Population
Melbourne
85,718
Carolina Forest
26,373
Median Income
Melbourne
$64,504
Carolina Forest
$70,647
Home Value
Melbourne
$272,900
Carolina Forest
$298,700
Rent
Melbourne
$1,411
Carolina Forest
$1,567
Crime Rate
Melbourne
9.03
Carolina Forest
N/A
Cost of Living
Melbourne
115.7
Carolina Forest
121.8
Avg Temp
Melbourne
N/A
Carolina Forest
N/A
Unemployment
Melbourne
4.4%
Carolina Forest
8.4%
How Similar Are Melbourne & Carolina Forest?
Carolina Forest is Melbourne's #16 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Melbourne
85,718
Carolina Forest
26,373
Melbourne (85,718) is about 3.3x larger than Carolina Forest (26,373).
Political Leaning
Melbourne
59.9%
Carolina Forest
68.8%
Both cities lean Republican, but Carolina Forest has a stronger Republican lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
Melbourne
4.4%
Carolina Forest
8.4%
Carolina Forest has a 47% higher unemployment than Melbourne.
Median Income
Melbourne
$64,504
Carolina Forest
$70,647
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Melbourne
$272,900
Carolina Forest
$298,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Melbourne
24.1%
Carolina Forest
23.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Melbourne
75.2%
Carolina Forest
77.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Melbourne
115.7
Carolina Forest
121.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Melbourne and Carolina Forest share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Melbourne
0
Carolina Forest
Melbourne leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Melbourne leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCarolina Forest has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,229 vs $1,478 in Melbourne (20% lower). Carolina Forest has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,465 vs $1,709 in Melbourne (17% lower). Melbourne scores 144.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 153.4 in Carolina Forest.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Carolina Forest leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCarolina Forest has a median property tax of $1,051 vs $1,913 in Melbourne (82% lower). Carolina Forest has a vacancy rate of 9.2% compared to 11.7% in Melbourne. Carolina Forest has a owner-occupied of 69.3% compared to 60.3% in Melbourne.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Melbourne leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelbourne: 42,351 vs Carolina Forest: 13,232 for labor force. Melbourne has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 8.3% in Carolina Forest. Melbourne has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 8.4% in Carolina Forest.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Melbourne leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMelbourne has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.1% compared to 23.7% in Carolina Forest. Melbourne has a high school diploma or higher of 42.9% compared to 42.4% in Carolina Forest.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelbourne has a population of 85,718, about 3.3x the size of Carolina Forest (26,373). Carolina Forest skews younger with a median age of 37.6 vs 42.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Melbourne
Carolina Forest
Healthcare — Melbourne leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMelbourne: 3.5 vs Carolina Forest: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Melbourne leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelbourne has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.0% in Carolina Forest. Melbourne has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 8.3% in Carolina Forest. Carolina Forest has a drive alone of 81.5% compared to 73.6% in Melbourne.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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Compare Melbourne against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.