Florida · best for families · #24 of 50 states

Best Cities for Families in Florida

Florida ranks #24 of 50 for families, with a families score of 65.4. Palm Beach Gardens is its best city for families at 60.2.

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#1 city in FL for families

Palm Beach Gardens60.2

Families score out of 100

Florida, all states: #24 of 50
Population: 60,959

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Violent crime rate

275.2

per 100K · FBI estimate, prior year (latest is limited data)

HS graduation rate

87.3%

NCES

Median income

$77,735

Census ACS

Infant care

$14,230/yr

Center-based · Child Care Aware

Home value

$375,470

Typical home value

Florida for Families: The Full Picture

Florida lands in the middle of the pack for families at #24 out of 50 states. The state has genuine strengths — safety scores strong at 73/100 — but also areas that may give parents pause. The 87.3% high school graduation rate leaves room for improvement, and a typical home value of $375,470 is manageable for dual-income households.

Education is the single most important factor for families choosing where to live, and Florida shows mixed results on this front. The state's high school graduation rate stands at 87.3%, roughly in line with national norms. School quality has been a consistent strength, reflected in an education score of 61/100. Center-based infant care runs $14,230 a year — a meaningful expense, close to the 50-state average.

Safety is the other pillar of family-friendly living. Florida performs reasonably well, with a violent crime rate below the 50-state average at 275.2 incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI estimate, prior year: the FBI flags the latest year as based on limited data). The higher cost of living (index: 103.4) means families typically need above-average incomes to maintain a comfortable standard of living.

