Moving to the Orlando, FL metro area

Living in Orlando costs more than in most other U.S. metro areas, mainly due to housing expenses. General prices are slightly below the national average, and gasoline costs are lower than in 70% of other metros. However, rental prices are high, with 90% of neighborhoods charging above the national median for a two-bedroom apartment. Fewer than half the households earn above the national median income, and the hospitality and tourism sector, a major employer in the area, pays low wages that do not cover the rent. The median monthly mortgage payment is about $1,989, which is high for the area. Although the price per square foot is $235, homeowners face high insurance costs. Florida doesn't have state income tax, but expenses like property insurance raise living costs.

In a quarter of the metro's neighborhoods, prices are under $200 per square foot, with the cheapest areas around $172. Inner Orange County suburbs like Pine Hills, developed during the 1960s and 1970s, offer lower prices but come with older homes and a long-standing crime reputation, although they are close to downtown jobs. In Lake and Osceola counties, towns such as Clermont and Poinciana offer larger and newer homes at lower prices, but the trade-off is a much longer commute to downtown and the theme parks. Housing prices generally reflect the quality of schools, safety, and commute times, so sacrificing one of these factors can often improve the other aspects.

Orlando ranks just below the midpoint for safety among US metros, with contrasting crime results. SettleSavvy grades every US neighborhood on a letter scale. We use the best available data to build a model of crime location and frequency. You can read more about the grading method here. Orlando falls into the bottom fifth for violent crime among US metros, with only one in seven neighborhoods performing better than the national average. However, it lands in the top quarter for property crime, with over half of its neighborhoods surpassing the national middle. Aggravated assault is the most common violent crime, although property crime has been declining across Florida for years.

Choosing a neighborhood has a bigger impact on property crime rates than on violent crime rates. A good choice can nearly improve your property crime grade by a full letter, while even the best neighborhoods for violent crime barely reach the national average. The lowest safety grades are around Parramore, Pine Hills, and Orange Blossom Trail. These areas aren't on the tourist strips, which have separate police forces. If you're worried about burglary, the safest neighborhoods for property crime are in Seminole County to the north. However, if you're concerned about violent crime, even the best areas are only average nationally.

Orlando ranks 161st out of 918 U.S. metropolitan areas in terms of family friendliness, primarily due to its schools. The district’s test scores are better than those in about three-quarters of U.S. metros, and nearly 90% of its neighborhoods are above the national median. The central half of these neighborhoods share the same grade because the Florida constitution assigns a single school district to each county. Among the four districts in the Orlando metro area, Seminole County scores the highest, while Osceola scores the lowest. This means that differences in school quality are between counties, not individual towns. When searching for the best school district in Florida, comparisons are made at the county level, rather than by individual catchment areas. This means families in Orange County receive the same school grade whether they're in Windermere or Lake Nona.

Regarding public play space, the typical Orlando neighborhood lacks a playground within a two-mile radius, even though the metro area as a whole has more playgrounds than most other U.S. metros. Roughly 20% of residents are under 18, slightly below the U.S. metro average. Orlando is suited for families looking for a reliable standard in schools without having to bid for a specific catchment area, but it might not meet expectations for those who want a playground nearby.

Winter is the comfortable season in Orlando. The area experiences freezing nights only about twice a year, and it never snows. Orlando enjoys 164 pleasant days annually, a total surpassed by only 2 percent of U.S. metros. Summer, however, tells a different story. July's dew points hover around 73°F, considered oppressive, with over one hundred days reaching 90°F. From late May to October, sea breezes from both coasts trigger almost daily afternoon thunderstorms. The Tampa-to-Orlando area sees the densest lightning strikes in the country. Outdoor activities are best from November through April, the opposite of schedules in most of the country.

Despite its pleasant days, Orlando ranks 408th among 918 U.S. metros for overall climate, sitting mid-pack mainly due to storm risks. Its four counties face hurricanes more often than those in 95 percent of other U.S. metros and tornadoes more often than in 88 percent. Being miles away from the coast, Orlando doesn't worry about coastal floods; instead, it's wind and rain that cause damage. Hurricane Ian flooded the city's lakes and the St. Johns River in 2022. Tornadoes are a winter threat, with two of Central Florida's deadliest outbreaks, both in February, in 1998 and 2007, striking overnight along the I-4 corridor when a southward-shifted jet stream met warm, humid air.

Orlando ranks 112th out of 918 US metros for amenities, placing it in the top eighth nationwide. Its neighborhoods are diverse, each with its own character. Typically, a neighborhood in Orlando has access to about 14 restaurants, while the top 10% of neighborhoods have around 60. On the other hand, about a quarter of neighborhoods lack a bus or rail stop within two miles.

