Best PlacesUniversity, FL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Distance to the water drives a lot of the difference between one part and the next. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University ranks 1,969th of 2,098 U.S. cities on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in University
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.
The best areas in University
The parts of University, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first.
Tampa Palms
North Tampa
Cross Fletcher
Scores across University run from about the 4th to the 79th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
University's strengths and weaknesses
Where University ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of cities
- BikingBetter than 98% of cities
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of cities
- TransitBetter than 96% of cities
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 95% of cities
Where University ranks low
- Household income$39,864 median, better than only 1% of cities
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 1% of cities
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of cities
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of cities
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of cities
What it costs to buy a home in University
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $39,864, 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 University's effective rate of 0.73%, 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 University
University runs younger 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 University.
Who works in University, and how
Work in University centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in University
University has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of cities and more parkland per resident than 77% of cities. The coast is about 14 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of University and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University, month by month
University sees roughly 132 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 72, with lows near 50. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72° | 60° | 50° |
| April | 86° | 73° | 62° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 74° |
| October | 87° | 76° | 68° |
Flying in and out of University
Tampa International sits about 9 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.1 million passengers in 2025, with 135 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around University
Schools across University average a B, better than 64% of cities.
Top elementary schools
- Venice Elementary SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Patricia Sullivan Metropolitan Ministries Partnership SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Muller Elementary Magnet SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Venice Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Benito Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Liberty Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Venice Senior High SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Gaither High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Wharton High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University 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 University against the other 2,097 cities.
Who University suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in University
Is University a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University ranks 1,969th of 2,098 cities. It scores highest on cell coverage, biking, and state infrastructure, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $268,915. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $39,864 median income, cost of living beats 0% of cities.
Is University safe?
University is safer than 11% of cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $337 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in University?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 72 with lows near 50. That works out to about 132 pleasant days a year, more than 76% of cities.
What are the best neighborhoods in University?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Tampa Palms, North Tampa, and Cross Fletcher. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Compare University with other cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University 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.
University detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University 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.