A study released by WalletHub this week has revealed the top small cities in America — including the No. 1 pick in the Sunshine State.
To put this list together, researchers compared over 1,300 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000.
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In addition, the study examines five key factors to help determine the ranking:
- Affordability
- Economic Health
- Education & Health
- Quality of Life
- Safety
“Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “On top of that, the best small cities offer strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions and plenty of local flair to help you achieve a high quality of life.”
Overall, the top city on this year’s list is Carmel, Indiana, with Brookfield, Wisconsin (No. 2) and Apex, North Carolina (No. 3) coming up close behind.
But in Florida, the highest-ranked city was revealed to be Winter Park, just outside Orlando.
Winter Park scored especially high in terms of its quality of life, coming in at No. 19 nationwide for that metric alone. In total, the city was in the 88th percentile, putting it near the top end of the ranking.
In fact, many of the Florida entries on this list scored best for quality of life, which examines specific factors like restaurants, parks, and other entertainment hubs.
Meanwhile, other Central Florida cities managed to place relatively high, as well. Oviedo came in No. 3 statewide, with Winter Garden, Clermont and Sanford helping round out the top 20.
The full ranking of Florida’s small cities is as follows:
| Rank | Percentile | Florida City | Score | Best Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Winter Park | 64.51 | Quality of Life |
| 2 | 86 | Sarasota | 63.97 | Quality of Life |
| 3 | 85 | Oviedo | 63.89 | Affordability |
| 4 | 82 | Boca Raton | 63.36 | Quality of Life |
| 5 | 82 | Pensacola | 63.22 | Quality of Life |
| 6 | 78 | Coral Gables | 62.48 | Quality of Life |
| 7 | 78 | Parkland | 62.44 | Economic Health |
| 8 | 77 | Winter Springs | 62.38 | Economic Health |
| 9 | 75 | Dunedin | 61.88 | Quality of Life |
| 10 | 74 | Weston | 61.77 | Economic Health |
| 11 | 73 | Jupiter | 61.45 | Quality of Life |
| 12 | 71 | Fort Myers | 61.2 | Quality of Life |
| 13 | 70 | Winter Garden | 60.93 | Quality of Life |
| 14 | 68 | New Smyrna Beach | 60.76 | Economic Health |
| 15 | 68 | North Port | 60.66 | Economic Health |
| 16 | 64 | Key West | 59.99 | Quality of Life |
| 17 | 63 | Palm Beach Gardens | 59.78 | Quality of Life |
| 18 | 60 | Clermont | 59.43 | Economic Health |
| 19 | 57 | Bradenton | 58.97 | Quality of Life |
| 20 | 53 | Sanford | 58.25 | Quality of Life |
| 21 | 53 | DeLand | 58.20 | Economic Health |
| 22 | 53 | Delray Beach | 58.19 | Quality of Life |
| 23 | 53 | Altamonte Springs | 58.17 | Quality of Life |
| 24 | 51 | Ormond Beach | 57.78 | Quality of Life |
| 25 | 50 | Palm City | 57.71 | Affordability |
| 26 | 49 | Cooper City | 57.64 | Affordability |
| 27 | 49 | Estero | 57.63 | Economic Health |
| 28 | 47 | Boynton Beach | 57.38 | Quality of Life |
| 29 | 46 | Bonita Springs | 57.25 | Economic Health |
| 30 | 45 | Largo | 57.13 | Quality of Life |
| 31 | 44 | Melbourne | 57.03 | Quality of Life |
| 32 | 43 | Apopka | 56.98 | Economic Health |
| 33 | 42 | Wellington | 56.89 | Education & Health |
| 34 | 42 | Titusville | 56.85 | Quality of Life |
| 35 | 42 | Ocoee | 56.81 | Affordability |
| 36 | 40 | Panama City | 56.65 | Quality of Life |
| 37 | 39 | Rockledge | 56.33 | Economic Health |
| 38 | 39 | Doral | 56.31 | Economic Health |
| 39 | 38 | St. Cloud | 56.27 | Economic Health |
| 40 | 37 | Plantation | 56.04 | Quality of Life |
| 41 | 37 | Royal Palm Beach | 56.01 | Education & Health |
| 41 | 37 | Winter Haven | 56.01 | Economic Health |
| 43 | 36 | Casselberry | 56.00 | Education & Health |
| 44 | 36 | Miami Lakes | 55.93 | Safety |
| 45 | 36 | Sunrise | 55.89 | Quality of Life |
| 46 | 35 | Aventura | 55.79 | Economic Health |
| 46 | 35 | Port Orange | 55.79 | Economic Health |
| 48 | 34 | Wesley Chapel | 55.47 | Economic Health |
| 49 | 31 | Deerfield Beach | 54.95 | Quality of Life |
| 50 | 31 | Cutler Bay | 54.91 | Safety |
| 51 | 30 | Navarre | 54.83 | Affordability |
| 52 | 30 | Margate | 54.81 | Safety |
| 53 | 30 | Coconut Creek | 54.69 | Safety |
| 54 | 29 | Plant City | 54.62 | Quality of Life |
| 55 | 28 | Miami Beach | 54.44 | Quality of Life |
| 56 | 26 | Pinellas Park | 54.11 | Economic Health |
| 57 | 24 | Kissimmee | 53.50 | Quality of Life |
| 57 | 24 | Fort Pierce | 53.50 | Quality of Life |
| 59 | 23 | Merritt Island | 53.42 | Affordability |
| 60 | 23 | Daytona Beach | 53.34 | Quality of Life |
| 61 | 23 | Palm Coast | 53.32 | Economic Health |
| 62 | 22 | North Miami Beach | 53.30 | Quality of Life |
| 63 | 22 | Ocala | 53.26 | Quality of Life |
| 64 | 22 | Tamarac | 53.18 | Economic Health |
| 65 | 20 | Temple Terrace | 52.87 | Education & Health |
| 66 | 19 | Valrico | 52.71 | Affordability |
| 67 | 18 | Riverview | 52.44 | Affordability |
| 68 | 18 | Port Charlotte | 52.29 | Quality of Life |
| 69 | 17 | Hallandale Beach | 52.10 | Quality of Life |
| 70 | 17 | Oakland Park | 52.09 | Economic Health |
| 71 | 16 | Palm Harbor | 51.72 | Economic Health |
| 72 | 13 | North Lauderdale | 51.20 | Economic Health |
| 73 | 12 | Lake Worth Beach | 50.83 | Quality of Life |
| 74 | 12 | Homestead | 50.74 | Quality of Life |
| 75 | 11 | North Fort Myers | 50.53 | Affordability |
| 76 | 11 | Greenacres | 50.47 | Economic Health |
| 77 | 11 | Riviera Beach | 50.38 | Economic Health |
| 78 | 10 | The Villages | 49.99 | Affordability |
| 79 | 8 | Land O’ Lakes | 49.52 | Affordability |
| 80 | 7 | Deltona | 48.67 | Affordability |
| 81 | 6 | Lauderhill | 48.51 | Education & Health |
| 82 | 6 | North Miami | 48.34 | Quality of Life |
| 83 | 4 | Kendall | 47.61 | Education & Health |
| 84 | 3 | Immokalee | 47.26 | Safety |
| 85 | 2 | Dania Beach | 45.53 | Quality of Life |
| 86 | 2 | Lauderdale Lakes | 45.28 | Education & Health |