Lafayette County today
What this means
Home values here climbed 5.1% in a year.
Permits January to September 2026: 42 homes, 31% more than 2025.
About 22% of homes sit in a FEMA high risk flood zone, where a mortgage requires flood insurance. Get a flood quote before you make an offer.
Sources and method: how these figures are built.
Quick facts
| Lafayette County | Compared with Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2025 estimate | 8,792 | 0.0% of Florida |
| Growth since 2020 | 6.9% | -2.0 pts |
| Median home value | $157,200 | 56% lower |
| Median gross rent | $896 | 46% lower |
| Median household income | $62,757 | 16% lower |
| Owner occupied homes | 77.2% | +9.6 pts |
| Residents 65 and older | 21.4% | +0.1 pts |
| Average commute | 30 min | 8% higher |
| Homes built 2010 or later | 9% | -5.2 pts |
| Housing units permitted in 2025 per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 38% lower |
| Veterans, share of adults | 6.6% | -0.8 pts |
| Median property tax paid | $863 | 68% lower |
| Average homeowners insurance with wind | $2,903 |
Census figures are 2020 to 2024 averages; see sources and methods.
Living in Lafayette County
Compared with the rest of Florida, Lafayette County has 37.5% of housing in manufactured homes; lower rents than Florida overall ($896 a month); and home values well below the state ($157,200 vs $359,000).
Rural, landlocked north central county seated at Mayo, with the Suwannee River on its eastern edge. County seat: Mayo. Created in 1856.
Largest communities: Mayo and Day. Mayo alone has about 1,147 residents.
What anchors the area
- Known for: Lafayette Blue Springs State Park; Troy Spring State Park
Growth and where it is heading
From 8,228 residents in 2020 to 8,792 in 2025: that is 6.9%, compared with 8.9% statewide. The 2024 to 2025 change was +0.79%.
| 2025 building permits | Units |
|---|---|
| Single family | 41 |
| 2 to 4 units | 0 |
| 5 or more units | 0 |
| Total | 41 |
| Per 1,000 residents | 4.7 (well below Florida, 7.6) |
Regional context lives in the Northeast and North Central investor guide.
Risks to price in
No direct landfalls here since 2000; inland wind and flood damage from passing storms is the main exposure.
Budget around $2,903 a year for a homeowners policy with wind; that is the county average reported to state regulators.
35.1% of homes predate 1980, so expect four point inspections and roof questions from insurers. Insurance and inspections
Manufactured housing (37.5%) is common here; age and installation decide which loans work. Manufactured home loans
Flood, storms and jobs
| Lafayette County | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes in a FEMA high risk flood zone | 823 (22.5%) | 13.3% |
| Homes with federal flood insurance | 146 (4%) | 13.7% |
| Insured share inside high risk zones | 16.9% | |
| Flood insurance claims since 2000 | 73, $1,393,568 paid | |
| Costliest flood events for insured homes | Other or unnamed flooding ($1,177,293); Mid spring storms ($163,930); Hurricane Jeanne ($30,433) | |
| Major federal disasters declared since 2000 | 16 (10 hurricane, 3 severe storm, 1 tropical storm) |
Federal flood policies here pay full rates, since the county (unincorporated areas) has no CRS class. Flood map date: 10/05/17.
Lafayette County counted 687 private jobs in 2023; the largest sectors were health care and social assistance (21%), retail (16%), hotels and restaurants (10%). Hotels and restaurants hold 10% of those jobs (close to Florida's 13%).
Buying a home in Lafayette County
| 2026 loan limit, one unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| FHA | $541,287 |
| Conforming (above this is jumbo) | $832,750 |
The median priced home fits under the FHA limit with room to spare. FHA limits
Price to income: 2.5x locally, 4.8x for Florida. That makes ownership easier to reach than in most of the state.
