Best PlacesNorthwood, Tamarac, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwood, Tamarac, 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.
Northwood, Tamarac ranks 3,684th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods 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 Northwood, Tamarac
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.
Northwood, Tamarac's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwood, Tamarac ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 74% of neighborhoods
Where Northwood, Tamarac ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Short commute35.2 minutes each way, better than only 6% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwood, Tamarac
A household needs to earn about $87,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwood, Tamarac home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $83,578; 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 Northwood, Tamarac's effective rate of 0.92%, 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 Northwood, Tamarac
Northwood, Tamarac runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, 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 Northwood, Tamarac.
Who works in Northwood, Tamarac, and how
Work in Northwood, Tamarac centers on professional & technical and finance & insurance. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Northwood, Tamarac
The coast is about 18 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Northwood, Tamarac, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwood, Tamarac, month by month
Northwood, Tamarac sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 79, with lows near 59. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° | 68° | 59° |
| April | 86° | 77° | 69° |
| July | 92° | 84° | 77° |
| October | 88° | 80° | 73° |
Flying in and out of Northwood, Tamarac
The nearest airport, Fort Lauderdale Exec, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, about 13 miles away.
The best schools in and around Northwood, Tamarac
Schools across Northwood, Tamarac average a B, better than 67% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Challenger Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Tamarac Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Millennium 6-12 Collegiate AcademyB− · 44% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwood, Tamarac school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwood, Tamarac 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 Northwood, Tamarac against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwood, Tamarac
Is Northwood, Tamarac a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwood, Tamarac ranks 3,684th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low taxes, 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 Northwood, Tamarac expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $326,386. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $83,578 median income, cost of living beats 62% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwood, Tamarac safe?
Yes, Northwood, Tamarac is safer than 63% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $247 per resident a year.
Compare Northwood, Tamarac with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwood, Tamarac. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwood, Tamarac 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.
Northwood, Tamarac detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwood, Tamarac: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwood, Tamarac: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwood, Tamarac: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwood, Tamarac: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwood, Tamarac 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.