Cudjoe Key, Florida

Cudjoe Key is a census-designated place in Monroe County, Florida. It is on an island of the same name in the lower Florida Keys. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 2,019.

Census-designated place
Location in Monroe County and the state of Florida
U.S. Census Bureau map showing CDP boundaries
Coordinates: 24°39′51″N 81°28′56″W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Monroe
Area
• Total	10.45 sq mi (27.07 km2)
• Land	5.17 sq mi (13.40 km2)
• Water	5.28 sq mi (13.67 km2)
Elevation	5 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,019
• Density	390.22/sq mi (150.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33042
FIPS code	12-15862
GNIS feature ID	1867131

It was originally called Littleton Island.

The United States Army activated Cudjoe Key Air Force Station in 1959. It was to track missiles traveling through the Eglin Gulf Test Range. The Air Force took over operations the next year. After this, it became a detached installation of Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base. The station flies a white radar aerostat. It is known locally as "Fat Albert". This is used for drug interdiction missions by the Drug Enforcement Administration. On April 20, 2007 a Cessna 182 crashed after its left wing struck the tether anchoring "Fat Albert" [1][2]. The aerostat is marked on air navigation charts inside a restricted area. The area has the warning, "Caution: Unmarked balloon on cable to 14,000 [feet]."

It is possibly named after the Joewood tree (Jacquinia keyensis), a native species. It is also known as cudjoewood. But writer John Viele of Summerland Key gives a better reason for its name. He believes that Cudjoe, a very common West African name, was the name of a fugitive slave or free negro who lived on the island at some point before to Gerdes' survey in 1849.

Geography

Cudjoe Key is located at 24°39′51″N 81°28′56″W (24.664298, -81.482339).

U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 20.5 – 23, between Summerland Key and Sugarloaf Key.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.45 square miles (27.1 km²). 5.17 square miles (13.4 km²) of it is land and 5.28 square miles (13.7 km²) of it (50.5%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,019 people living in Cudjoe Key. These people made up 936 households. The population density was 390.2/km² (150.7/mi²). There were 1,627 housing units. The racial constitution of the CDP was 87.1% White, 1.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 7.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.6% of the population.

15.4% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them. 57.4% were married couples living together, and 8.7% were unmarried couples living together. 14.9% had a female householder with no husband or partner present. 19.1% had a male householder with no wife or partner present. 25.3% of all households were made up of a single person and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

11.7% residents were under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 37.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.7 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.9 males.

In 2021, the median income for a household in the CDP was $89,556, and the median income for a family was $104,808. The per capita income for the CDP was $60,946. About 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line. Nobody under age 18, and 12.9% of people age 65 or over, were below the poverty line.