Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Opa-locka's standout: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C−, 440th of 634 graded towns in Florida. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Opa-locka, where Florida’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include Harry Hurt Building and Opa-Locka Company Administration Building. Only 1 of the 132 Florida towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Opa-locka.
Where Opa-locka beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 339 in 1930, 16,463 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1926 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Opa-locka is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for health (better than 8%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Opa-locka. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaNu Stadium
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaKaseya Center
9 mi Stadium & arenaLoanDepot Park
18 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a year
18 mi Stadium & arenaAmerant Bank ArenaHard Rock Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nu Stadium: Cuban Boy, CC0 · Kaseya Center: jjron, GFDL 1.2 · LoanDepot Park: Roberto Coquis, CC BY 2.0 · Everglades National Park: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain · Amerant Bank Arena: Yanjipy, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Opa-locka, 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 Opa-locka.
Opa-locka has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Miami and other neighbors.
Against the 1,743 U.S. towns with household incomes like Opa-locka’s, it is less healthy than 51%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Westview (C−) to Hialeah (C+).
20% of Opa-locka adults have diabetes. Opa-locka beats the Florida average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 15% of Opa-locka adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Opa-locka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 20% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 25% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Opa-locka | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 9.1% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.2% | 14.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 39% | 16.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Miami-Dade school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is North Park High School, with 431 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon College Prep K-8Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 424 | D |
| North Park High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 431 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $473K, against 19% across Florida. 73.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida.
29% of households own their home in Opa-locka. The typical Opa-locka home is worth about $473,000, up 1.5% in a year, 26% above the Florida typical home. Opa-locka’s median rent is $1,351 a month.
| Opa-locka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 29% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,351 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Hialeah weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 91 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 58.7°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.5°.
Opa-locka has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Opa-locka is 59°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Opa-locka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 59°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Amelia Earhart Park, at 100 acres.
| Opa-locka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Amelia Earhart Park | 0.4 mi | 100 |
| 2. Ingram Park | — | 20 |
| 3. Segal Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Opa-locka has about as many jobs (6,468) as working residents, but only 183 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Opa-locka for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Opa-locka grew to 6,468 in 2023, 922 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Miami (18%), Miami Gardens (6%) and Hialeah (6%).
| Opa-locka | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
183 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 27 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 183 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Opa-locka.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Opa-locka's reported crime rate is well above Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 211 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
29 within 15 miles of the center of Opa-locka
About 4 of every 100 Opa-locka residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
19 places in Opa-locka on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Opa-locka.
City in Florida, United States
Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Spanning roughly 4.2 square miles (11 km2), it is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. Opa-locka was founded in 1926 by American aviator and industrialist Glenn Curtiss, who was inspired by the Middle Eastern folk tales of the One Thousand and One Nights. As such, the city is noted as having one of the largest collection of Moorish Revival architecture in the Western Hemisphere, and many of its roads bear names such as Sharazad Boulevard, Sinbad Avenue, Sabur Lane, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, Perviz Avenue, and Sesame Street. The na…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Opa-locka.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opa-locka | #440 | C− | C− | — | B+ | D |
| Westview | #355 | C | C | — | B+ | C− |
| Biscayne Gardens | — | — | D− | — | B+ | — |
| Hialeah | #406 | C | D | C+ | B+ | C+ |
| Miami Gardens | #507 | D | D | C | B+ | C− |
Opa-locka, Westview and Biscayne Gardens report no FBI crime data of their own. Biscayne Gardens isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Opa-locka with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Opa-locka grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #440 of 634 in Florida. It grades D for health and B+ for schools. Health 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 C−.
8 notable people were born here, including Harry Wayne Casey and Randall Bailey.
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