Florida · best for young professionals · #24 of 50 states

Best Cities for Young Professionals in Florida

Florida ranks #24 of 50 for young professionals, with a young professionals score of 53.9. Apopka is its best city for young professionals at 62.7.

See all 50 states for young professionals →

#1 city in FL for young professionals

Apopka62.7

Young Professionals score out of 100

Florida, all states: #24 of 50
Population: 58,232

Open Apopka →

Unemployment

3.9%

BLS LAUS

Median income

$77,735

Census ACS

Pop. growth

+0.85%

Census estimates

Cost of living

103.4

BEA RPP · 100 = avg

Livability

27/100

Dining, arts, nightlife

Florida for Young Professionals: The Full Picture

Florida ranks #24 out of 50 for young professionals, landing in the middle of the pack. The state's economy scores 45/100, with 3.9% unemployment and a median household income of $77,735. Modest population growth of 0.85% suggests a stable but not booming market.

For young professionals, the equation comes down to earning potential versus cost of living. With a cost-of-living index of 103.4, expenses are near the national norm — what you earn is roughly what you keep. Growth metrics are moderate, so career advancement may depend more on specific industries than broad market expansion.

Beyond the paycheck, livability matters. Florida's livability score of 27/100 is modest, which may matter to young professionals who value nightlife, dining, and cultural events. Transportation is car-dependent in most areas (score: 44/100), which is worth factoring into housing location decisions.