Loans made here in 2025
| Loan type | Loans | Share | Florida share | Average loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional | 58 | 75.3% | 72.2% | $279,828 |
| FHA | 14 | 18.2% | 17.8% | $202,143 |
| VA | 5 | 6.5% | 9.9% | $363,000 |
| USDA | 0 | 0% | 0.2% | Not reported |
| Purpose | Share of 2025 loans |
|---|---|
| Home purchase | 63.6% |
| Cash out refinance | 20.8% |
| Rate and term refinance | 2.6% |
| Home improvement | 7.8% |
Lending volume grew 20.3% versus 2024, when lenders made 64 loans.
Loans that fit the local numbers
- Conventional: the default choice here (75.3% of 2025 loans).
- FHA: lower scores and higher debt ratios allowed; limit $541,287.
- USDA: zero down for eligible rural addresses; check each one on the USDA map.
Down payment help and taxes
First time buyers can check state assistance at the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Owners paid a median $863 in property tax (0.55% of value). Homestead and tax caps
Investing in Lafayette County
DSCR loans often price above this rate. Method. DSCR loans
Run your own numbers
Long term rentals
| Lafayette County | vs Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Renter occupied homes | 22.8% | -9.6 pts |
| Rent as share of renter income | 19.9% | -15.3 pts |
| Rental vacancy | 0.8% | -6.8 pts |
Few rentals sit empty.
Short term rentals
| Item | Here |
|---|---|
| County tourist tax | 0% |
| Plus state sales tax | 6% (plus any county surtax) |
| Homes held for seasonal use | 15% (+7.2 pts vs Florida) |
Confirm zoning and HOA rules before counting on nightly rentals. State rules
Property types
| Housing stock | Share |
|---|---|
| Single family detached | 57% |
| Buildings with 5+ units | 1% |
| Manufactured homes | 37.5% |
| 2025 loans on 2 to 4 unit properties | 0% |
Largest cities and towns in Lafayette County
| Place | Population | Median value | Median rent | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo | 1,147 | $166,300 | Not reported | $54,375 |
| Day | 347 | $246,400 | Not reported | Not reported |
Census places, including unincorporated communities. Linked places have their own guide.
Compare with neighboring counties
3 of its 5 neighbors are cheaper by median value.
| County | Median value | Median rent | Growth since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County | $157,200 | $896 | 6.9% |
| Dixie County | $132,000 | $695 | 7.6% |
| Gilchrist County | $199,900 | $926 | 14.7% |
| Madison County | $116,200 | $874 | 4.4% |
| Suwannee County | $171,600 | $884 | 10.8% |
| Taylor County | $114,600 | $988 | -2.7% |
Other Florida markets
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5 year estimates. 2020 to 2024.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, Vintage 2025. July 1, 2025.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual. 2025.
- FFIEC HMDA Data Browser, originated loans. 2025 and 2024.
- LendingTree: 2026 FHA loan limits in Florida by county (HUD figures). 2026.
- Florida Realtors: FHFA sets 2026 conforming loan limits. 2026.
- Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research: 2026 local option tourist tax rates. 2026.
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026 Insurance Stability Unit report (average homeowners premium with wind, as of March 31, 2026). March 31, 2026.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. week of October 22, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of counties in Florida. checked October 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file. 2024.
- Wikipedia county article and statewide lists (colleges, teams, airports); Florida Defense Support Task Force installation map. checked October 2026.
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), all homes, middle tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. September 2026.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (county annual, metro and state quarterly, all transactions). through Q2 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, January to September 2026 and 2025. September 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates. as of August 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims (2000 to 2026). as of September 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book (Community Rating System class). August 2026.
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (2000 to 2026). October 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. 2023.
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024, median gross rent by bedrooms (B25031). 2020 to 2024.
- Hurricane landfalls: Wikipedia, List of Florida hurricanes (2000 to present). checked October 2026.
Estimates from public data; they change over time. General information, not investment, tax or legal advice, and not a loan offer. Methods and assumptions.