Best Places32697, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 32697, 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.
32697 ranks 26,810th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 32697
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.
32697's strengths and weaknesses
Where 32697 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$633 a month, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 32697 ranks low
- Short commute48.1 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 32697
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 32697 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $53,453, 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 32697's effective rate of 0.53%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 32697
32697 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 32697.
Who works in 32697, and how
Work in 32697 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 97%
- Work from home 1%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 32697
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 32697.
What the weather is like in 32697, month by month
32697 sees roughly 106 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 32697
The nearest airport, Gainesville Regional, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 59 miles away.
The best schools in and around 32697
Schools across 32697 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Butler Elementary SchoolA · 69% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lake Butler Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Union County High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 32697 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
32697 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 32697 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 32697
Is 32697 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 32697 ranks 26,810th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and quiet, and lowest on long commutes and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 32697 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $163,000. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $53,453 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 32697 safe?
Yes, 32697 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $142 per resident a year.
Compare 32697 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 32697. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 32697 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.
32697 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 32697: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 32697: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 32697: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 32697: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
32697 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.