Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Florida a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Florida.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Sunshine State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Florida, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 67 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Florida For 2025
- St. Johns County
- Sarasota County
- Seminole County
- Nassau County
- Clay County
- Okaloosa County
- Monroe County
- Flagler County
- Sumter County
- Santa Rosa County
St. Johns County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Florida. And you should avoid Glades County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in Florida. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Florida and the cheapest places to live in Florida.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In Florida For 2025
1. St. Johns County
Biggest Place: Fruit Cove
Population: 292,243
Median Income: $106,169 (best)
Median Home Price: $457,600 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (13th best)
More on St. Johns County:
2. Sarasota County
Biggest Place: North Port
Population: 449,011
Median Income: $80,633 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $373,100 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (10th best)
More on Sarasota County:
3. Seminole County
Biggest Place: Sanford
Population: 474,912
Median Income: $83,030 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $357,300 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (18th best)
More on Seminole County:
4. Nassau County
Biggest Place: Yulee
Population: 94,653
Median Income: $88,900 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $351,100 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (14th best)
More on Nassau County:
5. Clay County
Biggest Place: Lakeside
Population: 223,436
Median Income: $86,094 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $281,500 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (11th best)
More on Clay County:
6. Okaloosa County
Biggest Place: Crestview
Population: 214,281
Median Income: $79,097 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $324,800 (18th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.1% (2nd best)
More on Okaloosa County:
7. Monroe County
Biggest Place: Key West
Population: 81,840
Median Income: $82,430 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $723,800 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2% (4th best)
More on Monroe County:
8. Flagler County
Biggest Place: Palm Coast
Population: 121,710
Median Income: $72,923 (2best)
Median Home Price: $333,400 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (9th best)
More on Flagler County:
9. Sumter County
Biggest Place: The Villages
Population: 137,536
Median Income: $73,297 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $356,000 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (50th best)
More on Sumter County:
10. Santa Rosa County
Biggest Place: Navarre
Population: 193,719
Median Income: $88,968 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $302,100 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (28th best)
More on Santa Rosa County:
Methodology: How do you determine which Florida county is the best?
To give you the best county in Florida, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Florida across each of the criteria from one to 67, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Florida.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Sunshine State.
We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Florida.
Read on to see why St. Johns County is the best county, while Glades County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Florida.
Summary: The Best Counties In Florida To Call Home For 2025
Living in Florida can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Florida are St. Johns County, Sarasota County, Seminole County, Nassau County, Clay County, Okaloosa County, Monroe County, Flagler County, Sumter County, and Santa Rosa County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Florida according to the data:
