This article might not start with ‘Florida man…,’ but you should definitely keep reading to see the best places to raise a family in The Sunshine State because it’s just as informative. Incidentally, if you think that the only reason to bring your family to Florida is Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, think again. This state has a lot of great places for families and HomeSnacks is here to tell you where those places are located: we’ve created a list of the top ten most family friendly places in Florida for 2026 and listed them below.
But, before we divulge the top ten best places for families in America’s southernmost contiguous state, you need to know how HomeSnacks arrived at this conclusive list. First, we had to narrow down our search criteria so we looked at the latest Census for Florida cities with at least 10,000 residents. And with seven of the best cities to raise a family in the country located in Florida, it was quite the feat. But, we did it.
We also looked at the number of family friendly amenities each city has; and, readers, as you can imagine, there is no shortage of fun for families in the state where the sun shines close to 265 days/year. Yes, not only can the kids play outside ALL day most of the year, you can wear them out with beach trips to places like Clearwater and/or trips to Fort Lauderdale’s infamous biking trails.
So, if you’re looking for safe, family friendly Florida places with plenty of activities to keep your family happy and healthy, keep reading.
$105,724 median income · 20.5% households with kids
Located in
Orange County, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 27,852 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$181,505 median income · 46.2% households with kids
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Key Biscayne is an island town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,344 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$69,758 median income · 15.7% households with kids
Located in
Indian River County, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 data, the city had a population of 15,220.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,150 median income · 21.6% households with kids
Located in
Orange County, Florida
Maitland is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States, part of the Greater Orlando area. The population was 15,751 at the 2010 census. The area’s history is exhibited at the Maitland Historical Museum. The city also hosts the Maitland Art Center, and examples of Mayan Revival architecture and Fantasy Architecture, the Maitland Telephone Museum and the William H. Waterhouse House Museum. A SunRail station is located in Maitland on Highway 17-92. The city is named for Fort Maitland.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,070 median income · 43.3% households with kids
Located in
Seminole County, Florida
Oviedo is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 33,342, representing an increase of 7,026 from the 26,316 counted in the 2000 Census. It is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oviedo is known for its historic houses and buildings, as well as its population of chickens that roam the downtown area. Although the city has historically been rural, in recent years it has had an influx of new developments to support its rapid growth, due to its proximity to the University of Central Florida and the Central Florida Research Park. Several national publications have placed Oviedo on their nationally ranked lists as one of the best places to live in the US.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,557 median income · 34.9% households with kids
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of 2015 US Census, 30,791 people live in Miami Lakes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$144,050 median income · 33.4% households with kids
Located in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami Shores is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,173 median income · 25.3% households with kids
Located in
Seminole County, Florida
Lake Mary is a suburban city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,822 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,273 median income · 21.4% households with kids
Located in
Palm Beach County, Florida
Boca Raton is the southernmost city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, first incorporated on August 2, 1924 as “Bocaratone,” and then incorporated as “Boca Raton” in 1925. The 2015 population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 93,235. However, approximately 200,000 people with a Boca Raton postal address reside outside its municipal boundaries. Such areas include newer developments like West Boca Raton. As a business center, the city also experiences significant daytime population increases. It is one of the wealthiest communities in South Florida. Boca Raton is 43 miles north of Miami and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$90,049 median income · 16.0% households with kids
Located in
Palm Beach County, Florida
