Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,591, settled in 1935.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Surfside grades B overall, ranked 70th of 634 in Florida. It is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 17.6 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. Surfside’s typical home value is $1,348,000, against $370,000 in Florida’s towns and $332,000 across U.S. towns. Surfside is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Only 53 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk.
Where Surfside beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Surfside is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 295 in 1940, 5,689 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Surfside. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaNu Stadium
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaKaseya Center
9 mi Stadium & arenaLoanDepot Park
2 mi Park & preserveHaulover Park
25 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a yearHard 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 · Haulover Park: Elmschrat, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Everglades National Park: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Surfside, 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 Surfside.
Surfside has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Florida and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
At 17.6 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $1.35M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 66% in five years, to about $1.35M, against 19% across Florida.
Surfside’s median rent is $1,866 a month. Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. The typical Surfside home is worth about $1,348,000, up 11.2% in a year, 4 times the Florida typical home.
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,866 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Shul's Child Enrichment Center PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 199 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
At 4.3 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #3 of 432 Florida towns.
The trail density in Surfside is 4.3 miles per square mile. 2.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. 7.5% of the land in Surfside is conserved.
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 4.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 2. Surfside Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Florida is tooth loss: 8.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide.
14% of Surfside adults have been diagnosed with depression. Surfside beats the Florida average on 17 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of Surfside adults report frequent mental distress.
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Surfside | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 12.7% |
| Fewer smokers | 8.7% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 61°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.4°.
Surfside has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 61°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,715 in 2013 to 2,565. 24.9% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
Most working residents leave Surfside for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Surfside has added 850 jobs, to 2,565 in 2023. The top destinations are Miami (20%), Miami Beach (9%) and Fort Lauderdale (3%).
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Surfside's reported crime rate is well above Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025.
| Surfside | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.2 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 85 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Surfside.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
21 within 15 miles of the center of Surfside
About 1 of every 100 Surfside residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Town in the state of Florida, United States
Surfside is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Surfside is a primarily residential beachside community, with several multistory condominium buildings adjacent to Surfside Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The town is bordered on the south by the North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, on the north by Bal Harbour, on the west by Biscayne Bay, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It also serves as part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 5,689 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Surfside.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfside | #70 | B | D− | — | B+ | A− |
| Indian Creek | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bal Harbour | #312 | C | D− | C− | B+ | A− |
Surfside reports no FBI crime data of its own. Indian Creek isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Surfside with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Surfside grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #70 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,348,000, 259% above the Florida typical home and up 11.2% in a year. 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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