Jacksonville vs Orange Park vs Atlantic Beach vs Neptune Beach

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Sources: the Duval County Property Appraiser’s 2025 final millages, the Florida Department of Revenue’s 2025 Clay County levy table and millage report, Duval County Public Schools’ 2026-27 attendance zones, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, Zillow Research, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and each city’s own website.

Jacksonville covers almost all of Duval County, so its nearest neighbors are small. The three nearest cities with more than 5,000 people, by the Census Bureau’s map, are Orange Park, a town in Clay County about 12 miles south of central Jacksonville, and Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach, about 16 miles east on the ocean. The two beach cities are inside Duval County and share Duval County Public Schools with Jacksonville; Orange Park does not.

Every figure below is from an official source, linked where it appears, with the same year used for all four places in each table.

What this means for you

• Tax rates are close: the 2025 totals ran from 17.2004 mills in Atlantic Beach to 17.8161 in Neptune Beach, with Jacksonville at 17.7412.
• Home values are not: Zillow’s typical value in Neptune Beach was nearly three times Jacksonville’s in August 2026.
• Schools follow the county line: Orange Park is in Clay County District Schools; the other three are in Duval County Public Schools.

Property tax rates, 2025

A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. In Duval County, the consolidated City of Jacksonville levies one rate inside Jacksonville and a lower rate in the beach cities, which add their own city rate on top. From the Duval County Property Appraiser’s 2025 final millage chart:

Orange Park is taxed through Clay County. The Florida Department of Revenue’s 2025 reports list the Town of Orange Park’s adopted rate as 5.9500 mills, Clay County’s countywide services rate as 5.5471, the Clay County School Board’s rate as 6.2720 and the St. Johns River Water Management District’s as 0.1793, a combined 17.9484 mills. Clay County also levies special taxing unit rates that apply only in parts of the county; the Clay County Property Appraiser’s record for a parcel shows which apply.

City and county government rate

The chart below compares only the city and county government share of each bill, which is the part the four governments set themselves: Jacksonville’s consolidated rate, each beach city’s rate plus the consolidated rate, and Orange Park’s rate plus Clay County’s countywide rate.

Homestead exemption: all four use Florida’s homestead exemption, which takes up to $50,000 off the assessed value of a permanent home (the second $25,000 does not apply to school taxes), according to the Florida Department of Revenue. More in our property taxes guide.

Schools

High schools from Duval County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone layer and the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, the same year for all four places:

Orange Park High is run by Clay County District Schools. The federal school directory gives it an Orange Park address, but on the Census Bureau’s map it sits just outside the town limits, and the town has no public high school inside them. Clay County District Schools assigns schools by address.

The 11 Duval County zoned high schools inside Jacksonville and their 2026 grades: A for Atlantic Coast, Jean Ribault, Mandarin and Sandalwood; B for Edward H. White and William M. Raines; C for Englewood, First Coast, Riverside and Terry Parker. Westside High’s 2026 grade was listed as incomplete. Some Jacksonville homes are zoned for Fletcher High in Neptune Beach or Baldwin Middle-Senior High in Baldwin. More in our schools guide.

Home values

From the Zillow Home Value Index city file, the typical home value for each place, all in August 2026:

The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

More in our home prices guide and neighborhoods guide.

People, income and commute

From the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020-2024 five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four (QuickFacts pages: Jacksonville, Orange Park, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach):

City services

Fire and rescue: the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department serves Jacksonville, and Orange Park has its own fire department, which the town says handles fire, rescue and EMS inside town limits. Neptune Beach is not in this table because its city website could not be reached to confirm its providers on Oct. 10, 2026. More in our trash and recycling guide.

How to check an address

• Which city, and which tax district, a parcel is in: Duval County parcels on the Property Appraiser’s search; Clay County parcels on the Clay County Property Appraiser’s site.
• Which Duval County public school an address is zoned for: the district’s school locator.
• What a Duval County bill was: the Tax Collector’s bill search, and the TRIM notice mailed each August for the coming year.

Frequently asked questions

Are property taxes lower in Atlantic Beach than in Jacksonville?

The total 2025 rate on the Duval County Property Appraiser’s chart was 17.2004 mills in Atlantic Beach, 17.7412 in Jacksonville outside the Beaches and Baldwin, and 17.8161 in Neptune Beach. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value.

Is Orange Park part of Jacksonville?

No. Orange Park is a separate town in Clay County, about 12 miles south of central Jacksonville, with its own police and fire departments. Its public schools are run by Clay County District Schools, not Duval County Public Schools.

What high school do Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach students attend?

Duncan U. Fletcher High, at 700 Seagate Ave. in Neptune Beach, in Duval County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone layer. Florida graded it A for 2026.

Which of the four has the highest home values?

Neptune Beach. Zillow’s typical home value there was $791,219 in August 2026, against $712,936 in Atlantic Beach, $311,431 in Orange Park and $285,103 in Jacksonville.