Best Places34291, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 34291, 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.
34291 ranks 8,428th 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 34291
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.
34291's strengths and weaknesses
Where 34291 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 149 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
Where 34291 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute31.7 minutes each way, better than only 21% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 34291
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 34291 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $94,849; 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 34291's effective rate of 0.85%, 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 34291
34291 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 34291.
Who works in 34291, and how
Work in 34291 centers on retail trade and health care & social. 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 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 34291
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 34291, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 34291, month by month
34291 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 34291
The nearest airport, Punta Gorda, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Southwest Florida International, about 48 miles away.
The best schools in and around 34291
Schools across 34291 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lakeview Elementary SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Lamarque Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Glenallen Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sarasota Middle SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Heron Creek Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Riverview High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- North Port High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 34291 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
34291 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 34291 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 34291
Is 34291 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 34291 ranks 8,428th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low crime, and a strong job market, 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 34291 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $371,834. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $94,849 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 34291 safe?
Yes, 34291 is safer than 97% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $96 per resident a year.
Compare 34291 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 34291. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 34291 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.
34291 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 34291: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 34291: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 34291: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 34291: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
34291 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.