Best PlacesKirkman South, Orlando, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Kirkman South, Orlando, 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.
Kirkman South, Orlando ranks 3,104th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Kirkman South, Orlando
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.
Kirkman South, Orlando's strengths and weaknesses
Where Kirkman South, Orlando ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 79% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$908 a month, better than 76% of neighborhoods
Where Kirkman South, Orlando ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Kirkman South, Orlando
A household needs to earn about $122,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Kirkman South, Orlando home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $70,180, 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 Kirkman South, Orlando's effective rate of 0.83%, 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 Kirkman South, Orlando
Kirkman South, Orlando's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Kirkman South, Orlando.
Who works in Kirkman South, Orlando, and how
Work in Kirkman South, Orlando centers on retail trade and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Kirkman South, Orlando
Kirkman South, Orlando has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Kirkman South, Orlando and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Kirkman South, Orlando, month by month
Kirkman South, Orlando sees roughly 131 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 74, with lows near 50. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| April | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| July | 94° | 83° | 76° |
| October | 87° | 77° | 69° |
Flying in and out of Kirkman South, Orlando
Orlando International sits about 11 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 28.1 million passengers in 2025, with 223 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Kirkman South, Orlando
Schools across Kirkman South, Orlando average a B, better than 74% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Windy Ridge K-8A · 66% proficient
- Palm Lake ElementaryA− · 61% proficient
- Metrowest ElementaryC+ · 39% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southwest MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Chain Of Lakes MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Olympia HighB · 45% proficient
- Dr. Phillips HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Kirkman South, Orlando school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Kirkman South, Orlando 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 Kirkman South, Orlando against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Kirkman South, Orlando
Is Kirkman South, Orlando a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Kirkman South, Orlando ranks 3,104th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, and clean air, and lowest on an overheated housing market and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Kirkman South, Orlando expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $463,270. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $70,180 median income, cost of living beats 50% of neighborhoods.
Is Kirkman South, Orlando safe?
Yes, Kirkman South, Orlando is safer than 62% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $253 per resident a year.
Compare Kirkman South, Orlando with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Kirkman South, Orlando. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Kirkman South, Orlando 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.
Kirkman South, Orlando detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Kirkman South, Orlando: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Kirkman South, Orlando: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Kirkman South, Orlando: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Kirkman South, Orlando: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Kirkman South, Orlando 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.