Best Places34224, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 34224, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
34224 ranks 16,735th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 34224
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.
34224's strengths and weaknesses
Where 34224 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 149 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
Where 34224 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 34224
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 34224 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $61,001, 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 34224's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 34224
34224 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 34224.
Who works in 34224, and how
Work in 34224 centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 34224
34224 has more parkland per resident than 92% of zip codes. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 34224 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 34224, month by month
34224 sees roughly 149 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 72, with lows near 56. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72° | 63° | 56° |
| April | 82° | 75° | 67° |
| July | 91° | 84° | 78° |
| October | 87° | 79° | 72° |
Flying in and out of 34224
The nearest airport, Punta Gorda, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Southwest Florida International, about 43 miles away.
The best schools in and around 34224
Schools across 34224 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Vineland Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Myakka River Elementary SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Englewood Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Venice Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- L. A. Ainger Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
Top high schools
- Venice Senior High SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Lemon Bay High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 34224 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
34224 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 34224 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 34224
Is 34224 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 34224 ranks 16,735th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, state infrastructure, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 34224 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $294,458. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $61,001 median income, cost of living beats 24% of zip codes.
Is 34224 safe?
Yes, 34224 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $89 per resident a year.
Compare 34224 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 34224. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 34224 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.
34224 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 34224: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 34224: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 34224: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 34224: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
34224 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.