Laurel ranks #44 in Florida for growth
Laurel is ranked on 29 lists against the 635 Florida towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 8.
The lists Laurel does best on
Each list ranks every FL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Laurel marked.
Laurel lands in the top half on 17 of 19 lists
Each dot is Laurel’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in FL, the right end is last. Areas where Laurel does best come first.
More seniors than 93% of Florida
Not better or worse, just Laurel’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Laurel out-ranks 2 of its 3 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 Laurel 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Bay Hill · 98 / 100
#198
H
Lowest obesity#1 Highland Beach · 20%
#150
Fewest smokers#1 Pelican Bay · 5%
#98
N
Most active#1 Nocatee · 15%
#179
Fewest uninsured#1 Longboat Key · 4%
#44
Lowest depression#1 Olympia Heights · 12%
#186
Closest to a top hospital#1 Fernandina Beach · 0.2 mi
#59 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Tierra Verde · 58.9%
#150
Most trails#1 Lely · 6.3 mi / sq mi
#83
Most walkable#1 West Miami · 544 / sq mi
#283 
People
Most educated#1 Indian River Shores · 79.3%
#166
F
Youngest#1 Florida Gulf Coast University · 19.5
#583
Oldest#1 Timber Pines · 74.8
#52
Most residents 65+#1 The Villages · 85.2%
#43
Most kids#1 Wauchula · 39.3%
#557 Getting around
P Shortest commute#1 Pensacola Station · 9.7 min #188Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Silver Springs · 0.4 yrs
#493
Cheapest rent#1 Chattahoochee · $613/mo
#173
Lowest property tax#1 Silver Springs · $199/yr
#463
Rent easiest to afford#1 Milton · 23.2%
Climate
Mildest winters#1 Key West · 64.8°
#190
Hottest summers#1 Ave Maria · 92.7°
#104
Coolest summers#1 Key Largo · 89.0°
#452
Longest growing season#1 Arcadia · 324 days
Wettest#1 Destin · 64 in
#245 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Lower Grand Lagoon · 57.1%
#99
Most new homes#1 Westlake · 146.3 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Little River · +102.6%
#254
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Miami Shores · 63.2 per home
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 Laurel’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.