The Town Files

Palm River-Clair Mel, Florida

Community in Hillsborough County · population 26,142 (2020 Census)

Map: where Palm River-Clair Mel is in FloridaPalm River-Clair Mel
Median home
$271,700
Household income
$71,787
Jan low / Jul high
53° / 91°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
70
Median age
34.9

Palm River-Clair Mel is a community of 26,142 people in Hillsborough County, Florida. The median home is worth $271,700, below the typical Florida town ($331,600). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 92% of Florida towns, better transit than 85% of Florida towns, better for young professionals than 73% of Florida towns.

How Palm River-Clair Mel ranks

Percentile among Florida towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Florida towns.

Palm River-Clair Mel lifestyle rankings vs other Florida townsRetirement12th pctFamilies34th pctQuiet20th pctWalkability69th pctFirst-time buyers92nd pctYoung professionals73rd pctVibrancy60th pctHip & trendy56th pctCollege town54th pctUpscale36th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside character71st pctCycling58th pctTransit85th pctDriving27th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Palm River-Clair Mel is worth $271,700, below the typical Florida town ($331,600). Homes cost about 3.8 times the median household income of $71,787, which is more affordable than 73% of Florida towns. Median rent is $1,525 a month. 60.5% of households own their home.

Palm River-Clair Mel vs Hillsborough County vs typical Florida townPalm River-Clair MelHillsborough CountyTypical Florida townHome value$271,700$371,500$331,600Household income$71,787$79,540$71,140Monthly rent$1,525$1,667$1,569
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Florida towns with 500+ people.
HousingPalm River-Clair MelTypical Florida town
Median home value$271,700$331,600
Median rent$1,525$1,569
Median household income$71,787$71,140
Home value ÷ income3.8×4.5×
Homeownership60.5%73.5%
Median year built19931985
Seasonal / vacation homes0.7%—

Who lives in Palm River-Clair Mel

PeoplePalm River-Clair MelTypical Florida town
Median age34.942.8
Age 65 and over12.3%20.2%
Under 1825.1%—
Bachelor's degree or higher25.0%28.8%
Below the poverty line13.1%11.3%
Veterans5.9%—
Born outside the U.S.24.0%—
Work from home16.8%13.5%
Average commute30.6 min27.5 min
Homes with broadband92.1%92.4%

Weather in Palm River-Clair Mel

July highs average 91.0°F and January lows 52.8°F. About 49.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Florida town: 0.0 in). Expect about 94 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 1 nights at or below freezing.

Palm River-Clair Mel monthly temperatures and precipitation50°60°70°80°90°100°71°53°Jan74°56°Feb78°59°Mar83°65°Apr88°71°May91°75°Jun91°77°Jul91°77°Aug90°75°Sep86°69°Oct79°61°Nov74°56°DecPrecipitation (in)2.62.62.52.52.67.47.89.06.12.31.42.6
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Tampa Intl Ap station (10.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

70 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palm River-Clair Mel since 1950, compared with 35 for the typical Florida town. 9 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on April 4, 1966 about 6.6 miles from the town center and killed 3. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 4 deaths and 105 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on August 8, 2025.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Palm River-Clair Mel by decade11950s121960s231970s91980s111990s72000s62010s12020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 70 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on June 6, 1969.

Severe weather in Hillsborough County since 1996

Storm events in Hillsborough County since 1996 by typeHail192Flood74Tornado51Lightning108Heavy Rain39Waterspout8Flash Flood11Funnel Cloud7
NOAA Storm Events Database, Hillsborough County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 24 deaths recorded.

Hillsborough County has been included in 47 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, tornado.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
October 11, 2024HurricaneDR-4834: Hurricane Milton
October 7, 2024HurricaneEM-3622: Hurricane Milton
September 28, 2024HurricaneDR-4828: Hurricane Helene
September 24, 2024Tropical StormEM-3615: Tropical Storm Helene
August 10, 2024Tropical StormDR-4806: Hurricane Debby

Jobs and pay in Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County had 789,442 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $75,256 a year. Unemployment was 2.9% in 2023; in Palm River-Clair Mel itself the ACS puts it at 4.7%.

Largest industries in Hillsborough CountyHealth care & social assistan…104,069 jobs · $72,116Professional & technical serv…81,509 jobs · $111,681Retail76,112 jobs · $43,706Finance & insurance69,351 jobs · $121,007Hotels & restaurants66,948 jobs · $32,017Administrative & support56,840 jobs · $55,460
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Hillsborough County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023Hillsborough 2.9%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Palm River-Clair Mel

Palm River-Clair Mel questions

Is Palm River-Clair Mel, Florida a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Palm River-Clair Mel scores better for retirees than 12% of Florida towns and quieter than 20%. 12.3% of residents are 65 or older (median age 34.9).

How much does a house cost in Palm River-Clair Mel?

The median owner-occupied home in Palm River-Clair Mel is valued at $271,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $71,787, so homes cost about 3.8 times income. Median rent is $1,525 a month.

What is the weather like in Palm River-Clair Mel?

July highs average 91.0°F and January lows 52.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 49.5 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Palm River-Clair Mel get tornadoes?

70 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palm River-Clair Mel since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on April 4, 1966. The typical Florida town has had 35.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Palm River-Clair Mel's Census boundary (GEOID 1254387). Comparisons use the median of Florida towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-12.