Best PlacesCortez, Bradenton, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Cortez, Bradenton, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Cortez, Bradenton ranks 3,045th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Cortez, Bradenton
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.
Cortez, Bradenton's strengths and weaknesses
Where Cortez, Bradenton ranks high
- QuietBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
Where Cortez, Bradenton ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Short commute32.2 minutes each way, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Cortez, Bradenton
A household needs to earn about $115,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Cortez, Bradenton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $92,073, 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 Cortez, Bradenton's effective rate of 0.75%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Cortez, Bradenton
Cortez, Bradenton 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 Cortez, Bradenton.
Who works in Cortez, Bradenton, and how
Work in Cortez, Bradenton centers on real estate and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in Cortez, Bradenton
The coast is about 3 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Cortez, Bradenton, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Cortez, Bradenton, month by month
Cortez, Bradenton 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 Cortez, Bradenton
The nearest airport, Sarasota/Bradenton International, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Tampa International, about 36 miles away.
The best schools in and around Cortez, Bradenton
Schools across Cortez, Bradenton average a C, better than 38% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Anna Maria Elementary SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Sea Breeze Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Martha B. King Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- W. D. Sugg Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Bayshore High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Cortez, Bradenton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Cortez, Bradenton 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 Cortez, Bradenton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Cortez, Bradenton
Is Cortez, Bradenton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Cortez, Bradenton ranks 3,045th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, health care access, and state infrastructure, and lowest on empty homes and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Cortez, Bradenton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $443,306. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $92,073 median income, cost of living beats 70% of neighborhoods.
Is Cortez, Bradenton safe?
Yes, Cortez, Bradenton is safer than 94% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $141 per resident a year.
Compare Cortez, Bradenton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Cortez, Bradenton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Cortez, Bradenton 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.
Cortez, Bradenton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Cortez, Bradenton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Cortez, Bradenton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Cortez, Bradenton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Cortez, Bradenton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Cortez, Bradenton 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.