ZIP 34972

34972 is one of 1 ZIP codes that lie mostly in Okeechobee County, FL — 80% of its own area is in the county.

Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 1 of the 1 with a value.

6 school locations in 34972: 2 elementary, 1 middle, 3 high.

In alphabetical order: NORTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, OKEECHOBEE ACHIEVEMENT ACADEMY, OKEECHOBEE HIGH SCHOOL, SEMINOLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, and more on the ZIP page. Locations only — no ratings are shown here.

In January 2000 the typical home in 34972 was worth $74,495.

Values peaked at $312,962 in August 2026. The latest reading is the peak.

As of August 2026: $312,962, +1.0% over twelve months.

Start with the typical home: $312,962. Put 20% down and borrow $250,370 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.

That is $1,734 a month in principal and interest.

The median household here earns $53,902 a year, $4,492 a month. So the payment takes 38.6% of income — rated “severe” (Lotvox ZIP bands: under 28% affordable · 28–36% stretched · 36%+ severe).

The line holds today's rate fixed and moves only the price: at that rate, the same share was 9.2% in 2000.

Take the typical home's price each month, borrow 80% at that month's actual 30-year average rate: in January 2000 (8.21%) the payment was $446.

In December 2020, with rates at 2.68%, it was $609.

By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $1,610 — +164% since December 2020, while the home's value moved +66%.

Reported values rose +320% since January 2000.

General prices (CPI-U) rose +97% over the same span.

Divide one by the other: in August 2026 dollars, the 2000 home was worth $147,024. So the real change is +113%, not +320%.

34972: +320% since January 2000.

Okeechobee County: +278% since January 2000.

Florida: +245% since January 2000 — 34972 ran ahead of it by 75 points.

Against 1,098 Florida ZIP codes, 34972 sits at the 26th percentile for affordability (price vs local income).

72nd for appreciation (recent value growth); 9th for rental yield (rent vs price).

Owning the typical home costs about $2,046 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $1,005 a month.

Price divided by a year's rent: 26.0. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.

Picture the Listings Flow Ladder as a basin: new listings pour in from the faucet, the homes for sale are the water, and closed sales run out the drain. Coming in — new listings: about 21 a month (Redfin, 3-month rolling data through August 2026).

On the shelf — homes for sale at the end of the period: 77.

Going out — closed sales: about 12 a month. The drain is drawn 1% narrower: the share of homes for sale that sell each month is 99% of its 2015–2019 level.

The ladder: homes for sale ÷ monthly sales = 6.4 months of supply — above the 4–6 month balanced range. In the basin, that is the water level against the shaded balanced band.

The net reading: about 9 more homes came on than sold each month, so inventory is growing. The basin is filling.

Homes sold: about 12 a month in August 2026 (Redfin).

The 2015–2019 level for the same month was 12 — so sales ran at 100% of it, and below it in 15 of the last 24 months.

Across Okeechobee County, builders pulled permits for 88 new homes in 2025.

Of those, 77% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).

This ZIP sits in Okeechobee County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 714 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 442 moved out.

Net across those counties: +272 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 77 in June 2026.

Most arrivals came from St. Lucie, FL (193 households); most departures went to St. Lucie, FL (119).