Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,311, settled in 1889.
Buckingham's standout: it has 19 miles of trail. Overall it grades C, 410th of 634 graded towns in Florida. The median household earns $113K. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. 18% of the land in Buckingham is conserved, against 3% in Florida’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Buckingham School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Buckingham beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
18.2% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Buckingham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,742 in 2000, 4,443 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Buckingham is unincorporated, so Lee County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Buckingham.
Buckingham has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is one of Florida’s best towns for the outdoors and has less food insecurity than most of Florida.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #11 of 638 in Florida.
At 1.0 miles per square mile, Buckingham’s trail density is where Florida’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Harnes Marsh Preserve, at 605 acres with 6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harnes Marsh Preserve | 6 mi | 605 |
| 2. Buckingham Trails Preserve | 4.4 mi | 575 |
| 3. Buckingham Community Park & Dog Park | 3.2 mi | 138 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lee school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harns Marsh Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,103 | C+ |
| Gunnery Road Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 160 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Since 1982, 140 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Buckingham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Immokalee weather station, 23 miles away, records that about 123 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 52.6°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92°.
Buckingham has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Buckingham is 53°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Buckingham | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $112,568, against $74,568 across Florida, one input to its A− for jobs and income.
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). Buckingham’s median age is 52.8 years. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Buckingham | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.8 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 31% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±6 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Buckingham | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.3% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.5% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
Jobs based here grew from 878 in 2013 to 1,568.
Most working residents leave Buckingham for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Buckingham grew to 1,568 in 2023, 690 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Fort Myers (22%), Cape Coral (5%) and Lehigh Acres (5%).
| Buckingham | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Florida is food insecurity: 10.4% of its 3,567 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.8% statewide. Against the 6,786 U.S. towns with household incomes like Buckingham’s, it is less healthy than 69%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Buckingham beats the Florida average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Buckingham.
| Buckingham | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Buckingham | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.4% | 16.8% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 13.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
95% of Buckingham households own their home. The median sale price was $368,000 in May 2026.
| Buckingham | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,196 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Buckingham. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Stadium & arenaHertz Arena
8 mi MuseumEdison and Ford Winter Estates
37 mi National PreserveBig Cypress National Preserve2.3M visitors a year
15 mi State parkKoreshan State Historic Site17 mi State parkMound Key Archeological State Park
31 mi State parkCayo Costa State ParkHertz Arena: Tthaas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Rolf Müller (User:Rolfmueller), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Big Cypress National Preserve: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Koreshan State Historic Site: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cayo Costa State Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrea_pauline/, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Buckingham
About 6 of every 100 Buckingham residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
4,036 counted in 2010 and 4,443 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Buckingham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,443 at the 2020 census, up from 4,036 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Historic Buckingham School is located there.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Buckingham.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham | #410 | C | C− | — | C+ | B |
| Lehigh Acres | #584 | D− | C− | — | C+ | C− |
| Verandah | — | — | D | — | C+ | A− |
| Fort Myers | #570 | D | D− | C− | C+ | C+ |
Verandah has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Buckingham, Lehigh Acres and Verandah report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Buckingham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Buckingham grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #410 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $431,000, 15% above the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
