Best Places32603, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32603, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
32603 ranks 19,363rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and the cost of living against local pay is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32603
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.
32603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32603 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute14.3 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
Where 32603 ranks low
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$19,956 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32603
A household needs to earn about $109,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $19,956, 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 32603's effective rate of 1.04%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 32603
32603 runs younger 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 32603.
Who works in 32603, and how
Work in 32603 centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 51%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 32%
Life in 32603
32603 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 32603 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 32603, month by month
32603 sees roughly 105 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 70, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| April | 84° | 70° | 55° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 32603
The nearest airport, Gainesville Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32603
Schools across 32603 average a B+, better than 71% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Carolyn Beatrice Parker ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Idylwild Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kanapaha Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
- Westwood Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Gainesville High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32603 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 32603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 32603
Is 32603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32603 ranks 19,363rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, transit, and an educated workforce, and lowest on the cost of living against local pay and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $403,789. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $19,956 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 32603 safe?
32603 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $349 per resident a year.
Compare 32603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32603 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.
32603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32603 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.