, Florida might just be the safest city in the Sunshine State—but it’s not the only one. From the Panhandle to the Florida Cape, these are the safest places to live in Florida.

If you picture

Florida

as a lawless chaos dimension filled with offbeat criminals, monster alligators, and constant hurricanes, think again: it’s actually among the safest states in the country. Of course, some parts of the state are safer than others—and that’s why

Jerry

, the

super app

designed to save you money on

car

and

homeowners insurance

, has created a comprehensive guide to all the safest places to live in Florida.

Ready to find your Florida safe haven? Let’s get started.

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Is Florida a safe place to live?

Good news for sunshine seekers: Florida is one of the safest places to live in the United States. In fact, in

U.S. News’s

list of 25 Safest Places to Live in 2021-2022, six of the top 10 cities were in Florida!

You might be surprised by that—after all, isn’t Florida home to gators, hurricanes, and, of course,

Florida Man

? Well, it turns out that Florida’s most infamous dangers might not be so dangerous after all. Let’s break it down.

Crime

The appearance of wild crime stories in Florida headlines is a function of loose journalism laws, not high crime rates. In fact, FBI statistics show that the state’s crime rate is right around the national average, with about 384 instances of violent crime per 100,000 residents. Overall, your chances of being the victim of a crime in Florida are:

1 in 258 chance of becoming the victim of a violent crime

1 in 56 chance of becoming the victim of a property crime

In other words, Florida doesn’t have more wacky criminals than other states—you just hear about them more.

Hurricanes

Hurricane season is one undeniable threat to Floridians and their property. According to the

Insurance Information Institute (III)

, Florida has the highest risk of storm surge, with 2,851,642 single-family homes at risk of a Category 5 storm surge.

But hurricanes don’t pose a uniform danger across the state—some parts of Florida are much safer from hurricanes and the damage they carry in their wake. Southwest Florida is most prone to hurricanes, while the northern and central regions of the state are safest. To check the safety of specific cities and regions, you can use the

Storm Surge Map

created by the National Hurricane Center.

Gators

If you’re worried about gators in Florida, don’t be. Although the state has a larger alligator population than any other state except

Louisiana

, these intimidating reptiles don’t actually pose a significant danger to humans.

Researchers at the

University of Florida

found that roughly one person dies from an alligator attack every year—and only 10 bites are reported each year. Compare that to your risk of being killed by a car accident, a family pet, or a simple slip and fall, and it’s clear that humans and gators can coexist peacefully in the Sunshine State.

Road safety

Speaking of car accidents, how common are they in Florida?

Here’s where the bad news begins. Florida had the third-highest rate of fatal car accidents in 2019, ranking just behind

California

and

Texas

for accident fatalities with 3,183 deaths resulting from 2,950 crashes. The state also ranks as the #1 state for pedestrian deaths between 2010 and 2019, with the following metro areas in the top 10 most dangerous cities for pedestrians:

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

Lakeland-Winter Haven

Jacksonville

Cape Coral-Fort Myers

There’s one area where Florida’s road safety statistics look better, though:

drunk driving

. While the US average for alcohol-related car accident fatalities is 28% of all traffic fatalities, Florida’s numbers have dropped in recent years to just 25%, with 790 of the 3,183 2019 fatalities involving alcohol or drug use.

MORE:

Everything you need to know about driving in Orlando

Key Takeaway Hurricanes and car accidents are bigger concerns in Florida than gators or crime.

The seven safest places to live in Florida

1. Niceville

Population: 15,619

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.6

Property crimes per 1k residents: 2.9

Median household income: $76,823

Safer than: 89% of US cities

Located on Boggy Bayou in the Florida Panhandle,

Niceville

lives up to its name with just about the lowest crime rate in the entire state. Although alcohol-related car accidents are slightly higher than the state average at 30%, the city’s location makes it safer from hurricanes—good news for homeowners!

Excellent schools, low rental prices, and beautiful surroundings make Niceville a fantastic place to live. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Niceville was home to the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival for seafood and arts, and it’s still a great place to experience the best Florida has to offer.

2. Weston

Population: 70,965

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.5

Property crimes per 1k residents: 4.3

Median household income: $107,908

Safer than: 82% of US cities

Weston

is technically part of the Miami metropolitan area, but it’s an oasis of calm outside one of Florida’s most dangerous cities. While your chances of being the victim of a violent crime in

Miami

are 1 in 167, in Weston those odds shrink to just 1 in 1,892. It’s also a safe city for drivers and pedestrians, with low rates of pedestrian death and alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

The downside of living in Weston? It’s definitely a wealthy suburb, with country clubs and golf courses dotting the landscape. The cost of living in town is 39% higher than the Florida average, with sky-high real estate and rental prices driving the numbers up.

3. Satellite Beach

Population: 11,346

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.3

Property crimes per 1k residents: 4

Median household income: $79,082

Safer than: 81% of US cities

Satellite Beach

isn’t just one of the safest places to live in Florida—it’s also one of the most interesting! Located on a barrier island on the Treasure Coast, this small city is a hotspot for aerospace development and environmental conservation.

