West Little RiverFL
Home to 33,890 people, this town lies in Florida.
What should you know before moving to West Little River?
A town of contrasts. Where it falls short is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $450K, 5.9 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. West Little River grades C− overall, better than nearly a quarter of U.S. towns, and ranks 428th of 634 in Florida. It also trails on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind three quarters of the country. Its strongest subject is walkability (A+): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Schools are another plus (B+): its public schools beat 72% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. The town’s January low is 60°F, against 51°F in Florida’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
What makes West Little River stand out
Where West Little River beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Arcola Lake Elementary School | PK–5 | 601 |
| Broadmoor Elementary School | PK–5 | 501 |
| DR. Henry W. Mack/West Little River K-8 Center | PK–8 | 383 |
98% of working residents leave West Little River for work
Where West Little River’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How West Little River grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far West Little River is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 15%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Hard Rock Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Little River. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaNu Stadium
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaKaseya Center
6 mi Stadium & arenaLoanDepot Park
18 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a year
8 mi MuseumVizcaya Museum and GardensPhoto credits
Hard 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 · Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to West Little River: who provides what
West Little River is unincorporated, so Miami-Dade County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 West Little River.
West Little River is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Miami and beyond.
1.5% of West Little River is conserved land
Trails total 1.9 miles in 5 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in West Little River: 5, covering 38 acres.
| West Little River | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arcola Lakes Park | 1.2 mi | 18 |
| 2. Little River Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. Larchmont Gardens Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For schools, West Little River earns a B+
Two of the 14 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Miami-Dade school district. Public school enrollment in West Little River: 1,485 students across 3 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcola Lake Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 601 | C+ |
| Miami Central Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,414 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
For health, West Little River earns a C
Against the 7,862 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Little River’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in West Little River who get no exercise outside work: 39%. Of 31 CDC measures, West Little River beats the Florida average on 3 and trails it on 17.
| West Little River | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 25% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | West Little River | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 13.5% | 17.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 33.9% | 16.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For most of its workers, the job is outside West Little River
West Little River has 2,568 jobs for its 13,482 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Among working residents in West Little River, 2% work locally. Half the trips to work are shorter than 7 miles. Its typical household income is $56,000. The top destinations are Miami (22%), Hialeah (7%) and Doral (4%).
| West Little River | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Little River has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Flood insurance has paid out on 193 claims in West Little River since 1979. Compared with 77% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. 45% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 38%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in West Little River once, in 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
West Little River: mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 59.8°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90°.
The peak summer temperature for West Little River comes to 90°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
| West Little River | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 60°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For cost of living, West Little River earns a D
Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $450K, against 19% across Florida.
The midpoint rent in West Little River is $1,482 a month. Zillow values the typical West Little River home at about $450,000, up 3.1% in a year, 20% above the Florida typical home. For households in the town, the share who own their home is 57%.
| West Little River | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,482 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about West Little River
Colleges nearby
28 within 15 miles of the center of West Little River
About 4 of every 100 West Little River residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About West Little River
CDP in Miami-Dade County, Florida, US
West Little River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 34,128 at the 2020 census. Most of West Little River was originally a neighborhood of the city of Miami when it was annexed into the city in 1925. With the arrival of the Great Depression, Miami gave up its jurisdiction and West Little River became an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3 ft
- Area code
- 305
West Little River’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with West Little River.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Little River | #428 | C− | D | — | B+ | C |
| Miami | #493 | C− | D− | D | B+ | C+ |
| Westview | #355 | C | C | — | B+ | C− |
| Pinewood | #515 | D | D | — | B+ | D |
| El Portal | — | — | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Hialeah | #406 | C | D | C+ | B+ | C+ |
| Gladeview | #488 | C− | C− | — | B+ | D |
El Portal has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. West Little River, Westview, Pinewood, El Portal and Gladeview report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Little River with a neighbor →
Questions about West Little River
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Little River, FL a good place to live?
West Little River grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #428 of 634 in Florida. It grades C for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is West Little River, 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.