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.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Sunshine State for 2023.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Florida For 2023
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 2023
1. St. Johns County
Biggest Place: Fruit Cove
Population: 265,724
Median Income: $88,794 (best)
Median Home Price: $348,100 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (19th best)
More on St. Johns County: Data
2. Sarasota County
Biggest Place: North Port
Population: 429,336
Median Income: $69,490 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $286,000 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (4th best)
More on Sarasota County: Data
3. Seminole County
Biggest Place: Sanford
Population: 467,382
Median Income: $73,002 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $280,100 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (14th best)
More on Seminole County: Data
4. Nassau County
Biggest Place: Yulee
Population: 88,492
Median Income: $77,504 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $264,100 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (20th best)
More on Nassau County: Data
5. Martin County
Biggest Place: Palm City
Population: 158,323
Median Income: $69,769 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $306,700 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (15th best)
More on Martin County: Data
6. Wakulla County
Biggest Place: Crawfordville
Population: 33,144
Median Income: $72,941 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $182,400 (36th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (best)
More on Wakulla County: Data
7. Clay County
Biggest Place: Lakeside
Population: 216,308
Median Income: $74,059 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $212,200 (29th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (23rd best)
More on Clay County: Data
8. Okaloosa County
Biggest Place: Crestview
Population: 209,230
Median Income: $67,390 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $248,400 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (7th best)
More on Okaloosa County: Data
9. Santa Rosa County
Biggest Place: Navarre
Population: 184,345
Median Income: $77,260 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $231,800 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (26th best)
More on Santa Rosa County: Data
10. Sumter County
Biggest Place: The Villages
Population: 127,335
Median Income: $63,323 (20th best)
Median Home Price: $280,100 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5% (4best)
More on Sumter County: Data
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 2023. 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 2023
Living in Florida can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
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
- Hamilton County
- Desoto County
For more Florida reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
- Best Places To Buy A House In Florida
- Best Counties To Live In Florida
- Safest Places In Florida