County rankings
Best and Worst Counties in Florida, Ranked by Public Data
Which counties stand out in Florida, and which places come with the biggest tradeoffs? This article uses generated public-data scores to compare counties across affordability, economy, schools, safety, taxes, and peace & quiet.
Key takeaways
- Best overall county: Santa Rosa County leads the current Florida ranking with an overall score of 78.3.
- Most affordable county: Calhoun County has the strongest affordability score in this state ranking.
- Strongest schools county: St. Johns County posts the strongest schools score in the current model.
- Safest county: Pinellas County ranks highest on the Safety score among Florida counties.
- Biggest common tradeoff: Counties that scored lower in our model most often lost ground in schools.
What the rankings show
Florida counties often score well on tax burden and growth, but affordability, safety, and peace & quiet vary widely. Coastal counties can rank highly on economy and lifestyle but may lose points on housing costs.
The tables below are useful starting points, but the more helpful pattern is the tradeoff profile: a county can score well overall while still being expensive, tax-heavy, less quiet, or weaker in one category that matters to your household.
Florida county score snapshot
The chart shows the top overall counties in this public-data model. The cards underneath show how different priorities can produce different winners.
Best county for families
Santa Rosa County
Family score 80.6
Best value county
Washington County
Value score 75.7
Most affordable county
Calhoun County
Affordability 68.7
Best schools county
St. Johns County
Schools 99
Safest county
Pinellas County
Safety 90.5
Lowest taxes county
Holmes County
Taxes 98.9
Best peace & quiet county
Columbia County
Peace & Quiet 83.5
Best overall counties in Florida
These are the highest-scoring counties in the state based on the current overall public-data score.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa County FIPS 12113 | 78.3 | 94.5 | 80 | 60.6 | $348,682 |
| 2 | Wakulla County FIPS 12129 | 77.4 | 83.6 | 69.7 | 67.3 | $283,505 |
| 3 | St. Johns County FIPS 12109 | 75 | 99 | 84.1 | 45.9 | $489,323 |
| 4 | Clay County FIPS 12019 | 72.4 | 87.8 | 63.5 | 61 | $333,593 |
| 5 | Brevard County FIPS 12009 | 72 | 91.4 | 85 | 51.8 | $341,312 |
| 6 | Nassau County FIPS 12089 | 70.7 | 94 | 72.8 | 35.8 | $476,240 |
| 7 | Gilchrist County FIPS 12041 | 70.2 | 83.1 | 73.4 | 51.1 | $302,519 |
| 8 | Okaloosa County FIPS 12091 | 69.5 | 92.9 | 62 | 46.7 | $353,996 |
| 9 | Seminole County FIPS 12117 | 69.4 | 93.4 | 84.9 | 43.2 | $402,789 |
| 10 | Lafayette County FIPS 12067 | 68.2 | 64.2 | 83 | 53.1 | $260,333 |
Counties with the biggest tradeoffs in Florida
These are the lowest-scoring counties in the current model. Lower scores usually reflect tradeoffs in cost, safety, schools, taxes, local economy, or peace & quiet factors.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duval County FIPS 12031 | 46.5 | 45.3 | 0.9 | 51.9 | $292,596 |
| 2 | Franklin County FIPS 12037 | 46.7 | 29 | 62.9 | 19 | $417,941 |
| 3 | Okeechobee County FIPS 12093 | 46.8 | 26.4 | 29.4 | 42.7 | $288,705 |
| 4 | Hendry County FIPS 12051 | 46.8 | 26.3 | 36.6 | 46.9 | $277,539 |
| 5 | DeSoto County FIPS 12027 | 46.9 | 17.2 | 57.7 | 49.4 | $250,811 |
| 6 | Taylor County FIPS 12123 | 47 | 30.3 | 54.7 | 58.3 | $191,155 |
| 7 | Jefferson County FIPS 12065 | 47.7 | 4.4 | 47.8 | 44.1 | $299,851 |
| 8 | Madison County FIPS 12079 | 48.6 | 7.9 | 51.5 | 54.3 | $210,698 |
| 9 | Escambia County FIPS 12033 | 49.2 | 33.3 | 19.1 | 51.8 | $280,285 |
| 10 | Hamilton County FIPS 12047 | 49.3 | 10.5 | 46.3 | 59.3 | $202,821 |
Best counties for families
Families usually do not just want the cheapest county. This view balances schools, safety, affordability, taxes, economy, and peace and quiet.
#1
Santa Rosa County
Family score
80.6
Schools
94.5
Safety
80
Taxes
83
#2
St. Johns County
Family score
77.4
Schools
99
Safety
84.1
Taxes
65
#3
Wakulla County
Family score
76.4
Schools
83.6
Safety
69.7
Taxes
81.6
#4
Brevard County
Family score
75.2
Schools
91.4
Safety
85
Taxes
71.5
#5
Gilchrist County
Family score
73.6
Schools
83.1
Safety
73.4
Taxes
88.3
#6
Nassau County
Family score
73.6
Schools
94
Safety
72.8
Taxes
76.3
#7
Clay County
Family score
72.4
Schools
87.8
Safety
63.5
Taxes
74
#8
Okaloosa County
Family score
71.9
Schools
92.9
Safety
62
Taxes
79.5
#9
Seminole County
Family score
71.9
Schools
93.4
Safety
84.9
Taxes
72.5
#10
Leon County
Family score
71.8
Schools
82.9
Safety
85.3
Taxes
60.7
Best value counties in Florida
Value blends affordability, taxes, safety, economy, and peace and quiet. It is not simply the cheapest county.
Best affordability / low-cost tradeoff
These counties rank highest on the affordability score, which can reflect home-price and income tradeoffs.
Best schools
These counties lead the current school score within this state.
Best peace & quiet
These counties score best on lower-density, quieter-living, and built-environment signals.
What the rankings suggest
Florida's highest-scoring counties average 72.3 overall and tend to stand out most in schools. The counties with the biggest tradeoffs average 47.6 overall, with the most common pressure point showing up in schools. Use the state ranking page to compare the full list before drawing conclusions about any one county.
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Read next
Use this article as a quick overview, then dig into the interactive tools to compare your own shortlist. You can scan the map, search the national rankings, compare two counties side by side, or open the full Florida ranking page.
Florida state rankings
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National rankings
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Compare counties
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Estimate monthly costs
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Interactive map
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More insights
Read data-backed relocation and county-ranking articles.
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See why households compare taxes, housing, schools, and lifestyle differently across regions.
Sources
- Best Counties to Live generated public-data county scores.
- U.S. Census ACS county population, income, housing, and affordability inputs.
- BLS unemployment data and BEA regional economic data.
- Zillow/home value data where available.
- FBI reported crime and modeled safety estimates.
- Public education data and property tax estimates used in the scoring model.