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Florida’s statewide median.
Florida statewide median: $74,568
Florida statewide median: $375,662
On the map
Where Florida’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Florida anyways?
To give you the places in Florida that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Florida, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Florida, that meant a total of 71 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Florida.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Florida
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winter Park | 30,274 | $105,724 | $464,211 | 20.5% |
| 2 | Key Biscayne | 14,791 | $181,505 | $1,658,764 | 46.2% |
| 3 | Vero Beach | 17,042 | $69,758 | $362,131 | 15.7% |
| 4 | Maitland | 19,469 | $97,150 | $480,711 | 21.6% |
| 5 | Oviedo | 40,599 | $117,070 | $506,154 | 43.3% |
| 6 | Miami Lakes | 31,553 | $101,557 | $653,606 | 34.9% |
| 7 | Miami Shores | 11,752 | $144,050 | $735,780 | 33.4% |
| 8 | Lake Mary | 16,860 | $109,173 | $466,032 | 25.3% |
| 9 | Boca Raton | 100,234 | $106,273 | $562,566 | 21.4% |
| 10 | North Palm Beach | 13,238 | $90,049 | $622,594 | 16.0% |
| 11 | Palmetto Bay | 24,639 | $142,447 | $920,528 | 35.5% |
| 12 | Safety Harbor | 17,033 | $106,830 | $495,956 | 23.6% |
| 13 | Tampa | 401,618 | $75,475 | $374,888 | 24.8% |
| 14 | Wellington | 62,146 | $115,632 | $648,906 | 37.6% |
| 15 | Coral Springs | 136,103 | $93,602 | $520,102 | 40.5% |
| 16 | St. Cloud | 65,130 | $83,174 | $394,011 | 39.7% |
| 17 | Sarasota | 56,970 | $72,105 | $412,112 | 19.3% |
| 18 | Atlantic Beach | 13,363 | $118,935 | $704,117 | 21.6% |
| 19 | Lighthouse Point | 10,600 | $92,135 | $762,810 | 14.8% |
| 20 | Cutler Bay | 45,070 | $89,244 | $564,584 | 36.5% |
| 21 | Kissimmee | 81,479 | $53,758 | $358,736 | 37.1% |
| 22 | Davenport | 13,238 | $73,685 | $341,898 | 47.7% |
| 23 | Oldsmar | 14,904 | $88,333 | $365,724 | 26.6% |
| 24 | Temple Terrace | 27,275 | $69,252 | $325,256 | 26.0% |
| 25 | Lynn Haven | 20,081 | $80,973 | $321,841 | 34.8% |
| 26 | Tavares | 20,463 | $58,886 | $310,773 | 16.8% |
| 27 | Altamonte Springs | 46,116 | $64,070 | $294,423 | 24.1% |
| 28 | Hialeah Gardens | 22,915 | $65,439 | $416,365 | 37.6% |
| 29 | Sunny Isles Beach | 22,437 | $61,921 | $649,891 | 21.0% |
| 30 | Bradenton | 57,014 | $60,822 | $353,218 | 21.6% |
| 31 | Royal Palm Beach | 40,344 | $96,027 | $481,810 | 37.5% |
| 32 | Stuart | 18,520 | $60,225 | $378,041 | 18.6% |
| 33 | Aventura | 39,885 | $89,274 | $425,757 | 24.7% |
| 34 | Marco Island | 16,205 | $101,523 | $865,675 | 6.4% |
| 35 | South Miami | 12,277 | $94,507 | $867,893 | 23.7% |
| 36 | West Melbourne | 28,795 | $92,986 | $372,682 | 29.8% |
| 37 | Miami | 459,745 | $62,462 | $579,564 | 21.8% |
| 38 | West Palm Beach | 122,290 | $73,446 | $399,471 | 23.2% |
| 39 | North Port | 84,605 | $84,049 | $303,120 | 23.6% |
| 40 | Dunedin | 36,062 | $74,477 | $405,386 | 13.9% |
| 41 | Longwood | 16,337 | $78,548 | $455,599 | 30.7% |
| 42 | Apopka | 58,232 | $96,884 | $394,963 | 38.0% |
| 43 | Bartow | 20,438 | $68,178 | $277,441 | 28.3% |
| 44 | Seminole | 19,396 | $75,774 | $380,864 | 15.1% |
| 45 | Cocoa | 19,554 | $63,105 | $296,004 | 19.2% |
| 46 | Sweetwater | 20,085 | $54,967 | $438,052 | 32.9% |
| 47 | Key West | 25,720 | $87,037 | $1,018,284 | 21.1% |
| 48 | Casselberry | 30,135 | $62,447 | $346,839 | 24.0% |
| 49 | Miami Gardens | 113,177 | $63,627 | $469,434 | 35.8% |
| 50 | Delray Beach | 67,979 | $82,041 | $340,487 | 15.9% |
| 51 | Boynton Beach | 81,435 | $70,074 | $401,877 | 20.7% |
| 52 | Ocala | 66,584 | $56,376 | $269,576 | 26.8% |
| 53 | North Miami Beach | 43,898 | $63,280 | $447,840 | 32.4% |
| 54 | Winter Haven | 55,200 | $59,648 | $275,361 | 31.1% |
| 55 | Tarpon Springs | 25,791 | $79,529 | $388,386 | 15.2% |
| 56 | Lake Wales | 16,785 | $56,347 | $246,149 | 25.5% |
| 57 | St. Petersburg | 262,732 | $75,192 | $347,964 | 19.0% |
| 58 | Palm Bay | 130,132 | $72,614 | $302,461 | 32.1% |
| 59 | Gulfport | 11,734 | $71,203 | $349,949 | 11.6% |
| 60 | Pinellas Park | 53,560 | $63,432 | $298,643 | 22.1% |
| 61 | Sanford | 63,730 | $66,891 | $342,584 | 31.3% |
| 62 | Sebastian | 26,262 | $69,409 | $346,765 | 15.0% |
| 63 | Crestview | 28,773 | $65,480 | $289,578 | 37.0% |
| 64 | Riviera Beach | 38,657 | $68,060 | $405,539 | 28.1% |
| 65 | Titusville | 49,385 | $66,192 | $270,988 | 25.9% |
| 66 | Auburndale | 18,530 | $77,911 | $303,498 | 31.8% |
| 67 | Palatka | 10,650 | $32,021 | $206,963 | 35.6% |
| 68 | Palmetto | 13,588 | $62,621 | $350,685 | 18.6% |
| 69 | Leesburg | 30,807 | $52,880 | $277,247 | 22.5% |
| 70 | Gainesville | 145,702 | $46,195 | $297,055 | 17.4% |
| 71 | Belle Glade | 16,972 | $48,001 | $285,194 | 34.8% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 71 Florida cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Florida ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Florida are Winter Park, Key Biscayne, Vero Beach, Maitland, Oviedo, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores, Lake Mary, Boca Raton, and North Palm Beach.
