ORLANDO, Fla. – U.S. News & World Report has issued its latest ranking for the best places to live across the U.S. — including here in the Sunshine State.
Per the outlet, the study was crafted using factors like housing affordability, the cost of living, education and healthcare quality, crime rates, weather, and much more.
Nationwide, the top-ranked site for people to live turned out to be Carmel, Indiana, with Fishers, Indiana (No. 2), and Flower Mound, Texas (No. 3), coming in soon after.
But in the Sunshine State, the top spot instead turned out to be Parkland, with Palm Harbor (No. 2) and Weston (No. 3) following closely behind.
That said, Alafaya here in Orange County managed to crack the top 10, coming in at No. 8 for the state as a whole. The top-ranked city for each Central Florida county includes:
- Brevard County — Melbourne (No. 42)
- Flagler County — Palm Coast (No. 35)
- Lake County — Clermont (No. 17)
- Marion County — Ocala (No. 62)
- Orange County — Alafaya (No. 8)
- Osceola County — Kissimmee (No. 78)
- Polk County — Lakeland (No. 40)
- Seminole County — Sanford (No. 47)
- Sumter County — The Villages (No. 13)
- Volusia County — Ormond Beach (No. 20)
Meanwhile, the full Florida ranking is as follows:
| State Rank | Nat’l Rank | City | Overall Score (/10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Parkland | 6.9 |
| 2 | 62 | Palm Harbor | 6.5 |
| 3 | 70 | Weston | 6.4 |
| 4 | 97 | Riverview | 6.3 |
| 5 | 115 | Pensacola | 6.2 |
| 6 | 121 | Spring Hill | 6.2 |
| 7 | 155 | Kendall | 6.1 |
| 8 | 159 | Alafaya | 6.1 |
| 9 | 161 | Doral | 6.1 |
| 10 | 163 | Crestview | 6.1 |
| 11 | 170 | Jupiter | 6.0 |
| 12 | 178 | Apopka | 6.0 |
| 13 | 186 | The Villages | 6.0 |
| 14 | 205 | Homosassa Springs | 5.9 |
| 15 | 215 | Naples | 5.9 |
| 16 | 217 | Brandon | 5.9 |
| 17 | 222 | Clermont | 5.9 |
| 18 | 226 | Wellington | 5.9 |
| 19 | 228 | Tampa | 5.8 |
| 20 | 236 | Ormond Beach | 5.8 |
| 21 | 246 | Pembroke Pines | 5.8 |
| 22 | 248 | Bonita Springs | 5.8 |
| 23 | 251 | Davie | 5.8 |
| 24 | 260 | Punta Gorda | 5.8 |
| 25 | 262 | Port Orange | 5.8 |
| 26 | 270 | Largo | 5.8 |
| 27 | 287 | St. Petersburg | 5.7 |
| 28 | 290 | Zephyrhills | 5.7 |
| 29 | 299 | North Port | 5.7 |
| 30 | 301 | Palm Beach Gardens | 5.7 |
| 31 | 321 | DeLand | 5.6 |
| 32 | 326 | Cape Coral | 5.6 |
| 33 | 328 | Port Charlotte | 5.6 |
| 34 | 336 | Boca Raton | 5.6 |
| 35 | 343 | Palm Coast | 5.6 |
| 36 | 346 | Miramar | 5.6 |
| 37 | 347 | Clearwater | 5.6 |
| 38 | 353 | Deltona | 5.6 |
| 39 | 357 | Pinellas Park | 5.6 |
| 40 | 359 | Lakeland | 5.6 |
| 41 | 361 | Tamarac | 5.6 |
| 42 | 379 | Melbourne | 5.5 |
| 43 | 382 | Palm Bay | 5.5 |
| 44 | 389 | Sebastian | 5.5 |
| 45 | -- | Plantation | 5.5 |
| 46 | 400 | Jacksonville | 5.5 |
| 47 | 417 | Sanford | 5.4 |
| 48 | 419 | Winter Haven | 5.4 |
| 49 | 422 | Coral Springs | 5.4 |
| 50 | 428 | Panama City | 5.4 |
| 51 | 432 | Port St. Lucie | 5.4 |
| 52 | 471 | Orlando | 5.3 |
| 53 | 474 | Sebring | 5.3 |
| 54 | 483 | Miami Beach | 5.3 |
| 55 | 486 | Tallahassee | 5.3 |
| 56 | 509 | Ft. Lauderdale | 5.2 |
| 57 | 516 | Hialeah | 5.2 |
| 58 | 534 | Delray Beach | 5.2 |
| 59 | 553 | Ft. Myers | 5.1 |
| 60 | 582 | Sunrise | 5.1 |
| 61 | 586 | Miami | 5.1 |
| 62 | 592 | Ocala | 5.1 |
| 63 | 611 | Daytona Beach | 5.0 |
| 64 | 615 | Homestead | 5.0 |
| 65 | 638 | Wildwood | 5.0 |
| 66 | 651 | Hollywood | 4.9 |
| 67 | 657 | Bradenton | 4.9 |
| 68 | 661 | West Palm Beach | 4.9 |
| 69 | 672 | Boynton Beach | 4.9 |
| 70 | 685 | North Miami Beach | 4.9 |
| 71 | 702 | North Miami | 4.8 |
| 72 | 707 | Deerfield Beach | 4.8 |
| 73 | 709 | Gainesville | 4.8 |
| 74 | 719 | Greenacres | 4.7 |
| 75 | 733 | Sarasota | 4.7 |
| 76 | 738 | Pompano Beach | 4.7 |
| 77 | 739 | Lehigh Acres | 4.7 |
| 78 | 754 | Kissimmee | 4.6 |
| 79 | 787 | Miami Gardens | 4.5 |
| 80 | 791 | Ft. Pierce | 4.5 |
| 81 | 851 | Lauderhill | 4.0 |