Winter Haven ranks #24 in Florida for new homes
Winter Haven is ranked on 34 lists against the 635 Florida towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
Hotter summers than 97% of Florida
Not better or worse, just Winter Haven’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Winter Haven does best on
Each list ranks every FL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Winter Haven marked.
Winter Haven lands in the top half on 5 of 23 lists
Each dot is Winter Haven’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in FL, the right end is last. Areas where Winter Haven does best come first.
Winter Haven out-ranks 6 of its 10 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.
Every FL list, and where Winter Haven lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Lower Grand Lagoon · 57.1%
#223
Most new homes#1 Westlake · 146.3 per 1,000
#24
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Little River · +102.6%
#426
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Miami Shores · 63.2 per home
#79 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Silver Springs · 0.4 yrs
#177
Cheapest rent#1 Chattahoochee · $613/mo
#130
Lowest property tax#1 Silver Springs · $199/yr
#266
Rent easiest to afford#1 Milton · 23.2%
#154 
Getting around
P Shortest commute#1 Pensacola Station · 9.7 min #367Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Tierra Verde · 58.9%
#384
Most trails#1 Lely · 6.3 mi / sq mi
#252
Most walkable#1 West Miami · 544 / sq mi
#443 Health
Healthiest#1 Bay Hill · 98 / 100
#549
H
Lowest obesity#1 Highland Beach · 20%
#601
Fewest smokers#1 Pelican Bay · 5%
#467
N
Most active#1 Nocatee · 15%
#480
Fewest uninsured#1 Longboat Key · 4%
#476
Lowest depression#1 Olympia Heights · 12%
#380
Closest to a top hospital#1 Fernandina Beach · 0.2 mi
#576 People
Most educated#1 Indian River Shores · 79.3%
#439
F
Youngest#1 Florida Gulf Coast University · 19.5
#230
Oldest#1 Timber Pines · 74.8
#404
Most residents 65+#1 The Villages · 85.2%
#322
Most kids#1 Wauchula · 39.3%
#244 
The number on the right is Winter Haven’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.