Best Places32435, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32435, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
32435 ranks 23,915th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32435
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.
32435's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32435 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 32435 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32435
A household needs to earn about $59,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32435 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,358, 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 32435's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 32435
32435 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32435.
Who works in 32435, and how
Work in 32435 centers on construction and public administration. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 32435
32435 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 95% of zip codes. The coast is about 51 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 32435 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 32435, month by month
32435 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 50° | 40° |
| April | 80° | 66° | 54° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 84° | 69° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 32435
The nearest airport, Eglin AFB/Destin-Ft Walton Beach, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 226 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32435
Schools across 32435 average an A−, better than 83% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dune Lakes Elementary SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Mossy Head SchoolA · 67% proficient
- West Defuniak Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
Top middle schools
- Emerald Coast Middle SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Freeport Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Walton Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- South Walton High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Walton Virtual FranchiseA− · 65% proficient
- Walton High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32435 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32435 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 32435 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 32435
Is 32435 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32435 ranks 23,915th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and low property taxes, and lowest on disaster risk and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32435 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $238,189. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $65,358 median income, cost of living beats 42% of zip codes.
Is 32435 safe?
Yes, 32435 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $172 per resident a year.
Compare 32435 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32435. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32435 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.
32435 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32435: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32435: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32435: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32435: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32435 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.