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Florida›Okaloosa County

Lake LorraineFL

In Florida, this town has 6,903 residents.

Is Lake Lorraine a good place to live?

Where it does best is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country. Lake Lorraine ranks 41st of 634 in Florida, with a B+ overall. On that grade it does better than 72% of U.S. towns. It also does well on incomes (A−): the median household earns $104K. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $434K, 5.3 years of the Crestview metro’s $82K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.

Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index.

What makes Lake Lorraine stand out

Where Lake Lorraine beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

A commuter town

96% of working residents leave Lake Lorraine for work

Where Lake Lorraine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

19% → Fort Walton Beach Fort Walton Beach 19% 10% → Destin Destin 10% 8% → Wright Wright 8% 3% → Miramar Beach Miramar Beach 3% 3% → Shalimar Shalimar 3% 3% → Ocean City Ocean City 3% Lake Lorraine · 4% stay
1,976jobs based in Lake Lorraine
4%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Lake Lorraine grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Lorraine is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Gulf Islands National Seashore and 9 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Lorraine. Close and well known come first.

All 18 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Air Force Armament Museum: Greg Goebel, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pensacola Museum of History: User:TheCustomOfLife, Public domain · Pensacola Museum of Art: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baker Block Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Lake Lorraine: who provides what

Lake Lorraine is unincorporated, so Okaloosa County and regional agencies provide most services.

WaterOkaloosa Co.wtr.; Swr.systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOkaloosa CountyOkaloosa County provides services here
SchoolsOkaloosa County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereOkaloosa Supervisor of ElectionsOkaloosa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3257932579 100%Census 2020

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 Lake Lorraine.

Lake Lorraine has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of Florida, but it has little public open land.

HealthA

Lake Lorraine’s grade for health is an A

Its widest gap with Florida is food insecurity: 9.8% of its 5,731 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.8% statewide.

Among adults in Lake Lorraine, 35% sleep under 7 hours, below Florida’s towns (37%) and close to U.S. towns (36%). For adults here, the share who report frequent physical distress is 12%. In Lake Lorraine, 29% of adults have obesity, and 15% say their health is fair or poor.

85%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
Lake LorraineFlorida townsU.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)12%15%14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)29%32%35%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)15%20%19%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)10%13%14%
31 measures vs. Florida
17 better14 too close to call0 worse
What stands outLake LorraineFL
Fewer adults facing food insecurity9.8%16.8%
Fewer uninsured adults9.9%15.9%
96th Medical Group (Eglin Afb)
1.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
86th
percentile among FL towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

SchoolsA−

On state tests, Lake Lorraine’s schools beat 76% of Florida districts

Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Okaloosa school district. Lake Lorraine’s only public school teaches 557 students.

76%of FL districts it outscoresA−School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Shalimar Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5557B+

NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

Lake Lorraine has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from hurricanes

Flood insurance has paid out on 339 claims in Lake Lorraine since 1979. 68% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 15%.

85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
85Very high riskLowerHigher
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
339
paid flood claims since 1979

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−

Lake Lorraine has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

The average commute for its 2,803 working residents takes 21.3 minutes, against 28 across Florida. Jobs based here grew from 1,133 in 2013 to 1,976.

Among workers in Lake Lorraine, 8.7% work remotely from home. Most people who work leave Lake Lorraine to do it: just 4% work in town. In Lake Lorraine, the average commute is 21 minutes, below both the Florida town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 843, to 1,976.

4%work in town
Lake LorraineFlorida townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work21 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$104,000$73,000$80,000
Work from home8.7%14%11%
Below the poverty line6.6%11%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Lake Lorraine4%
Fort Walton Beach19%
Destin10%
Wright8%
Miramar Beach3%
7 mi
median commute distance
1,976
jobs based in Lake Lorraine
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Lake Lorraine

The Niceville weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 253 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Niceville weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 52 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 95% of Florida places with climate records.

Its peak summer temperature comes in at 90°F.

90°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter45–63°
Spring59–76°
Summer74–89°
Fall61–79°
Dec 28
typical first frost
Feb 5
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC−

Lake Lorraine keeps 0.6% of its land conserved

Just 9 of its 1,461 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Lake Lorraine itself; its outdoors grade is C−.

Parks and preserves in Lake Lorraine: 2, covering 9 acres.

0.6%conserved
0.6%
conserved · 9 of 1,461 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Shalimar Park—8
2. Meigs Park and Boat Ramp—1

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HousingCost of living grade C−

Homes in Lake Lorraine sell for about $400K

Homes sold in Lake Lorraine spent a median 83 days on the market. The town’s median rent comes in at $1,654 a month. Sellers in Lake Lorraine got 97.5% of the asking price, typically.

$400Kmedian sale price
Lake LorraineFlorida townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,654 a month$1,647 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home73%72%73%
Market temperature
BalancedA balanced marketBuyer’sSeller’s
83
days on market
97.5%
sale-to-list price
13
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Lake Lorraine

16pages on Lake Lorraine
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Lorraine

About Lake Lorraine

CDP in Florida, United States

Lake Lorraine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census, up from 7,010 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. It carries a Shalimar postal address and zip code. Lake Lorraine was originally a fresh-water body, but at some point in the 1990s the narrow sandbar that separated it from the Choctawhatchee Bay was breached and the former drainage channel to the tip of Black's Point became blocked by silt.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.3 sq mi
Elevation
26 ft
Area code
850

Lake Lorraine’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Lake Lorraine.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownFL rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Lake Lorraine#41B+C−—A−A
Shalimar——————
Eglin AFB#173B−D−—A−A

Lake Lorraine and Eglin AFB report no FBI crime data of their own. Shalimar isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake Lorraine with a neighbor →

Questions about Lake Lorraine

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Lake Lorraine, FL a good place to live?

For most people who can afford it, yes. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.

Is Lake Lorraine, FL expensive?

Yes. The typical home is worth about $435,000, 16% 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−.