Louis "Uncle Louie" Gregory 2019, 2006
Southwest Ranches’s story
Southwest Ranches in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
Explore the history →
Southwest RanchesFL
A town of 7,773.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Rey Valls · CC BY 3.0
Population
7,773
2025 Census estimate · +2.1% since 2020
Typical home
$1.47M
+5.2% in a year
Household income
$161K
median
Median age
45.3
years
Jobs based here
2,012
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#111 of 634 in FL
Is Southwest Ranches a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Southwest Ranches grades B overall, 111th of 634 graded towns in Florida. The median household earns $161K. Residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 19.2 times the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. Southwest Ranches’ going rate for rent is $2,733 a month, above both the Florida town median ($1,647 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 5 of the 354 Florida towns we compare have a higher value of a typical home than Southwest Ranches. The biggest park or preserve is Rolling Oaks Park, at 44 acres.
What makes Southwest Ranches stand out
Where Southwest Ranches beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Southwest Ranches for work
Where Southwest Ranches’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
2,012jobs based in Southwest Ranches
2%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Southwest Ranches grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Southwest Ranches is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →Cost of livingD−Open →HealthCleveland Clinic Hospital 2.3 miles awayAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →SchoolsBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 4.4% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors13% conserved landA−Open →History3 notable people born hereDOpen →Civic life3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 92° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market87 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.3; 46% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 84 attractions →Hard Rock Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southwest Ranches. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaNu Stadium
8 mi Stadium & arenaAmerant Bank Arena
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaKaseya Center
21 mi Stadium & arenaLoanDepot Park
21 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hard Rock Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nu Stadium: Cuban Boy, CC0 · Amerant Bank Arena: Yanjipy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Southwest Ranches: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southwest Ranches, and how to reach them.
PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSunrise Sawgrass water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Southwest Ranches’ trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereBroward Supervisor of ElectionsBroward County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP codes33331, 33332, 3333033331 46% · 33332 29% · 33330 25%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 Southwest Ranches.
Southwest Ranches has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of Florida, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
HousingCost of living grade D−
A larger share of households in Southwest Ranches own their home than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
At 19.2 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $1.47M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Weston is next at $719K.
Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. Homes in Southwest Ranches are typically worth about $1,468,000, up 5.2% in a year, 4 times the Florida typical home. On the market in the town: a median 87 days to sell.
$1.47MZillow home value
Typical home value
Southwest Ranches$1.47M
Florida$375K
Market temperature
87
days on market
94.8%
sale-to-list price
+5.2%
value change, 1 year
8
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB
On state tests, Southwest Ranches’ schools beat 62% of Florida districts
The public schools here belong to the Broward school district. Below: Two of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked. Southwest Ranches’ only public school teaches 272 students.
62%of FL districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greentree Preparatory Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 272 | A− |
| Archbishop McCarthy High School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,785 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
OutdoorsA−
In Southwest Ranches, 12.8% of the land is conserved
For Southwest Ranches, the trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. Across 8 parks and preserves: 13 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in the town: 8, covering 170 acres.
#107for trails in FL
12.8%
conserved · 1,065 of 8,305 acres
13 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Orange Drive Linear Park | 1.4 mi | 17 |
| 2. Frontier Trails Park | 1.3 mi | 30 |
| 3. Sunshine Ranches Equestrian Park | 1.2 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthA
For health, Southwest Ranches earns an A
Its widest gap with Florida is tooth loss: 6.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide. Against the 2,107 U.S. towns with household incomes like Southwest Ranches’s, it is less healthy than 56%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Southwest Ranches who have been diagnosed with depression: 15%. Just over a quarter of adults locally have obesity; 8.2% smoke cigarettes.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Southwest Ranches | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
31 measures vs. Florida
21 better10 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Southwest Ranches | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.7% | 7.2% |
Cleveland Clinic Hospital
2.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
93rd
percentile among FL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The biggest natural risk in Southwest Ranches is inland flooding, at a high overall level
Southwest Ranches’ FEMA risk score stands at 79 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1999: 41. 54% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 38%. Federal aid has come to Southwest Ranches households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanes
41
paid flood claims since 1999
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, the median household income in Southwest Ranches is higher
Jobs based here grew from 1,451 in 2013 to 2,012.
Southwest Ranches had 2,012 jobs in 2023, up 561 from 2013. 3.8% of Southwest Ranches residents live below the poverty line. For most workers, Southwest Ranches is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. The top destinations are Miami (9%), Fort Lauderdale (8%) and Pembroke Pines (8%).
2%work in town
| Southwest Ranches | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $161,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 18% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Southwest Ranches2%
Miami9%
Fort Lauderdale8%
Pembroke Pines8%
Sunrise6%
15 mi
median commute distance
2,012
jobs based in Southwest Ranches
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Southwest Ranches’ year
January nights average 57°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.2°. The Ft Lauderdale weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 75 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 76% of Florida places with climate records.
In Southwest Ranches, the January low is 57°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
92°summer high
| Southwest Ranches | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 57°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter59–78°
Spring65–85°
Summer74–91°
Fall70–86°
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Southwest Ranches
19pages on Southwest Ranches
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
14 within 15 miles of the center of Southwest Ranches
Galen Health Institutes-Miami CampusUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Pembroke Pines4.2 mi$17,048 tuitionFlorida Academy of NursingUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Miramar5.2 miJose Maria Vargas UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Pembroke Pines6.3 mi$13,660 tuition
About 7 of every 100 Southwest Ranches residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
Famous people from Southwest Ranches
3 notable people were born in Southwest Ranches.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
About Southwest Ranches
Town in the state of Florida, United States
Southwest Ranches is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban community part of the Miami metropolitan area and is located on the eastern edge of the Everglades, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Fort Lauderdale and about 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Miami. It is unusual in that it consists of three non-contiguous areas, albeit they are in close proximity; the two largest being separated by 1,455 feet (0.443 km). It became the county's 30th incorporated place in 2000 to avoid annexation into Pembroke Pines and to preserve its semirural lifestyle. Because the area has many horse ranches and is located in the southwestern part of Broward County, residents chose "Southwe…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3 ft
- Area code
- 754
Southwest Ranches’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Southwest Ranches.
Pembroke PinesDavieCooper CityWestonSouthwest Ranches
How the neighbors grade
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Ranches | #111 | B | D− | — | B | A |
| Pembroke Pines | #272 | C+ | D− | — | B | B+ |
| Davie | #256 | C+ | D− | — | B | B+ |
| Cooper City | #130 | B− | D− | — | B | A |
| Weston | #77 | B | D− | — | B | A |
Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Cooper City and Weston report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Southwest Ranches with a neighbor →
Questions about Southwest Ranches
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Southwest Ranches, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Southwest Ranches grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #111 of 634 in Florida. It grades A for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Southwest Ranches, FL expensive?
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−.