- Glades County
- Desoto County
- Hamilton County
For more Florida reading, check out:
- Cheapest Places To Live In Florida
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
- Best Places To Retire In Florida
- Richest Cities In Florida
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Florida
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Johns County | 292,243 | $106,169 | $457,600 |
| 2 | Sarasota County | 449,011 | $80,633 | $373,100 |
| 3 | Seminole County | 474,912 | $83,030 | $357,300 |
| 4 | Nassau County | 94,653 | $88,900 | $351,100 |
| 5 | Clay County | 223,436 | $86,094 | $281,500 |
| 6 | Okaloosa County | 214,281 | $79,097 | $324,800 |
| 7 | Monroe County | 81,840 | $82,430 | $723,800 |
| 8 | Flagler County | 121,710 | $72,923 | $333,400 |
| 9 | Sumter County | 137,536 | $73,297 | $356,000 |
| 10 | Santa Rosa County | 193,719 | $88,968 | $302,100 |
| 11 | Martin County | 160,464 | $80,701 | $386,500 |
| 12 | Collier County | 387,681 | $86,173 | $486,800 |
| 13 | Wakulla County | 34,608 | $74,183 | $216,300 |
| 14 | Brevard County | 620,533 | $75,817 | $304,400 |
| 15 | Pinellas County | 960,565 | $70,293 | $319,000 |
| 16 | Manatee County | 416,020 | $75,792 | $359,800 |
| 17 | Charlotte County | 195,083 | $66,154 | $291,000 |
| 18 | Volusia County | 568,229 | $66,581 | $278,000 |
| 19 | Walton County | 79,846 | $79,281 | $376,400 |
| 20 | Gulf County | 14,772 | $67,361 | $235,700 |
| 21 | Lake County | 398,696 | $69,956 | $287,900 |
| 22 | Palm Beach County | 1,507,453 | $81,115 | $407,300 |
| 23 | Indian River County | 163,856 | $71,049 | $314,700 |
| 24 | Lee County | 792,692 | $73,099 | $326,300 |
| 25 | Hillsborough County | 1,489,634 | $75,011 | $333,300 |
| 26 | Alachua County | 281,751 | $59,659 | $266,800 |
| 27 | Bay County | 181,368 | $70,188 | $276,900 |
| 28 | Orange County | 1,440,471 | $77,011 | $358,300 |
| 29 | Leon County | 295,335 | $65,074 | $279,800 |
| 30 | Pasco County | 588,758 | $67,384 | $265,800 |
| 31 | Broward County | 1,946,127 | $74,534 | $380,400 |
| 32 | Baker County | 28,186 | $70,833 | $225,000 |
| 33 | Osceola County | 406,943 | $68,711 | $317,600 |
| 34 | Duval County | 1,007,189 | $68,447 | $274,900 |
| 35 | St. Lucie County | 346,237 | $69,027 | $305,800 |
| 36 | Miami-Dade County | 2,685,296 | $68,694 | $425,400 |
| 37 | Gilchrist County | 18,494 | $61,070 | $191,000 |
| 38 | Hernando County | 201,512 | $63,193 | $240,700 |
| 39 | Union County | 15,551 | $64,922 | $160,400 |
| 40 | Polk County | 760,961 | $63,644 | $240,000 |
| 41 | Marion County | 387,697 | $58,535 | $220,800 |
| 42 | Escambia County | 323,275 | $65,715 | $234,200 |
| 43 | Citrus County | 158,693 | $55,355 | $223,200 |
| 44 | Levy County | 44,276 | $53,805 | $171,400 |
| 45 | Jefferson County | 14,713 | $56,984 | $198,800 |
| 46 | Taylor County | 21,422 | $44,985 | $100,200 |
| 47 | Suwannee County | 44,484 | $55,479 | $160,900 |
| 48 | Jackson County | 47,652 | $47,327 | $113,900 |
| 49 | Holmes County | 19,626 | $48,236 | $101,400 |
| 50 | Highlands County | 103,808 | $55,581 | $177,900 |
| 51 | Washington County | 25,259 | $52,723 | $156,000 |
| 52 | Madison County | 18,113 | $48,176 | $105,900 |
| 53 | Bradford County | 27,888 | $59,740 | $180,300 |
| 54 | Lafayette County | 8,035 | $60,692 | $131,600 |
| 55 | Franklin County | 12,418 | $62,734 | $254,300 |
| 56 | Columbia County | 70,755 | $55,070 | $186,400 |
| 57 | Liberty County | 7,650 | $53,824 | $117,600 |
| 58 | Calhoun County | 13,593 | $46,901 | $134,000 |
| 59 | Hendry County | 40,798 | $53,044 | $189,700 |
| 60 | Gadsden County | 43,642 | $46,047 | $154,700 |
| 61 | Okeechobee County | 40,249 | $52,288 | $179,000 |
| 62 | Dixie County | 16,952 | $47,655 | $96,900 |
| 63 | Putnam County | 74,235 | $47,256 | $147,300 |
| 64 | Hardee County | 25,508 | $54,231 | $129,400 |
| 65 | Hamilton County | 13,445 | $47,696 | $110,400 |
| 66 | Desoto County | 34,719 | $50,868 | $151,500 |
| 67 | Glades County | 12,324 | $38,905 | $114,800 |