Best Places33853, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 33853, 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.
33853 ranks 22,577th 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 33853
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.
33853's strengths and weaknesses
Where 33853 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 147 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 33853 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$49,740 median, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 33853
A household needs to earn about $52,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 33853 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $49,740; 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 33853's effective rate of 0.84%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 33853
33853's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 33853.
Who works in 33853, and how
Work in 33853 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 33853
33853 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 33853 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 33853, month by month
33853 sees roughly 147 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 71, with lows near 51. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 60° | 51° |
| April | 84° | 73° | 62° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 74° |
| October | 85° | 76° | 69° |
Flying in and out of 33853
Orlando International sits about 40 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 33853
Schools across 33853 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Polk Avenue Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Frostproof Ben Hill Griffin Jr Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Edward W Bok Academy NorthB · 46% proficient
- Mclaughlin Academy Of ExcellenceC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Wales Senior High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Bartow Senior High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Winter Haven Senior High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 33853 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
33853 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 33853 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 33853
Is 33853 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 33853 ranks 22,577th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and walkability, and lowest on an overheated housing market 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 33853 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $199,162. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $49,740 median income, cost of living beats 12% of zip codes.
Is 33853 safe?
33853 is safer than 45% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $235 per resident a year.
Compare 33853 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 33853. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 33853 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.
33853 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 33853: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 33853: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 33853: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 33853: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
33853 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.