Best Places32550, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32550, 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.
32550 ranks 5,427th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32550
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.
32550's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32550 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 95% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 94% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 32550 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32550
A household needs to earn about $184,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32550 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $104,291, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 32550's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 32550
32550 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32550.
Who works in 32550, and how
Work in 32550 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 32550
32550 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 95% of zip codes. The coast is about 3 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 32550 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 32550, month by month
32550 sees roughly 136 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 48. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 55° | 48° |
| April | 77° | 70° | 63° |
| July | 91° | 84° | 78° |
| October | 83° | 74° | 67° |
Flying in and out of 32550
The nearest airport, Eglin AFB/Destin-Ft Walton Beach, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 235 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32550
Schools across 32550 average an A, better than 95% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dune Lakes Elementary SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Van R. Butler Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Emerald Coast Middle SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Destin Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- South Walton High SchoolA · 73% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32550 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32550 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 32550 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 32550
Is 32550 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32550 ranks 5,427th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and good schools, and lowest on an overheated housing market and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32550 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $733,935. The overall cost of living runs about 12% above the national average. Set against a $104,291 median income, cost of living beats 79% of zip codes.
Is 32550 safe?
Yes, 32550 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $131 per resident a year.
Compare 32550 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32550. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32550 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.
32550 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32550: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32550: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32550: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32550: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32550 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.