Best Places32309, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32309, 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.
32309 ranks 1,277th 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 32309
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.
32309's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32309 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 32309 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32309
A household needs to earn about $106,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32309 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $120,137, 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 32309'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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 32309
32309 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32309.
Who works in 32309, and how
Work in 32309 centers on public administration and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 32309
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 32309.
What the weather is like in 32309, month by month
32309 sees roughly 90 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 53° | 40° |
| April | 83° | 69° | 54° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 86° | 72° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 32309
The nearest airport, Tallahassee International, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 149 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32309
Schools across 32309 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Desoto Trail Elementary SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Gilchrist Elementary SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Roberts Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- William J Montford Iii Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
- Swift Creek Middle SchoolA · 59% proficient
- Raa Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Lawton Chiles High SchoolA · 72% proficient
- SailB · 48% proficient
- Lincoln High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32309 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32309 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 32309 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 32309 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 56% of zip codes and health care access beats 92%.
Common questions about living in 32309
Is 32309 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32309 ranks 1,277th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and an educated workforce, 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 32309 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $403,203. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $120,137 median income, cost of living beats 94% of zip codes.
Is 32309 safe?
Yes, 32309 is safer than 95% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $110 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 32309?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 68 with lows near 40. That works out to about 90 pleasant days a year, more than 56% of zip codes.
Is 32309 good for families?
Schools beat 92% of zip codes, crime safety beats 95%, and childcare runs $785 a month.
Compare 32309 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32309. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32309 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.
32309 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32309: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32309: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32309: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32309: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32309 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.