All 80 Cities Ranked for Young Professionals

# City	Grade	Young Professionals score	Overall	Economy	Growth	Walkability	Population
1Apopka	B+	62.7	59.4	65	93	40	58,232
2Horizon West	A	61.3	64.0	80	—	36	67,416
3Palm Beach Gardens	A	61.1	64.8	70	59	49	60,959
4St. Cloud	B+	60.9	58.8	55	90	43	65,130
5Palm Bay	B	60.2	56.9	50	88	46	130,132
6North Port	B+	60.1	61.2	55	80	36	84,605
7Doral	B+	58.4	61.5	70	35	73	79,216
8Port St. Lucie	B	57.9	58.2	53	75	35	232,491
9Miami	C+	57.9	55.3	57	60	74	459,745
10Jupiter	B+	57.4	62.6	71	40	48	61,883
11Sarasota	B	56.8	56.9	51	53	72	56,970
12Miami Beach	B	56.7	56.0	62	35	74	82,031
13Boca Raton	B+	56.2	61.0	65	38	53	100,234
14Plantation	B	55.8	58.2	64	41	57	96,293
15Delray Beach	B	55.7	58.5	58	42	63	67,979
16Miramar	B	55.7	58.3	62	51	50	138,600
17Weston	B	55.7	58.2	82	40	40	68,837
18Tampa	B	55.7	55.8	53	42	63	401,618
19Wesley Chapel	B	55.6	56.3	63	—	31	76,011
20Coral Springs	B	55.3	57.9	62	40	60	136,103
21Sanford	C+	55.3	55.0	50	59	52	63,730
22Pensacola	C+	55.2	52.7	54	42	66	54,036
23Wellington	B+	55.1	61.1	72	39	39	62,146
24The Villages	C+	54.8	55.3	37	—	40	83,498
25Bonita Springs	C+	54.7	53.6	60	48	44	55,904
26St. Petersburg	B	54.5	56.1	55	36	66	262,732
27Alafaya	B	54.4	57.0	57	—	41	92,449
28Ocala	C	54.4	50.7	41	63	59	66,584
29Palm Coast	C+	54.2	52.8	50	72	30	98,258
30Pembroke Pines	B	54.1	57.6	58	40	53	173,194
31Orlando	C+	53.9	53.4	55	47	62	319,758
32Winter Haven	C	53.6	51.2	40	76	41	55,200
33Fort Myers	C	53.4	51.5	45	54	58	95,051
34Clearwater	B	53.2	56.2	50	27	65	117,247
35Boynton Beach	B	53.1	57.0	53	39	63	81,435
36Riverview	C+	52.8	53.3	57	—	36	113,697
37Homestead	C	52.8	51.4	56	61	58	82,807
38West Palm Beach	C+	52.6	54.4	54	41	62	122,290
39Fort Lauderdale	C	52.5	51.2	58	42	68	185,604
40Jacksonville	C	52.4	50.9	49	49	49	977,670
41Hialeah	C+	52.3	53.4	53	37	72	226,165
42Lakeland	C+	52.3	52.5	43	43	54	119,961
43Cape Coral	C	52.2	50.6	53	55	44	215,536
44Daytona Beach	D	52.1	47.6	35	64	65	78,992
45Melbourne	C	52.0	52.2	49	38	59	86,576
46Largo	C+	51.9	55.5	49	27	64	82,617
47Kendall	C+	51.8	53.2	46	—	65	79,562
48Davie	C	51.7	51.6	61	45	47	108,346
49Pinellas Park	C+	51.4	54.8	50	27	63	53,560
50Tallahassee	C	51.4	49.9	43	44	58	201,875
51Port Orange	C	51.0	51.4	52	43	48	64,767
52Palm Harbor	C+	50.8	52.6	38	—	51	61,512
53Pompano Beach	C	50.8	49.5	50	45	65	114,147
54Coconut Creek	C	50.6	50.9	56	41	54	58,330
55Hollywood	C	50.6	50.1	52	41	67	155,082
56Bradenton	C	50.5	51.4	45	35	65	57,014
57Kissimmee	D	50.3	48.5	43	55	62	81,479
58Gainesville	D	50.2	48.6	34	42	62	145,702
59Sunrise	C	49.8	51.0	55	40	60	97,918
60Margate	C	49.4	49.3	50	42	61	59,198
61Brandon	C	49.0	49.4	39	—	45	119,767
62Deltona	C	48.8	49.6	51	42	45	97,334
63Deerfield Beach	D	48.3	48.0	48	40	58	88,093
64Town 'n' Country	D	48.1	48.5	34	—	53	85,928
65Miami Gardens	C	47.9	50.3	52	31	64	113,177
66The Hammocks	C	47.9	49.7	44	—	60	58,838
67Westchester	D	47.8	48.6	32	—	75	52,032
68Tamarac	D	47.4	47.9	48	40	57	73,019
69North Miami	D	47.2	46.5	50	31	72	60,344
70Tamiami	D	47.1	48.3	38	—	69	49,752
71Kendale Lakes	D	45.5	47.1	32	—	64	52,622
72Fountainebleau	D	45.1	46.0	26	—	63	55,665
73Country Club	D	44.9	46.8	35	—	56	51,296
74Four Corners	D	44.7	46.2	33	—	35	65,048
75Spring Hill	D	44.6	45.6	29	—	48	119,983
76Lauderhill	F	43.9	42.3	40	38	60	74,896
77Port Charlotte	D	43.1	44.3	25	—	37	66,133
78Pine Hills	F	40.4	39.0	21	—	52	80,105
79Lehigh Acres	F	38.3	39.2	28	—	33	132,353
80Poinciana	F	36.6	39.4	29	—	35	75,068

City young professionals 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.

Compare: States with Similar Young Professionals Rankings

Also See: Florida for Other Lifestyles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Florida a good state for young professionals?

Florida ranks #24 out of 50 for young professionals with a persona-weighted score of 53.9/100. Its strongest relevant category is Safety (73/100) and its weakest is Livability (27/100).

What is the best city for young professionals in Florida?

Apopka ranks #1 in Florida for young professionals with a score of 62.7/100, followed by Horizon West and Palm Beach Gardens.

What factors are most important for young professionals in Florida?

Rankings weighted toward job market strength, economic growth, affordable living, transportation, and vibrant community life — the factors that attract ambitious young professionals.