GOBankingRates did the legwork so you don’t have to. They crunched numbers on every Florida city with a population over 10,000. The goal? Find out where life is actually good.
The rules were strict.
- No state income tax.
- No estate or inheritance taxes.
- Warm weather, obviously.
They looked at income levels. Quality of life metrics. Population data from the 2023 American Community Survey. They pulled a livability score from AreaVibes for each spot. Then they ranked them on a scale of zero to 100. One hundred being paradise. Zero being a regret.
Only places where at least 33% of folks are 65 or older made the cut. You want retirees nearby, right?
Here are the top 20.
The Heavy Hitters
Dunedin leads the pack. A livability score of 84. About 35% of the population is senior. Ormond Beach follows close behind, an 83. Same percentage range. Sebastian is right there with Ormond, also an 83, with slightly more old-timers in the mix.
Gulfport hits an 81.
Then things get crowded.
Estero, Naples, and Venice all sit at a solid 79. Naples is a big one here. More than half the town is over 65. Venice is even skewing older, nearing 60% seniors. If you want to be around people who remember vinyl records, these are the spots.
Mid-Pack Comfort
Tavares drops to 76. So does Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda has more seniors, over half its residents, but the livability score matches the inland town.
Mount Dora is next. 75. Only 33% are seniors. Maybe it appeals to the slightly younger retired set. Or maybe the coffee shops are better there.
Cypress Lake, North Fort Myers, and West Vero Corridor tie at 74. West Vero leans older. North Fort Myers is a mixed bag of ages and comforts. Hudson trails slightly behind at 73, with a heavy senior presence.
The Bottom of the Top
Fernandina Beach sits at 72. Englewood is tied with it. Englewood has a massive senior population, nearly 60%. Cocoa Beach, usually seen as a spring break zone, pulls in at 71 with 35% seniors. Iona matches Cocoa’s score, but it is much older demographically.
New Smyrna Beach and Bonita Springs cap the list at 70. Both have substantial senior populations, though Bonita leans harder into that 65+ demographic.
Why do people move here?
No state taxes. The sun doesn’t seem to quit. And the water is generally warm enough to swim in, even when the air gets cold.
Is it perfect? No. Insurance is expensive. Crowds are real. But the math works if you value low tax burdens and mild winters over skiing.
You can’t make money once you retire. So you save it instead. That’s the strategy. These towns respect that strategy. Or at least, the data suggests they do.
Livability is subjective, but numbers don’t lie. Mostly.
The data is current as of late July 2025. Things change. House prices shift. Populations fluctuate. But for now, if you’re planning an exit from the workforce and looking south, these twenty places have the stats to back up the hype.
Just don’t expect them to tell you where to park your boat. 🌴