Low crime rates make Satellite Beach a very safe place to live, but its vulnerable location on the coast makes it slightly more dangerous for homeowners. It’s also part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metropolitan area, which ranked #2 in the state for pedestrian deaths.

4. Parkland

Population: 32,878

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.2

Property crimes per 1k residents: 5.6

Median household income: 154,844

Safer than: 77% of US cities

If you’re not from the area, Parkland’s name might carry a dark connotation: in 2018, the city’s Stoneman Douglas High School was the site of the nation’s deadliest high school shooting.

But Parkland isn’t a dangerous place to live overall—in fact, it’s one of the safest places in Florida! Your chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Parkland are 1 in 4,334, far below the average for the greater Miami area. This affluent Miami suburb also has a lower-than-average rate of alcohol-related driving fatalities, with just 24% of fatalities recorded in 2019 involving alcohol use.

5. Sebastian

Population: 25,613

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.8

Property crimes per 1k residents: 5.8

Median household income: $53,707

Safer than: 72% of US cities

Another safer-than-average Treasure Coast town,

Sebastian

was named after the patron saint of archers and athletes. The nearby

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

and

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

bring plenty of business to town, and the cost of living hovers just below the state average.

The town has a reputation for friendliness and affordability—and it’s surrounded by parks, conservation areas, and other sites of natural beauty!

6. Oviedo

Population: 40,059

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 1.2

Property crimes per 1k residents: 5.8

Median household income: $95,935

Safer than: 70% of US cities

Although it was a small rural town not so long ago,

Oviedo

is quickly gathering up accolades as one of the safest and best places to live in Florida. In 2020 alone, Niche.com called it the best place to raise a family in the Orlando area, and it was the only Florida city to make Money Magazine’s national list of “Best Places to Live.”

What makes Oviedo so safe? Low crime rates, low hurricane risk, and a safe distance from the city. Compare

Orlando’s

1-in-121 risk of violent crime with Oviedo’s 1 in 770, and it’s clear why so many families are choosing this suburb as their Florida home. It’s also located inland, making it an ideal location for homeowners. One major risk? Road safety, which remains high in the Orlando area with a 27% rate of alcohol-related driving deaths and the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the US.

7. North Palm Beach

Population: 13,090

Violent crimes per 1k residents: 0.9

Property crimes per 1k residents: 6.7

Median household income: $72,027

Safer than: 68% of US cities

North Palm Beach

, the hometown of golfing great Jack Nicklaus, is a peaceful coastal paradise. Home to

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

and one of just two

golf courses

in the country designed by Nicklaus himself, it’s an ideal place to retire with peace of mind.

If there’s one gap in North Palm Beach’s safety, it’s a slightly higher rate of property crime. Higher-than-average property values and cost of living combined with a comparatively low median income make property crime more common than violent crime in the area—but both rates are still markedly lower than the rest of the state, as well as most of the country!

MORE:

The best places to live in Florida

The five most dangerous places to live in Florida

Now that we’ve covered the safest places to live in Florida, which are the cities to avoid? Taking into account crime rates, hurricane risks, and traffic statistics, these are the five most dangerous places to live in Florida:

Florida City: With an overall crime rate of 82.5 per 1,000 residents, Florida City has the highest crime rate of any city in Florida—your chances of being the victim of a violent crime here are 1 in 38.

Tampa: While its crime rates are lower than 25% of US cities,

Tampa’s

location on the Gulf Coast makes it the most hurricane-prone city in Florida.

Marianna

: This small town’s crime rates are almost as high as Florida City’s, and its 37% poverty rate makes it an unfortunate hotspot for property crime.

Gainesville: Okay, we already told you that gator attacks aren’t a major concern—but if you’re afraid of them, you’ll want to steer clear of

Gainesville

, which has the state’s largest population.

Tallahassee: Leon County, of which

Tallahassee

is the county seat, has the state’s highest rate of drunk driving fatalities. In recent years, approximately 34% of driving fatalities in the area involved alcohol use.

MORE:

How neighborhood affects home insurance rates

How to find affordable car and homeowners insurance in Florida

No matter where you live in Florida, carrying good insurance on your home and your car is the best way to protect your finances from the unexpected. Want to find affordable rates on both types of insurance—without wasting time with lots of math, paperwork, or phone calls to insurance companies?

Download the

Jerry

app. In just 45 seconds, Jerry can comb through rates from over 55 of the nation’s top insurers and find customized quotes that fit your needs. Pick your favorite quote in the app, and Jerry’s team of experts will walk you through signing up or switching. The whole process is quick and easy, and you won’t even have to pick up the phone!

Just how much could you save with Jerry? On average, customers save over $800 a year on car insurance alone—just by shopping in the app!

“I would 11/10 recommend
Jerry
. I was originally quoted $700+ for insurance for my new car, but by using Jerry I got my payments down to $320 a month. They also have a great support team ready to answer any questions!” —Tobias F.

Let Jerry find you the best homeowners insurance policy for your needs

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