4 percent of Bradford County households already had a broadband subscription and 94.2 percent had a computer as of ACS 2020-2024[1] — so roughly one in ten households had nothing. In a county where remote work is the most plausible path to higher local incomes, that build-out is the most tangible positive for property values I can point to right now.
Half the county's workforce — 50.6 percent of workers aged 16 and older — works outside Bradford County, and the mean travel time to work is 32.4 minutes[19]. This is a genuine bedroom-community county feeding Gainesville, Jacksonville and the Clay County corridor[19]. Bradford contains 75.6 state highway centerline miles and 204.9 lane miles[19] — a small network, and everything routes through Starke.
| Destination | Distance | Drive time | Route & midpoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Heights | 13 miles | ~17 min | SR 100 southeast — closest neighboring town of size[39] |
| Gainesville | 26 miles | ~37 min | SR 24, Waldo at the halfway point[36] |
| Lake City | 37 miles | ~50 min | SR 100 northwest, Lake Butler halfway[38] |
| Palatka | 40 miles | ~55 min | SR 100 southeast, Grandin halfway[40] |
| Jacksonville | 46 miles | ~1 hour | US-301, Baldwin roughly midway at 27 miles[37] |
| Baldwin / I-10 | 26 miles | — | US-301 north from Starke[27] |
To Gainesville. This is the commute that actually works. 26 miles, about 37 minutes via SR 24 with Waldo at the midpoint[36]. UF, UF Health and the whole Alachua County job base are in comfortable daily range. If one spouse works in Gainesville, Starke starts making a lot of financial sense.
To Jacksonville. 46 driving miles, about an hour via US-301, with Baldwin roughly midway at 27 miles from Starke[37]. Be honest with yourself: that is close to two hours of round-trip driving on a normal day, more when 301 backs up through Baldwin. It is workable for hybrid schedules and punishing for daily in-office roles. That is the real trade-off for the price savings, and I would rather you hear it from me than discover it in month three.
To Camp Blanding and the Clay corridor. SR-16 leaves downtown Starke, crosses US-301, curves around the northwest shore of Kingsley Lake and passes Camp Blanding, then continues through Penney Farms to Green Cove Springs and on to St. Augustine[34].
The First Coast Expressway change nobody in Starke is talking about yet. The First Coast Expressway (SR 23) is a planned 46.5-mile toll route across Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties costing roughly $2 billion[35]. Phase 1, I-10 to SR 21, opened in 2017. Phase 2 opened in two parts: SR 21 to US 17 on August 9, 2025, and US 17 to SR 16 on June 29, 2026[35]. That puts the expressway's current terminus at SR 16 east of Green Cove Springs — the same SR 16 that runs into downtown Starke[34][35]. Phase 3 to I-95, including a new St. Johns River bridge replacing the two-lane Shands Bridge, is expected 2031-2032[35]. I am not going to tell you this transforms Starke overnight — SR 16 is still a two-lane rural road for most of the distance. But it is the first structural improvement to Bradford's eastward connectivity in a long time, and it is worth understanding if you are thinking in ten-year horizons.
One local driving note. AAA designated Lawtey — just north of Starke on US-301 — and nearby Waldo as speed traps in 1995, and removed both designations in 2018 citing significant improvements[53]. The reputation outlives the designation. Drive 301 the way the signs tell you to.
Groceries, food, healthcare, parks, and services within roughly 5 miles of downtown Starke.
Starke is not a destination town and I am not going to pretend it is. What it has is a short list of real, specific places — and for a county of 28,000, that list is longer than you would expect.
Water and woods. Bradford County Parks & Recreation maintains public boat ramps at Hampton Lake (SW 101st Street, Hampton), Sampson and Rowell Lakes (14300 SW 75th Avenue, Starke), Little Lake Santa Fe (3858 SE 20th Avenue, Keystone Heights) and Santa Fe Lake (42500 NE State Road 26, Melrose)[47]. County parks include Pleasant Grove Park, Speedville Park and Lincoln City Park[47]. Two wildlife management areas are open to the public: Santa Fe Swamp WMA at 7,272 acres and Raiford WMA at 9,141 acres along the New River[47]. Santa Fe Lake is the largest in the area and borders Alachua County to the south; Crosby Lake lies west of Starke[54]. Across the county, 10,349 acres — 5.5 percent of the total land area — are state or regionally owned conservation land[19].