All 80 Cities Ranked for Families

# City	Grade	Families score	Overall	Education	Safety	Affordability	Population
1Palm Beach Gardens	A	60.2	64.8	60	94	35	60,959
2Doral	B+	60.2	61.5	50	96	33	79,216
3Horizon West	A	59.9	64.0	—	—	43	67,416
4Wellington	B+	59.9	61.1	55	96	33	62,146
5Jupiter	B+	59.4	62.6	57	94	35	61,883
6Clearwater	B	58.8	56.2	59	80	62	117,247
7Largo	C+	58.6	55.5	59	79	68	82,617
8North Port	B+	58.2	61.2	62	97	58	84,605
9Coral Springs	B	58.0	57.9	44	93	41	136,103
10Pinellas Park	C+	57.9	54.8	59	75	66	53,560
11Boynton Beach	B	57.8	57.0	59	89	50	81,435
12Boca Raton	B+	57.7	61.0	55	90	29	100,234
13St. Cloud	B+	57.4	58.8	50	93	62	65,130
14Miramar	B	57.3	58.3	51	95	44	138,600
15St. Petersburg	B	56.7	56.1	60	61	61	262,732
16Pembroke Pines	B	56.6	57.6	48	99	46	173,194
17Delray Beach	B	56.5	58.5	62	75	48	67,979
18Plantation	B	56.4	58.2	50	86	42	96,293
19Tampa	B	56.4	55.8	50	79	59	401,618
20Apopka	B+	56.0	59.4	50	69	56	58,232
21Port St. Lucie	B	55.8	58.2	51	94	59	232,491
22Sarasota	B	55.5	56.9	62	72	56	56,970
23Sanford	C+	55.5	55.0	56	59	64	63,730
24Palm Bay	B	55.3	56.9	51	83	66	130,132
25Alafaya	B	55.0	57.0	—	—	55	92,449
26Hialeah	C+	54.7	53.4	50	86	53	226,165
27Lakeland	C+	54.0	52.5	49	72	72	119,961
28Orlando	C+	53.9	53.4	51	—	59	319,758
29The Villages	C+	53.4	55.3	—	—	72	83,498
30West Palm Beach	C+	53.2	54.4	57	65	51	122,290
31Palm Harbor	C+	52.9	52.6	56	—	58	61,512
32Melbourne	C	52.9	52.2	52	65	66	86,576
33Jacksonville	C	52.9	50.9	44	58	68	977,670
34Ocala	C	52.9	50.7	46	64	74	66,584
35Wesley Chapel	B	52.8	56.3	47	—	55	76,011
36Winter Haven	C	52.6	51.2	46	79	73	55,200
37Miami Gardens	C	52.6	50.3	55	71	52	113,177
38Gainesville	D	52.5	48.6	51	51	74	145,702
39Tallahassee	C	52.4	49.9	56	50	73	201,875
40Homestead	C	52.3	51.4	47	68	53	82,807
41Riverview	C+	52.2	53.3	48	—	57	113,697
42Bradenton	C	51.9	51.4	51	71	64	57,014
43Miami	C+	51.3	55.3	52	68	46	459,745
44Pensacola	C+	51.1	52.7	45	—	70	54,036
45Weston	B	51.0	58.2	45	—	26	68,837
46Port Orange	C	50.9	51.4	49	—	65	64,767
47Kissimmee	D	50.7	48.5	49	67	64	81,479
48Miami Beach	B	50.2	56.0	49	—	44	82,031
49Deltona	C	49.9	49.6	49	—	65	97,334
50Brandon	C	49.8	49.4	48	—	61	119,767
51Fort Myers	C	49.6	51.5	44	71	61	95,051
52Sunrise	C	49.0	51.0	53	—	49	97,918
53Spring Hill	D	48.8	45.6	55	—	68	119,983
54Town 'n' Country	D	48.6	48.5	—	—	62	85,928
55North Miami	D	48.6	46.5	50	—	54	60,344
56Coconut Creek	C	48.5	50.9	44	—	51	58,330
57Pine Hills	F	48.5	39.0	—	—	68	80,105
58Hollywood	C	48.2	50.1	48	—	52	155,082
59Kendall	C+	48.1	53.2	—	—	42	79,562
60Palm Coast	C+	48.1	52.8	50	—	62	98,258
61Daytona Beach	D	48.0	47.6	47	—	70	78,992
62Davie	C	47.5	51.6	42	—	45	108,346
63Margate	C	47.4	49.3	49	—	55	59,198
64Fort Lauderdale	C	47.2	51.2	49	40	46	185,604
65Pompano Beach	C	47.1	49.5	47	—	54	114,147
66Deerfield Beach	D	47.0	48.0	50	—	55	88,093
67Four Corners	D	46.3	46.2	—	—	60	65,048
68Tamarac	D	46.2	47.9	50	—	54	73,019
69The Hammocks	C	46.0	49.7	—	—	43	58,838
70Country Club	D	45.7	46.8	—	—	51	51,296
71Cape Coral	C	45.6	50.6	42	—	58	215,536
72Lauderhill	F	45.5	42.3	47	—	58	74,896
73Port Charlotte	D	44.7	44.3	57	—	67	66,133
74Bonita Springs	C+	44.5	53.6	40	—	53	55,904
75Westchester	D	44.3	48.6	—	—	46	52,032
76Fountainebleau	D	44.1	46.0	—	—	51	55,665
77Kendale Lakes	D	43.5	47.1	—	—	49	52,622
78Tamiami	D	43.1	48.3	—	—	46	49,752
79Lehigh Acres	F	41.8	39.2	42	—	64	132,353
80Poinciana	F	41.6	39.4	45	—	64	75,068

City families scores use each city's own data, with the category weights rescaled over the categories the city has; outdoor access has no city-level measure and is left out. City scores for families also weigh the county's expected yearly building losses from natural hazards (FEMA), lower is better; the share of adults without health insurance (CDC PLACES), lower is better; the share of households with someone under 18 (Census ACS), higher is better.

Compare: States with Similar Families Rankings

Also See: Florida for Other Lifestyles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Florida a good state for families?

Florida ranks #24 out of 50 for families with a persona-weighted score of 65.4/100. Its strongest relevant category is Safety (73/100) and its weakest is Livability (27/100).

What is the best city for families in Florida?

Palm Beach Gardens ranks #1 in Florida for families with a score of 60.2/100, followed by Doral and Horizon West.

What factors are most important for families in Florida?

Rankings weighted toward education quality, public safety, affordable housing, healthcare, and community livability — the factors that matter most to families with children.