With Memorial Day considered by many to be the unofficial start to summer, many Americans have already looked to warm and sunny beaches to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Of course, many of these Americans will end up vacationing in The Sunshine State. There is no doubt that Florida is home to the most beautiful beach towns in the country. In fact, its amazing beach towns are arguably the biggest driver of tourism for The Sunshine State. Recently, the site Stacker.com set out to rank the best beach towns in Florida. Of course, ranking Florida’s beautiful beach towns can be quite subjective, Stacker.com used various factors in coming up with their rankings.
Beach town rating algorithm
First and foremost, to be considered a beach town, each city needed at least one beach that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors. As for the other criteria weighted by importance, they were as follows:
- Miles of shoreline
- Access to beach-related businesses based on Census Bureau County Business Patterns
- Zillow median home prices
Top ranked Florida beach towns
| Rank | City | # of Beaches | Median Home Price |
| 1. | Panama City | 6 | $268,370 |
| 2. | Stuart | 5 | $385,022 |
| 3. | Fort Walton Beach | 6 | $335,295 |
| 4. | Naples | 7 | $581,150 |
| 5. | Daytona Beach | 6 | $264,681 |
| 6. | Jensen Beach | 3 | $400,028 |
| 7. | Panama City Beach | 5 | $491,863 |
| 8. | Hollywood | 4 | $432,034 |
| 9. | Vero Beach | 9 | $369,768 |
| 10. | Panacea | 2 | $365,863 |
| 11. | Port Saint Joe | 7 | $470,271 |
| 12. | Pompano Beach | 3 | $351,510 |
| 13. | Pensacola | 7 | $250,153 |
| 14. | Englewood | 5 | $393,761 |
| 15. | Fort Lauderdale | 3 | $514,421 |
| 16. | Miami Beach | 5 | $514,087 |
| 17. | New Smyrna Beach | 1 | $473,262 |
| 18. | Santa Rosa Beach | 5 | $928,755 |
| 19. | Hobe Sound | 1 | $498,629 |
| 20. | Destin | 4 | $632,517 |
| 21. | Carrabelle | 1 | $261,205 |
| 22. | Indian Rocks Beach | 2 | $874,422 |
| 23. | Venice | 5 | $455,660 |
| 24. | Eastpoint | 3 | $738,216 |
| 25. | Fernandina Beach | 8 | $589,552 |
Summary
There is no doubt that beach towns will be on the travel list for many Americans this summer. In fact, the Transportation Security Administration screened 9.79 million people that were traveling over the Memorial Day weekend alone! This figure surpassed even pre-pandemic levels. Needless to say, there is pent up travel demand for many Americans and many of these travels will lead to beach towns.
Needless to say, South Florida offers many great beach towns to either make as your primary residence, own a vacation home, or simply visit from time to time. Are you ready to own your slice of paradise in South Florida? We can help! Contact Natasha at Live South Florida Realty, Inc. today! Also, be sure to download the free Florida Home Search app for your smartphone or tablet.