Cycling. Two established local loops: the Santa Fe Lake Loop, a 32-mile route through the southern county, and the Starke-Lake Butler Loop at 61 miles through Hampton and Brooker.
Groceries and big-box. Starke has the county's only full retail run, anchored by the Walmart Supercenter on the south side of town — that is the weekly grocery trip for most of Bradford County, not just Starke. Anything more specialized, whether that is a big-box hardware store, a wider restaurant selection or larger medical, means 37 minutes to Gainesville[36] or an hour to the Jacksonville side[37].
Who to call. Bradford County Property Appraiser Kenny Clark, CFA — 904-966-6216[46]. Zoning Department — (904) 966-6213[45]. Bradford County School District — (904) 966-6860[21]. Tax Collector Teresa G. Phillips. County Manager Scott Kornegay[41]. And the Bradford County Telegraph is the local paper of record if you want to follow what the commission is actually doing[9].
Every market page online tells you why to buy. Here is the other half. None of these are deal-killers on their own; all of them should be priced in.
No major provider publishes a county-level price forecast for a county this small, so anything you see labeled a "Bradford County forecast" is somebody's model output dressed up as data. Here is my reasoning from the verified inputs instead. Supply is heavy relative to sales pace[5][2]. Time on market at the county level has roughly doubled[2]. New construction fell 26.7 percent in 2025[18], so nothing is adding supply. Unemployment is drifting up[20]. Prices per square foot are already slipping[2][4] while the FHFA annual index still ticked up 1.6 percent[7]. Add it up and I expect the next twelve months to be roughly flat to modestly soft in Starke — call it a range of down 3 percent to up 3 percent — with well-maintained in-town houses under $250,000 holding value best and overpriced acreage and fixers taking the discount. If mortgage rates fall meaningfully from 6.66 percent[15], the bottom half of this market moves first and fast, because affordability is the binding constraint here, not desire. That is my read. Weigh it as such.
Live MLS feed. If Starke inventory is thin, the widget widens to the rest of Bradford County. Want a saved search set up with your criteria? Just ask.
It depends which source you read, and that is the honest answer. Redfin's most recent published month for ZIP 32091 shows a median sale price of $230,000[4]. Zillow's Home Value Index for 32091 was $219,876 through January 31, 2026, while Zillow's median list price for the same ZIP was $282,333[3]. At the county level, Redfin's latest published month is October 2025 at $283,000[2]. Bradford County closes only about 21 homes a month[2], so any single median bounces around. Treat roughly $220,000 to $285,000 as the working range and price the individual house off real comps.
Directionally it leans toward buyers. County days on market went from 34 to 56 year over year as of October 2025[2], county price per square foot slipped 2.5 percent[2], and active inventory across the county sits between 188 and 225 listings depending on the portal[5][6]. Against roughly 21 sales a month[2] that is about nine months of supply — but the inventory count and the sales count come from different months, so treat it as directional only. Well-priced, updated houses in town still move quickly; ZIP-level days on market was 33.5[4].
The City of Starke carries the highest total millage in Bradford County at 20.0351 mills, because the city adds its own 4.3879-mill levy on top of the county's 10.0000, the school district's 5.3660 and the water management district[8]. Unincorporated Bradford County in the St. Johns River WMD runs 15.5453 mills[8]. On a $250,000 homesteaded home that difference is roughly $75 a month. Countywide, the median effective property tax rate is 0.85 percent of market value with a median annual bill of $1,176, below Florida's 1.10 percent median[11]. Note the source page for those millage rates does not state a tax year — confirm with the Property Appraiser at 904-966-6216.
As an illustration, not a quote: a $250,000 homesteaded home inside Starke city limits with 10 percent down at the July 30, 2026 Freddie Mac 30-year rate of 6.66 percent[15] works out to about $2,052 a month all in — $1,446 principal and interest, about $345 a month in property tax at 20.0351 mills after the full $50,000 homestead exemption[8][12], roughly $167 for insurance and about $94 in PMI. The same house in unincorporated Bradford County runs about $1,977. The insurance line is the weakest input — it uses the midpoint of an undated broker range[16] and should be replaced with a real quote.
