Best Places34268, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 34268, 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.
34268 ranks 26,311th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 34268
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.
34268's strengths and weaknesses
Where 34268 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$562 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 122 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of zip codes
Where 34268 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 34268
A household needs to earn about $40,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 34268 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,550, 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 34268's effective rate of 0.70%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 34268
34268 runs older than the country, 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 34268.
Who works in 34268, and how
Work in 34268 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 34268
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 34268.
What the weather is like in 34268, month by month
34268 sees roughly 122 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 77, with lows near 50. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 77° | 63° | 50° |
| April | 88° | 74° | 60° |
| July | 94° | 83° | 75° |
| October | 89° | 77° | 69° |
Flying in and out of 34268
The nearest airport, Punta Gorda, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Southwest Florida International, about 44 miles away.
The best schools in and around 34268
Schools across 34268 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Nocatee Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Desoto Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Desoto County High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 34268 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
34268 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 34268 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 34268
Is 34268 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 34268 ranks 26,311th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, state infrastructure, and low taxes, and lowest on summer heat and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 34268 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $153,900. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $61,550 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 34268 safe?
Yes, 34268 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $167 per resident a year.
Compare 34268 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 34268. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 34268 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.
34268 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 34268: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 34268: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 34268: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 34268: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
34268 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.