Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Highland Beach grades B overall, 102nd among Florida's 634 graded towns. The median household earns $145K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $920K, 12 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Highland Beach, above both the Florida town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Highland Beach's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Only 44 of Florida’s 779 towns score lower on history.
Where Highland Beach beats most towns.
3,539 counted in 2010 and 4,295 in 2020; an estimated 4,328 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 21.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Highland Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
![Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]](https://images.townratings.com/story/2088/e2752b6a0897d6cef2cc-l.jpg)
Census counts: 52 in 1950, 4,295 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highland Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
24 mi Stadium & arenaAmerant Bank Arena
3 mi Stadium & arenaFAU Stadium
16 mi Stadium & arenaChase Stadium
35 mi Park & preserveHaulover Park
5 mi MuseumMorikami Museum and Japanese GardensHard Rock Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Amerant Bank Arena: Yanjipy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FAU Stadium: Jerseydem, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chase Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Haulover Park: Elmschrat, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens: Fragments at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland Beach, and how to reach them.
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 Highland Beach.
Highland Beach has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
At 12 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $920K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,391, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Highland Beach’s median rent is $3,501 a month. Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026. 93% of households own their home in Highland Beach.
| Highland Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 3,091 U.S. towns with household incomes like Highland Beach’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
20% of Highland Beach adults have obesity. Among 636 Florida towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Highland Beach. 44% of Highland Beach adults have high blood pressure.
| Highland Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Highland Beach | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 2.9% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 3.7% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 19.6% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Highland Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
44.7% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
Most working residents leave Highland Beach for work: only 7% work in town. The average trip to work in Highland Beach is 23 minutes. Jobs based in Highland Beach grew to 406 in 2023, 37 more than in 2013.
| Highland Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $145,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 59.2°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.8°. The Loxahatchee Nwr weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 66 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 90% of Florida places with climate records.
Highland Beach has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Highland Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 59°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
8 within 15 miles of the center of Highland Beach
About 4 of every 100 Highland Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Coastal flooding makes up 19% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
41.1% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Town in the state of Florida, United States
Highland Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida, and situated 50 miles north of Miami and 28 miles south of Palm Beach. As of the 2020 US census, the population was 4,295.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Highland Beach.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Beach | #102 | B | D− | — | B+ | A |
| Boca Raton | #159 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ | A |
| Delray Beach | #360 | C | D− | C− | B+ | B+ |
Highland Beach reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Highland Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Highland Beach grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #102 of 634 in Florida. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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