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.
- 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: Broward 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.
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 | 94.5 | 77.7 | 60.6 | $348,682 |
| 2 | Wakulla County FIPS 12129 | 77 | 83.6 | 66.6 | 67.3 | $283,505 |
| 3 | St. Johns County FIPS 12109 | 74.7 | 99 | 81.7 | 45.9 | $489,323 |
| 4 | Brevard County FIPS 12009 | 71.7 | 91.4 | 82.8 | 51.8 | $341,312 |
| 5 | Clay County FIPS 12019 | 71.6 | 87.8 | 57.9 | 61 | $333,593 |
| 6 | Nassau County FIPS 12089 | 70.3 | 94 | 70.2 | 35.8 | $476,240 |
| 7 | Gilchrist County FIPS 12041 | 69.8 | 83.1 | 70.5 | 51.1 | $302,519 |
| 8 | Seminole County FIPS 12117 | 69.1 | 93.4 | 82.7 | 43.2 | $402,789 |
| 9 | Okaloosa County FIPS 12091 | 68.7 | 92.9 | 57.2 | 46.7 | $353,996 |
| 10 | Lafayette County FIPS 12067 | 67.9 | 64.2 | 81.4 | 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 | Okeechobee County FIPS 12093 | 45.7 | 26.4 | 22.3 | 42.7 | $288,705 |
| 2 | Hendry County FIPS 12051 | 46 | 26.3 | 31.4 | 46.9 | $277,539 |
| 3 | Taylor County FIPS 12123 | 46.2 | 30.3 | 49.3 | 58.3 | $191,155 |
| 4 | DeSoto County FIPS 12027 | 46.2 | 17.2 | 52.6 | 49.4 | $250,811 |
| 5 | Duval County FIPS 12031 | 46.3 | 45.3 | 0 | 51.9 | $292,596 |
| 6 | Franklin County FIPS 12037 | 46.5 | 29 | 61.4 | 19 | $417,941 |
| 7 | Jefferson County FIPS 12065 | 47.3 | 4.4 | 45.1 | 44.1 | $299,851 |
| 8 | Madison County FIPS 12079 | 48.2 | 7.9 | 48.7 | 54.3 | $210,698 |
| 9 | Hamilton County FIPS 12047 | 48.3 | 10.5 | 39.8 | 59.3 | $202,821 |
| 10 | Escambia County FIPS 12033 | 48.5 | 33.3 | 14.5 | 51.8 | $280,285 |
Category winners
Different priorities produce different winners. These counties lead selected category and lifestyle views in the current model.
What the rankings suggest
Florida's highest-scoring counties average 71.9 overall and tend to stand out most in schools. The counties with the biggest tradeoffs average 46.9 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.
Where to go 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.