The high amenity counts in some areas stem from corridors designed for tourists and commuters. International Drive, for example, is a tourist hub packed with restaurants, outlet malls, hotels, and convention centers, but very few people reside there. LYNX buses operate extensively from downtown Orlando along corridors like International Drive, Orange Blossom Trail, and towards theme park job centers. However, Lake County receives no LYNX service. Restaurants do spread into subdivisions, with about four in five Orlando neighborhoods having better restaurant access than the national median. In contrast, less than half have comparable access to bars, gyms, or parks. This setup suits households willing to drive to amenities and seeking variety when they arrive. However, it doesn't cater well to those who expect a gym, a bar, or a playground within a couple of miles of home.

Orlando sits in the middle of U.S. metros in terms of green space, but it scores lower for land cover. Only about 20% of the metro area's land is covered with natural vegetation, primarily found in swamps and along lakes. Neighborhoods show significant variation, with the greenest tenth having over 50% vegetation, while the least green tenth has less than 3%. Much of the remaining open land is used for farming, as cattle ranching and groves occupy the outskirts of Osceola, Orange, and Lake counties.

In half of Orlando's neighborhoods, you won't find a park within two miles. However, the metro includes more parks compared to many other U.S. metros, because several neighborhoods have multiple parks. Trail miles are more evenly distributed, as Orange and Seminole counties have paved over old rail lines. These trails include the West Orange Trail going through Apopka and Winter Garden, and the Cross Seminole and Seminole Wekiva trails connecting Winter Park to Lake Mary. These corridors go through cities rather than avoiding them, so most Orlando neighborhoods have more trail miles than the national median. While it's easy to find long paved rides, a walkable park depends on the neighborhood you choose.

Orlando ranks 251st out of 918 U.S. metros in affluence, which is average for the country's 22nd-largest metro area. The median household income is about $95,000, putting it in the top third of U.S. metros. However, against the costs for homeowners with a mortgage, this income drops to the bottom eighth. Over 90% of Orlando's neighborhoods have rents above the national median, while fewer than half surpass the national median for household income.

The workforce mainly includes professional jobs or positions in the hotel, restaurant, and theme park sectors, with a gap in manual and skilled trades jobs. Orlando ranks in the bottom tenth for these jobs among U.S. metros. About 40% of workers hold professional or managerial roles, higher than in three-quarters of U.S. metros. This is due to the military simulation and training hub at Central Florida Research Park, the medical campuses in Lake Nona, and UCF. Compared to other U.S. metros, Orlando has a higher percentage of bachelor's degree holders than household income. Local wages lag behind those in similar-sized metros, while rents have increased more quickly than incomes. People moving to Orlando with salaries set elsewhere do better financially than those relying on local paychecks, as rents are more suited to a wealthier metro area.

Orlando ranks 832nd out of 918 U.S. metro areas for community stability, with its greatest issue being length of residence. The median resident has lived in the same home for about nine years, shorter than 96 percent of U.S. metros. Only one in nine neighborhoods surpasses the national median for tenure. Homeownership is at 64 percent, placing it in the bottom fifth nationwide; in some neighborhoods, a third of homes are owner-occupied, while in others, it's nine out of ten.

Partnered households are more common here than in seven out of ten U.S. metros, so the low rank isn't due to a lack of couples. However, fewer of these couples are married compared to two-thirds of U.S. metros. Additionally, 40 percent of residents who have ever been married are divorced, a figure higher than in about four-fifths of U.S. metros. This is influenced by Florida's retirees and a steady stream of newcomers. New subdivisions constantly appear to the west, while Osceola County vacation rentals target tourists rather than residents. Hotel and theme park employers frequently hire staff, but wages fall well below local rent prices. Anyone seeking long-term neighbors should focus on choosing the right neighborhood instead of relying on the overall metro area.

Orlando is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse metro areas in the US, with a diversity index of 53 out of 100. This score is higher than about 97 percent of US metros. Within Orlando, neighborhood diversity varies, with the least diverse tenth scoring around 33 and the most diverse tenth reaching 67. Despite these differences, most neighborhoods in Orlando exceed the national median, meaning they are diverse by national standards.

In the 2024 presidential election, Orlando's vote was nearly even, splitting 50 to 49 percent in favor of the Democrats, unlike the Republican-leaning state overall. This close margin is new. The Democratic margin grew during the 2000s as the population diversified but shrank after 2016. Voter turnout, measured as a portion of the entire population, is average compared to other US metros. Religious congregations claim just under half of residents, also placing Orlando in the middle nationally. Catholic adherence is higher than in about 75 percent of US metros, largely due to the expanding Hispanic population, according to the Diocese of Orlando. Mainline Protestant adherence ranks in the bottom sixth nationally.