Duval County, Florida

Duval County is a county in Florida, United States, on the state’s northeastern Atlantic coast at the mouth of the St. Johns River. It had a population of 995,567 at the 2020 census and covers 763 square miles (1,975 km2) centred near 30°20′N 81°39′W.

Jacksonville is the county seat, and its central postal code is 32202. The county has 4 independent incorporated municipalities — one city · seat, three smaller cities and a town — plus dozens of named unincorporated communities and neighborhoods absorbed into the consolidated city government. Duval County is in the Eastern time zone; its FIPS code is 12031.

Towns & Villages in Duval County

Duval County has been governed under a consolidated city-county government since 1968: nearly all of the county is legally part of the City of Jacksonville, with four historic municipalities — Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Baldwin — remaining independent. The names below are the county’s best-known incorporated places, beach towns and long-standing neighborhoods; scores of smaller mobile-home parks and subdivisions from older gazetteers are omitted (see notes).

Two entries called “Biltmore” and two called “Lake Forest Hills” appeared as duplicate lines in older gazetteers — each is listed once here. “Duval” as a bare community name (distinct from the county itself) and a long tail of individually named mobile-home parks (Alcoy Road, Buccaneer, Circle Eleven and similar) are not carried over; they are private developments without their own postal or census identity, not separately governed settlements.

ZIP Codes

• 32202 — downtown Jacksonville (county seat)
• 32250 — Jacksonville Beach
• 32233 — Atlantic Beach (also serves Mayport)
• 32266 — Neptune Beach
• 32234 — Baldwin (also serves Maxville)
• 32211 — Arlington
• 32223 — Mandarin
• 32207 — San Marco and Beauclerc
• 32218 — Oceanway and Highlands
• 32226 — New Berlin, Fulton and Fort George Island

Most named neighborhoods inside the consolidated city share a ZIP code with a larger surrounding area rather than having one of their own.

Geography

Duval County sits at the mouth of the St. Johns River on Florida’s Atlantic coast, with barrier-island beach towns along its eastern edge and low, sandy pine flatwoods inland. The river runs northeast through the middle of the county before emptying into the Atlantic near Mayport, and tidal creeks and marsh fringe much of the coastline. Duval borders Nassau County to the north, Baker County to the west, Clay County to the southwest, and St. Johns County to the south; its northern edge also runs close to the Georgia state line.

Demographics

Duval County’s population was 995,567 at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 1,305 people per square mile. Jacksonville itself accounts for the great majority of that total, with Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach the next-largest incorporated places. Median household income in the county runs somewhat below the Florida median of $73,311, reflecting a mix of urban, suburban and lower-income neighborhoods within the consolidated city.

Economy & Local Life

Jacksonville is a regional banking, insurance and logistics hub: CSX Corporation is headquartered downtown, and the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) runs one of the busiest container and vehicle-import ports on the East Coast. The U.S. Navy is a major employer, with Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville both inside the county. The Jacksonville Jaguars play in the NFL, and the annual Florida-Georgia college football game and the Jacksonville Jazz Festival draw large crowds downtown each year.

History

Duval County was created on August 12, 1822, and named for William Pope Duval, the first civilian governor of Florida Territory. The area had earlier been the site of Fort Caroline, a short-lived 16th-century French colony on the St. Johns River. The trading post of Cowford, at a narrow river crossing, grew into the city of Jacksonville, which became the county seat. On October 1, 1968, city and county governments consolidated into a single administration, one of the first such mergers in the United States.

Getting There

Interstates 95 and 10 cross in Jacksonville, with I-295 forming a beltway around the city; U.S. 1, U.S. 17 and U.S. 90 also pass through the county.

• Jacksonville Beach — 16 miles east of downtown Jacksonville
• Baldwin — 18 miles west of downtown Jacksonville
• Fernandina Beach, Nassau County — 30 miles north
• St. Augustine, St. Johns County — 40 miles south

Jacksonville International Airport, in the north of the county, is the region’s main commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Duval County?
It is in northeastern Florida, on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the St. Johns River.

What is the population of Duval County?
995,567 at the 2020 census.

How big is Duval County?
763 square miles (1,975 km2).

What is the county seat of Duval County?
Jacksonville, consolidated with the county government since 1968.

How many towns and cities are in Duval County?
Four independent municipalities — Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Baldwin — plus Jacksonville itself and dozens of named neighborhoods within it.

What ZIP codes are in Duval County?
Roughly forty ZIP codes cover the county, from 32202 downtown to 32250 and 32233 at the beaches.

Why is Duval County’s government different from most Florida counties?
Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated into a single city-county government in 1968, so most of the county has no separate unincorporated area — only the beach cities and Baldwin stayed independent.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.