Forest CityFL
A town of 15,312, settled in 1884. Public schools that outperform most of Florida.
Is Forest City a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Forest City grades B+ overall, 33rd among Florida's 634 graded towns. Its public schools beat 82% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation and it is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $370K, 4.7 years of the Orlando metro’s $79K median household income. Only 18 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. Forest City is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 69% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 62 of Florida’s 779 towns do worse.
What makes Forest City stand out
Where Forest City beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Forest City for work
Where Forest City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Forest City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Forest City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Walt Disney World Resort and 55 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forest City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw13 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
Big draw13 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M visitors a year
9 mi Stadium & arenaKia CenterPhoto credits
Walt Disney World Resort: Anthony Quintano from Westminster, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Universal Studios Florida: Radiobroadcastcenter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal Epic Universe: Martin Lewison, CC BY 2.0 · Camping World Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Kia Center: 350z33 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to Forest City: who provides what
Forest City is unincorporated, so Seminole 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Forest City.
Forest City carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Florida (mostly inland flooding), has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and pairs an A− for schools with high home prices.
For schools, Forest City earns an A−
Its A− for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $370K.
Its public schools are run by the Seminole school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teague Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,120 | B |
| Forest Lake Academy. PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 417 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
For health, Forest City earns an A−
16% of Forest City adults have been diagnosed with depression, where Florida’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 23%. 12% of Forest City adults report frequent physical distress. Forest City beats the Florida average on 17 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Forest City | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.6% | 7.2% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3% | 3.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Forest City’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Forest City for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Forest City has added 303 jobs, to 2,828 in 2023. The top destinations are Orlando (20%), Altamonte Springs (7%) and Maitland (5%).
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers in Forest City
The Sanford weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 48.9°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.1°.
Forest City has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. At 49°F, Forest City’s January low is close to Florida’s towns (51°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). The July high in Forest City is 92°F.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Younger than Florida overall
People 65 and older are 15% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). 40% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Forest City.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 31% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.7, men 39.5.
| Forest City | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.5% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.1% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The FEMA risk score in Forest City is 39 of 100, against 73 of 100 in Florida’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of Florida towns, with expected losses of about $273 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1986, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Forest City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median home in Forest City sells for about $340K
Forest City’s median rent is $1,777 a month.
| Forest City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,777 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Forest City
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of Forest City
About 4 of every 100 Forest City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Forest City’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Forest City.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest City | #33 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Altamonte Springs | #204 | B− | C− | C− | A− | B+ |
| Wekiwa Springs | #30 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
Forest City and Wekiwa Springs report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Forest City with a neighbor →
Questions about Forest City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forest City, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Forest City grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #33 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Forest City, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $370,000, 1% below 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−.