Alachua ranks #3 in Florida for affordable rent
Alachua is ranked on 34 lists against the 635 Florida towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every FL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Alachua marked.
Alachua lands in the top half on 16 of 22 lists
Each dot is Alachua’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in FL, the right end is last. Areas where Alachua does best come first.
Colder winters than 94% of Florida
Not better or worse, just Alachua’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Alachua out-ranks 1 of its 2 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Alachua lands in every FL ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Silver Springs · 0.4 yrs
#236
Cheapest rent#1 Chattahoochee · $613/mo
#152
Lowest property tax#1 Silver Springs · $199/yr
#378
Rent easiest to afford#1 Milton · 23.2%
#3 Health
Healthiest#1 Bay Hill · 98 / 100
#164
H
Lowest obesity#1 Highland Beach · 20%
#312
Fewest smokers#1 Pelican Bay · 5%
#229
N
Most active#1 Nocatee · 15%
#111
Fewest uninsured#1 Longboat Key · 4%
#167
Lowest depression#1 Olympia Heights · 12%
#380
Closest to a top hospital#1 Fernandina Beach · 0.2 mi
#382 Getting around
P Shortest commute#1 Pensacola Station · 9.7 min #164
People
Most educated#1 Indian River Shores · 79.3%
#174
F
Youngest#1 Florida Gulf Coast University · 19.5
#157
Oldest#1 Timber Pines · 74.8
#476
Most residents 65+#1 The Villages · 85.2%
#312
Most kids#1 Wauchula · 39.3%
#175 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Tierra Verde · 58.9%
#66
Most trails#1 Lely · 6.3 mi / sq mi
#200
Most walkable#1 West Miami · 544 / sq mi
#596 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Lower Grand Lagoon · 57.1%
#522
Most new homes#1 Westlake · 146.3 per 1,000
#146
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Little River · +102.6%
#95
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Miami Shores · 63.2 per home
#72 Climate
Mildest winters#1 Key West · 64.8°
#520
Hottest summers#1 Ave Maria · 92.7°
#154
Coolest summers#1 Key Largo · 89.0°
#396
Longest growing season#1 Arcadia · 324 days
#97
Wettest#1 Destin · 64 in
#334 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 North Miami Beach · 20.3 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Winter Park · 17.4 per resident
Safety
Safest#1 Gulf Breeze · 4.8
The number on the right is Alachua’s spot. All of Florida’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every FL list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.