Bradford County School District serves all of Starke from 501 West Washington Street, phone 904-966-6860[21]. The district enrolled 2,848 students PK-12 in 2024-25 with 148.97 FTE classroom teachers and a 19.12 student-teacher ratio[21]. Bradford High School at 581 N Temple Avenue enrolled 785 students in grades 9-12[22]. On FloridaSchoolGrades.com, Bradford High carries a B and every other school in the district carries a C[23]. That source does not state which school year the grades cover, so confirm the year and current attendance zoning with the district before you write an offer.
No. Camp Blanding Joint Training Center carries a Starke mailing address, which confuses almost every buyer, but the roughly 73,000-acre installation is in Clay County[31]. That matters because a mailing address does not determine the taxing authority, the school district or county services. If a listing says Starke, check the parcel with the Bradford County Property Appraiser at 904-966-6216 before you assume anything about taxes or schools. Camp Blanding is the Florida Army and Air National Guard's primary training base[31][32], and its personnel are a real part of the Starke buyer pool.
Florida State Prison is at 23916 NW 83rd Ave in unincorporated Bradford County with a Raiford mailing address, capacity 1,492[29]. Florida State Prison West Unit and New River Correctional Institution are also in Bradford[28]. Union Correctional Institution — the one people call "Raiford" — is across the line in Union County[30]. None of these sit inside Starke's residential neighborhoods. What they do affect is the statistics: 4,319 of Bradford's 28,303 residents at the 2020 Census were in group quarters, which is why the county reads 55.9 percent male and why per-capita figures here should be read carefully[19].
Starke to Gainesville is 26 driving miles, about 37 minutes via SR 24 with Waldo at the midpoint[36]. Starke to Jacksonville is 46 miles, about an hour via US-301 with Baldwin roughly midway[37]. Starke to Lake City is 37 miles, about 50 minutes northwest via SR 100 through Lake Butler[38]. Keystone Heights is only 13 miles and about 17 minutes southeast[39]. Palatka is 40 miles, about 55 minutes[40]. County-wide, 50.6 percent of workers commute outside Bradford and the mean travel time to work is 32.4 minutes[19].
Very possibly, but it has to be checked address by address on the official USDA property eligibility map[42] rather than assumed county-wide — USDA eligibility is drawn by mapped boundary, not by county line. On income, the 2026 USDA guaranteed loan standard limits are $122,800 for a 1-4 person household and $162,100 for 5-8; Bradford County is not on the elevated-limit list, so standard caps apply[43]. Against a county median household income of $63,050[1], most local buyers qualify on income. Send me the address and we will check the map together.
Not a full inpatient hospital campus. HCA Florida Starke Emergency at 922 E Call St is a 24/7 freestanding emergency room operating as an extension of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville, with CT, digital radiography, a full-service lab, and stroke and pulmonary embolism treatment; phone 904-368-2300[25]. UF Health Family Medical Group – Starke at 1550 S. Water Street is an outpatient family medicine clinic, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 5:00, closed weekends — there is no "UF Health Starke" hospital[26]. Anything requiring admission generally means Gainesville or Jacksonville.
Neighboring counties: Bradford borders Baker, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Union and Duval[28]. If Starke is not quite right, one of them usually is — call me and we will figure out which.
Free 15-minute call, no pressure. In town, on acreage, or somewhere in between — I'll tell you what the comps actually support.
Known gaps, stated openly. I could not verify a county-level Zillow Home Value Index for Bradford County, a percentage of active listings with price cuts, a new-listings-per-month figure, a sale-to-list ratio, IRS county-to-county migration and net AGI flows, named major employers with headcounts, the share of county housing that is manufactured or mobile, the share of parcels in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, the well-and-septic versus municipal split, county zoning minimums and setbacks, FDOT traffic counts for US-301, or a Bradford County premium figure from a primary insurance regulator source. Where a figure did not exist, I left it out rather than estimate it. Where a source looked unreliable, I said so above. All sources accessed August 2026; market statistics, millage, school grades and attendance zones all change — verify with primary sources before making a decision. Page last updated August 3, 2026.