Best Places33844, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 33844, 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.
33844 ranks 23,900th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 33844
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.
33844's strengths and weaknesses
Where 33844 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 33844 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Short commute36.5 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 33844
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 33844 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $60,795; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 33844's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 33844
33844's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 33844.
Who works in 33844, and how
Work in 33844 centers on construction and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 33844
33844 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 33844 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 33844, month by month
33844 sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 74, with lows near 50. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| April | 87° | 74° | 63° |
| July | 94° | 83° | 75° |
| October | 89° | 78° | 69° |
Flying in and out of 33844
Orlando International sits about 29 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 28.1 million passengers in 2025, with 223 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 33844
Schools across 33844 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bethune AcademyB · 49% proficient
- Lake Alfred Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Elbert Elementary SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lake Alfred Polytech AcademyB− · 41% proficient
- Daniel Jenkins Academy Of Technology Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Mclaughlin Academy Of ExcellenceC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Bartow Senior High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Winter Haven Senior High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Auburndale Senior High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 33844 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
33844 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 33844 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 33844 suits
Families
Schools land around the 30th percentile and crime safety beats 62%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 33844
Is 33844 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 33844 ranks 23,900th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on summer heat and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 33844 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $258,671. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $60,795 median income, cost of living beats 27% of zip codes.
Is 33844 safe?
Yes, 33844 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $192 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 33844?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 74 with lows near 50. That works out to about 128 pleasant days a year, more than 80% of zip codes.
Is 33844 good for families?
Schools beat 30% of zip codes, crime safety beats 62%, and childcare runs $844 a month.
Compare 33844 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 33844. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 33844 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.
33844 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 33844: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 33844: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 33844: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 33844: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
33844 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.