Best PlacesPalm Coast, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Palm Coast, 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.
Palm Coast ranks 939th of 2,098 U.S. cities on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Palm Coast
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.
Palm Coast's strengths and weaknesses
Where Palm Coast ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of cities
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of cities
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of cities
- Local economyBetter than 86% of cities
- Nice weatherabout 151 pleasant days a year, better than 83% of cities
Where Palm Coast ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 4% of cities
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of cities
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of cities
- TransitBetter than only 13% of cities
- Low vacancyBetter than only 14% of cities
What it costs to buy a home in Palm Coast
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Palm Coast home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $80,855, 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 Palm Coast's effective rate of 0.77%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Palm Coast
Palm Coast runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Palm Coast.
Who works in Palm Coast, and how
Work in Palm Coast centers on health care & social and retail trade. 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 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Palm Coast
Palm Coast has more parkland per resident than 77% of cities. The coast is about 12 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Palm Coast and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Palm Coast, month by month
Palm Coast sees roughly 151 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 48. The comfortable stretch runs October through May.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 57° | 48° |
| April | 79° | 70° | 61° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 74° | 67° |
Flying in and out of Palm Coast
The nearest airport, Daytona Beach International, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Jacksonville International, about 72 miles away.
The best schools in and around Palm Coast
Schools across Palm Coast average a B+, better than 73% of cities.
Top elementary schools
- Old Kings Elementary SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Belle Terre Elementary SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Lewis E. Wadsworth ElementaryA− · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Indian Trails Middle SchoolA · 60% proficient
- Buddy Taylor Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Matanzas High SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Flagler-palm Coast High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Palm Coast school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Palm Coast 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 Palm Coast against the other 2,097 cities.
Who Palm Coast suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 20% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 83% of cities and health care access beats 78%.
Common questions about living in Palm Coast
Is Palm Coast a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Palm Coast ranks 939th of 2,098 cities. It scores highest on low crime, state infrastructure, and low taxes, and lowest on walkability and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Palm Coast expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $375,160. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $80,855 median income, cost of living beats 47% of cities.
Is Palm Coast safe?
Yes, Palm Coast is safer than 98% of cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $104 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Palm Coast?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 48. That works out to about 151 pleasant days a year, more than 83% of cities.
Is Palm Coast good for families?
Schools beat 73% of cities, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $932 a month.
Compare Palm Coast with other cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Palm Coast. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Palm Coast 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.
Palm Coast detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Palm Coast: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Palm Coast: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Palm Coast: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Palm Coast: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Palm Coast 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.