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Mapping Florida’s 8 best small cities

According to a recent study, Boca is No. 1

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The best small city in the state of Florida is Boca Raton, according to a recent study by WalletHub, which looked at over 1,200 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 and analyzed them based on 33 “key indicators of livability” within five general categories.

Due to the massive sample, they ranked the cities based on percentile. The five categories were Affordability, Economic Health, Education and Health, Quality of Life, and Safety.

Nineteen small cities ended up sharing a 99-percentile grade, with five of those cities hailing from Massachusetts. We mapped Florida’s eight highest ranking cities overall (with the percentile in parenthesis) and below are some additional highlights from the study:

  • Sarasota topped the entire nation in the ‘Quality of Life’ category
  • Florida’s lowest ranked cities were Deltona, Kendall, and Lauderdale Lakes.
  • The ‘Highest Homeownership Rate’ is The Villages
  • North Miami Beach, Lake Worth, and North Miami brought up the rear in ‘Lowest Percentage of Insured Population’
  • ‘Most Restaurants Per Capita’ featured Miami Beach and Fort Myers among the six leaders
  • The ‘Fewest Coffee Shops Per Capita’ medal was awarded to Kendall
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Boca Raton (98%)

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Affordability: 733rd

Economy: 224th

Education & Health: 520th

Quality of Life: 14th

Safety: 543rd

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Sarasota (95%)

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Affordability: 970th

Economy: 678th

Education & Health: 562nd

Quality of Life: 1st

Safety: 876th

Weston (91%)

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Affordability: 409th

Economy: 136th

Education & Health: 599th

Quality of Life: 950th

Safety: 7th

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Coral Gables (91%)

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Affordability: 781st

Economy: 69th

Education & Health: 594th

Quality of Life: 58th

Safety: 517th

Cooper City (90%)

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Affordability: 134th

Economy: 66th

Education & Health: 616th

Quality of Life: 1070th

Safety: 109th

Oviedo (89%)

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Affordability: 127th

Economy: 340th

Education & Health: 377th

Quality of Life: 569th

Safety: 141st

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Jupiter

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Affordability: 499th

Economy: 97th

Education & Health: 573rd

Quality of Life: 202nd

Safety: 384th

Wellington (79%)

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Affordability: 261st

Economy: 170th

Education & Health: 531st

Quality of Life: 720th

Safety: 245th

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Boca Raton (98%)

Affordability: 733rd

Economy: 224th

Education & Health: 520th

Quality of Life: 14th

Safety: 543rd

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Sarasota (95%)

Affordability: 970th

Economy: 678th

Education & Health: 562nd

Quality of Life: 1st

Safety: 876th

Weston (91%)

Affordability: 409th

Economy: 136th

Education & Health: 599th

Quality of Life: 950th

Safety: 7th

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Coral Gables (91%)

Affordability: 781st

Economy: 69th

Education & Health: 594th

Quality of Life: 58th

Safety: 517th

Cooper City (90%)

Affordability: 134th

Economy: 66th

Education & Health: 616th

Quality of Life: 1070th

Safety: 109th

Oviedo (89%)

Affordability: 127th

Economy: 340th

Education & Health: 377th

Quality of Life: 569th

Safety: 141st

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Jupiter

Affordability: 499th

Economy: 97th

Education & Health: 573rd

Quality of Life: 202nd

Safety: 384th

Wellington (79%)

Affordability: 261st

Economy: 170th

Education & Health: 531st

Quality of Life: 720th

Safety: 245th

A post shared by The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) on