What should you know before moving to Westwood Lakes?
Strong in places, weak in others. The weak point is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $518K, 6.8 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. Overall, Westwood Lakes earns a C, better than nearly a third of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 330th of 634 in Florida. Its strongest subject is walkability — it is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Westwood Lakes’ going rate for rent is $2,472 a month, above both the Florida town median ($1,647 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The rest of its grades are middling: B− for health and B for incomes.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
How Westwood Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Westwood Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Westwood Lakes stand out
Where Westwood Lakes beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pinecrest Cove Academy | K–8 | 938 |
| Royal Palm Elementary School | PK–5 | 514 |
| Cypress K-8 Center | PK–8 | 376 |
97% of working residents leave Westwood Lakes for work
Where Westwood Lakes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Westwood Lakes.
Westwood Lakes has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Miami and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
Few of Westwood Lakes’ working residents work in town
Westwood Lakes has 637 jobs for its 4,676 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 443 in 2013 to 637.
The top destinations are Miami (20%), Doral (8%) and Coral Gables (6%). Just 3% of Westwood Lakes’s working residents have a job in town. Westwood Lakes’ average commute is 31 minutes. Jobs in Westwood Lakes grew by 194 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 637.
| Westwood Lakes | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On state tests, Westwood Lakes’ schools beat 72% of Florida districts
Of its 7 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Its public schools are run by the Miami-Dade school district. The 4 public schools in Westwood Lakes teach 2,195 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecrest Cove AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 938 | A |
| Royal Palm Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 514 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Westwood Lakes faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
The FEMA risk score for Westwood Lakes comes to 71 of 100. Since 1982, 46 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 43% come from inland flooding and 41% from hurricanes. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Westwood Lakes
January nights average 58.3°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.7°.
It almost never snows. For Westwood Lakes, the January low is 58°F.
| Westwood Lakes | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 58°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More middle-aged adults than Florida overall
College graduates make up just over a quarter of adults 25 and older, against 34% across Florida. Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). Among residents in Westwood Lakes, 16% are under 18. 20% never finished high school.
| Westwood Lakes | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 47.6 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 31% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.6 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Westwood Lakes | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.8% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.3% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.4% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.9% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.4% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 9.5% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Westwood Lakes is less healthy than 53% of U.S. towns
In Westwood Lakes, 13% of adults report frequent mental distress. Of 31 CDC measures, Westwood Lakes beats the Florida average on 7 and trails it on 9. Two figures for adults locally: 35% get no exercise outside work, 17% have diabetes. Among 636 Florida towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Westwood Lakes.
| Westwood Lakes | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 25% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Westwood Lakes | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with depression | 12.7% | 17.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 9.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 30% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Westwood Lakes keeps 1.9% of its land conserved
Parks and preserves in Westwood Lakes: 2, covering 14 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tropical Estates Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Westwood Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A home in Westwood Lakes sells for about $610K at the median
At 6.8 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 81% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 89.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 60.1% across Florida.
A home in Westwood Lakes typically sold within 33 days of listing. For households locally, the share who own their home is 77%.
| Westwood Lakes | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,472 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Westwood Lakes
Hard Rock Stadium and 65 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westwood Lakes. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaHard Rock Stadium
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaNu Stadium
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaKaseya Center
10 mi Stadium & arenaLoanDepot Park
8 mi National ParkEverglades National Park778K visitors a year
2 mi Stadium & arenaPitbull StadiumPhoto 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 · Pitbull Stadium: Comayagua99, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to Westwood Lakes: who provides what
Westwood Lakes 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.
Colleges nearby
20 within 15 miles of the center of Westwood Lakes
About 6 of every 100 Westwood Lakes residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
About Westwood Lakes
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Westwood Lakes is a census-designated place and unincorporated community of Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 11,373 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3 ft
- Area code
- 305
Westwood Lakes’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Westwood Lakes.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Kendale Lakes (C+) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Lakes | #330 | C | D− | — | B+ | B− |
| Kendale Lakes | #304 | C+ | D | — | B+ | B− |
| Westchester | #265 | C+ | D− | — | B+ | B− |
| Olympia Heights | #139 | B− | D− | — | B+ | B− |
Westwood Lakes, Kendale Lakes, Westchester and Olympia Heights report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Westwood Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about Westwood Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Westwood Lakes, FL a good place to live?
Westwood Lakes grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #330 of 634 in Florida. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Westwood Lakes, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $519,000, 38% 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 D−.
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