Best Places34251, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 34251, 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.
34251 ranks 10,418th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 34251
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.
34251's strengths and weaknesses
Where 34251 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 158 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 34251 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute34.6 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 34251
A household needs to earn about $124,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 34251 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $105,918, 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 34251's effective rate of 0.57%, 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 34251
34251 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 34251.
Who works in 34251, and how
Work in 34251 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 34251
The coast is about 37 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 34251, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 34251, month by month
34251 sees roughly 158 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 74, with lows near 51. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| April | 85° | 74° | 64° |
| July | 92° | 83° | 76° |
| October | 88° | 77° | 70° |
Flying in and out of 34251
The nearest airport, Sarasota/Bradenton International, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Tampa International, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around 34251
Schools across 34251 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gilbert W Mcneal Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Gene Witt Elementary SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Robert Willis Elementary SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sarasota Middle SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- R. Dan Nolan Middle SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Carlos E. Haile Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top high schools
- Riverview High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Lakewood Ranch High SchoolA− · 64% proficient
- Booker High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 34251 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
34251 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 34251 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 34251
Is 34251 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 34251 ranks 10,418th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and the weather, and lowest on disaster risk and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 34251 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $488,911. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $105,918 median income, cost of living beats 67% of zip codes.
Is 34251 safe?
Yes, 34251 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $168 per resident a year.
Compare 34251 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 34251. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 34251 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.
34251 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 34251: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 34251: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 34251: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 34251: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
34251 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.