Best PlacesLakewood Ranch, Bradenton, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, 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.
Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton ranks 607th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Lakewood Ranch, 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.
Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton's strengths and weaknesses
Where Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
Where Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
A household needs to earn about $171,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $116,590, 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 Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton's effective rate of 0.93%, 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 Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton.
Who works in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, and how
Work in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 34%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 81% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 20 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, month by month
Lakewood Ranch, 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 Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
The nearest airport, Sarasota/Bradenton International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Tampa International, about 37 miles away.
The best schools in and around Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
Schools across Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton average an A, better than 96% of neighborhoods.
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
- R. Dan Nolan Middle SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Dr Mona Jain Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Carlos E. Haile Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top high schools
- 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 Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Lakewood Ranch, 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 Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton
Is Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton ranks 607th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, a strong job market, and good schools, and lowest on walkability and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $643,893. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $116,590 median income, cost of living beats 86% of neighborhoods.
Is Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton safe?
Yes, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton is safer than 100% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $60 per resident a year.
Compare Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Lakewood Ranch, 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.
Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Lakewood Ranch, 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.