Best Places32542, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32542, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
32542 ranks 12,331st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32542
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.
32542's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32542 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute13.6 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 32542 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 24% of zip codes
Who lives in 32542
32542 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32542.
Who works in 32542, and how
Work in 32542 centers on hospitality & food and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 32542
32542 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of zip codes. The coast is about 20 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 32542 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 32542, month by month
32542 sees roughly 101 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 52° | 43° |
| April | 77° | 68° | 58° |
| July | 90° | 83° | 75° |
| October | 82° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 32542
The nearest airport, Eglin AFB/Destin-Ft Walton Beach, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 224 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32542
Schools across 32542 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Eglin Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Lula J. Edge Elementary SchoolA+ · 72% proficient
- Addie R. Lewis SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Okaloosa Stemm CenterA+ · 97% proficient
- C. W. Ruckel Middle SchoolA+ · 76% proficient
- Holley-navarre Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- Niceville Senior High SchoolA · 76% proficient
- Navarre High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Crestview High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32542 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32542 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 32542 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 32542
Is 32542 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32542 ranks 12,331st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, population health, and state infrastructure, and lowest on disaster risk and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32542 safe?
32542 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $254 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 32542?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 63 with lows near 43. That works out to about 101 pleasant days a year, more than 65% of zip codes.
Compare 32542 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32542. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32542 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.
32542 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32542: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32542: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32542: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32542: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32542 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.
- 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.