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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Orlando are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Orlando for 2021:
What's the best suburb of Orlando? Windermere ranks as the best suburb of Orlando for 2021 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Windermere, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Orlando 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Florida:
The 10 Best Orlando Suburbs To Live For 2021
/10
Population: 3,430
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $153,348
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Windermere: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Windermere is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Orlando area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Windermere."
Everyone here is rich; families average $153,348 a year, which is the highest in the Orlando region. And only 3.8% are out of work. Homes average more than $595,000 each.
/10
Population: 30,522
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $77,899
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.8%
More on Winter Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Winter Park is the second best 'burb we looked at near Orlando for 2021.
It ranks 7th for incomes in the area and only 5.74% of residents lack insurance, good for 5th best.
/10
Population: 16,698
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Income: $96,983
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Lake Mary: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Lake Mary, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Orlando metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Lake Mary.
/10
Population: 7,010
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Income: $88,433
Unemployment Rate: 1.0%
Poverty Rate: 6.4%
More on Belle Isle: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Belle Isle ranks as the 4th best suburb of Orlando for 2021.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Belle Isle and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 40,370
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $95,935
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Oviedo: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coming in as the fifth best is Oviedo.
Oviedo gets kudos for having the 9th most expensive homes in the Orlando area, where houses sell for an average of $289,000. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 17,765
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $75,944
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 13.8%
More on Maitland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Maitland is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.99% which is 4th best in the area.
According to online reports, Maitland is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Orlando area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 36,342
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $71,898
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Winter Springs: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Winter Springs.
Winter Springs schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it's only 18.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 2,899
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $81,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 9.4%
More on Edgewood: Real Estate | Data
Edgewood is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 12.59% of people lack insurance, good for 17th in the area.
/10
Population: 3,014
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $110,118
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Oakland: Real Estate | Data
Is 'Everything Better In Oakland?'
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 35,209
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $64,736
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.0%
More on Clermont: Real Estate | Data | Photos
And rounding out the top ten for 2021 is Clermont.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Orlando for 2021
Figuring out the best suburbs around Orlando was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2015-2019 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Orlando.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 23 suburbs to evaluate around Orlando.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Orlando." We're lookin' at you, Windermere. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Welcome to the Best Orlando 'Burbs of 2021
We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Orlando, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Florida reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Orlando Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windermere, FL | 3,430 |
| 2 | Winter Park, FL | 30,522 |
| 3 | Lake Mary, FL | 16,698 |
| 4 | Belle Isle, FL | 7,010 |
| 5 | Oviedo, FL | 40,370 |
| 6 | Maitland, FL | 17,765 |
| 7 | Winter Springs, FL | 36,342 |
| 8 | Edgewood, FL | 2,899 |
| 9 | Oakland, FL | 3,014 |
| 10 | Clermont, FL | 35,209 |
| 11 | Winter Garden, FL | 43,648 |
| 12 | Minneola, FL | 11,559 |
| 13 | Longwood, FL | 14,930 |
| 14 | Ocoee, FL | 46,305 |
| 15 | Altamonte Springs, FL | 43,810 |
| 16 | Midway, FL | 3,221 |
| 17 | Apopka, FL | 51,800 |
| 18 | Casselberry, FL | 27,950 |
| 19 | St. Cloud, FL | 51,158 |
| 20 | Kissimmee, FL | 71,185 |
| 21 | Davenport, FL | 4,682 |
| 22 | Sanford, FL | 59,700 |
| 23 | Eatonville, FL | 2,321 |
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