Best Places32003, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32003, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
32003 ranks 1,168th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32003
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
32003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32003 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 95% of zip codes
Where 32003 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Short commute29.9 minutes each way, better than only 29% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32003
A household needs to earn about $107,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $119,531, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 32003's effective rate of 0.83%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 32003
32003 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32003.
Who works in 32003, and how
Work in 32003 centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 32003
32003 has more parkland per resident than 73% of zip codes. The coast is about 34 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 32003 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 32003, month by month
32003 sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 46. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 57° | 46° |
| April | 84° | 72° | 62° |
| July | 94° | 83° | 76° |
| October | 84° | 75° | 67° |
Flying in and out of 32003
Jacksonville International sits about 28 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 3.7 million passengers in 2025, with 86 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 32003
Schools across 32003 average an A, better than 95% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Orange Park Elementary SchoolA+ · 88% proficient
- Fleming Island Elementary SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
- Robert M. Paterson ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lakeside Junior High SchoolA+ · 71% proficient
- Green Cove Springs Junior High SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Lake Asbury Junior High SchoolA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Fleming Island High SchoolA · 70% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32003 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 32003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 32003 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 97% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 72% of zip codes and health care access beats 74%.
Common questions about living in 32003
Is 32003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32003 ranks 1,168th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low crime, and what local pay buys, and lowest on car insurance costs and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $407,253. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $119,531 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 32003 safe?
Yes, 32003 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $94 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 32003?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 46. That works out to about 115 pleasant days a year, more than 72% of zip codes.
Is 32003 good for families?
Schools beat 95% of zip codes, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $844 a month.
Compare 32003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32003 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
32003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32003 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.