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West Palm Beach, FL

A town of about 122,290 people in Palm Beach County, part of the Miami area. Resident comments and photos are about West Palm Beach; job numbers cover the wider area.

Everyday life
Shops, cafes, and daily routines
Hobbies & activities
Trails, parks, and pastimes
Nearby scenery
Lakes, overlooks, and drives

Photos and reviews come from Google Maps and show single places, not the whole area. Reviews are the most relevant ones Google returns for each place. We show the longest highly rated review under 400 characters and, when there is one, the longest low-rated review. Google doesn't verify reviews but removes fake ones when it finds them.

Around West Palm Beach

City Place Live Stage
City Place Live Stage · Photo: Andyxox, Public domain
Clematis
Habitat of Semiardistomis viridis at Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach, Florida, Zoo Keys
Habitat of Semiardistomis viridis at Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach, Florida, Zoo Keys · Photo: P. Valdés, CC BY 3.0
Kravis Center Front Nighttime
Kravis Center Front Nighttime · Photo: John Panicci, CC BY-SA 3.0
Palm Bch Jr Col
Palm Bch Jr Col · Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sandi Tree in Blue
Sandi Tree in Blue · Photo: LTreadwell, CC0
Seaboard Train Sta
Seaboard Train Sta · Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Square
The Square · Photo: Ven-Lib, CC BY-SA 4.0
Water Taxi in West Palm Beach, FL
Water Taxi in West Palm Beach, FL · Photo: Geppapa at en.wikipedia, Public domain
West Palm Beach Lake Worth
West Palm Beach Lake Worth · Photo: Pleuthner, W. K., Public domain
West Palm Beach Aerial November photo Don Ramey Logan
West Palm Beach Aerial November photo Don Ramey Logan · Photo: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY 4.0
West Palm Beach City Hall
West Palm Beach City Hall · Photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Where it is
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach in Florida
Florida in the U.S.
State outlines: U.S. Census Bureau.

What's nearby

Within 5 miles of West Palm Beach's center.

19
grocery stores
48
restaurants
10
coffee shops
36
parks
20
playgrounds
4
libraries
1
live theater
1
museum
5
bookstores
1
comic shop
1
gym
7
bars
6
pharmacies
6
hospitals

None found within 5 miles: movie theaters.

Counts from OpenStreetMap, a volunteer map, so small or new places can be missing. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Biking and trails

Within 5 miles of the center of West Palm Beach.

Bike lanes and bike paths
87 miles
more than almost all U.S. towns
Walking and hiking trails
80 miles
more than most U.S. towns

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Counts depend on how well local volunteers have mapped the area, so treat them as a rough guide.

What rent costs

Of about 24,744 rented homes in West Palm Beach, 70% rent for under $2,000 a month and 96% for under $3,000.

Under $1,000: 13%
$1,000 to $1,499: 23%
$1,500 to $1,999: 34%
$2,000 to $2,499: 19%
$2,500 to $2,999: 7%
$3,000 or more: 4%

Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 (table B25063). Gross rent includes utilities the renter pays. Today's asking rents for open apartments usually run higher.

What moving costs

Hiring movers

Average cost: $1,946

From a 2025 survey of 1,000 people who hired movers. This Old House. Your quote depends on your stuff, stairs and the time of year.

Moving in as a renter

The middle rented home in West Palm Beach rents for $1,500 to $1,999 a month. First month plus a one-month deposit comes to about $3,000 to $3,998 before you get the keys.

Estimate from Census rent data (2019 to 2023, rent plus tenant-paid utilities). Deposits and fees vary by landlord and state law.

Your first weeks in Florida

  • Forward your mail: USPS change of address. It costs about $1 online to confirm who you are.
  • Switch your driver's license and car registration. Each state sets its own deadline, often somewhere between 10 days and a few months after you move. Find the Florida DMV.
  • Register to vote at your new address: Florida voter registration.
  • Set up power, gas, water and trash. Some cities bill water and trash together, and some ask new customers for a deposit.
  • Update your address with your bank, employer, insurance and the IRS (Form 8822 if you're not filing soon).
  • Find a doctor and dentist early. New-patient waits can be weeks, even in big cities.

Public schools

One public school district serves this county, with about 188,843 students. Which one serves a home depends on its address.

Palm Beach · West Palm Beach
188,843 students · 16.9 students per teacher · 234 schools · grades Pre-K to 12

NCES Common Core of Data 2022-23, National Center for Education Statistics. Varro doesn't rate or rank schools. For test results and programs, see each district's site and your state's school report card.

Childcare and colleges

Daycare and preschool

Florida keeps an official list of licensed childcare, with inspection reports and openings in many states. In a lot of towns, infant spots fill up months ahead, so it helps to get on waitlists before you move.

Search licensed childcare in Florida →
Link via childcare.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

22 colleges in the county and the wider metro around West Palm Beach. Prices are yearly tuition and fees for full-time undergrads, before financial aid.

Florida Atlantic University · Boca Raton
Public, 4-year · 30,790 students · $4,879 in-state, $17,324 out-of-state
Palm Beach State College · Lake Worth
Public, 4-year · 24,369 students · $3,050 in-state, $10,910 out-of-state
Palm Beach Atlantic University · West Palm Beach
Private nonprofit, 4-year · 3,875 students · $37,990 a year
Lynn University · Boca Raton
Private nonprofit, 4-year · 3,501 students · $42,950 a year
Everglades University · Boca Raton
Private nonprofit, 4-year · 2,733 students · $20,768 a year

Moving for school? Public colleges charge state residents much less. Most states want you to have lived there about 12 months, for reasons other than school, before you count as a resident for tuition. The rules differ by state, so check with the college's registrar.

IPEDS 2023-24, National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS). Degree-granting public and nonprofit schools with 100+ students. Varro doesn't rank colleges.

The facts behind it
Typical home value
$475,830
What a typical home sells for across the Miami area.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index, August 2026
Cost of living
About 14% above the U.S. average
Everyday prices (rent, groceries, services) run about $114 here for what costs $100 nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis price index 114.2 (U.S. = 100), 2024
Drive to the nearest big job hub
About 1 hr 16 min at rush hour
To downtown Miami, FL, 71 miles. About 1 hr 12 min with no traffic.
Source: Google traffic estimate for a weekday morning around 8am
Average commute
29 minutes one way
How long residents' trips to work take on average, counting every job and way of getting there. U.S. average: about 27 minutes.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Data centers nearby
None within 15 miles
No mapped data center buildings near the town center.
Source: PNNL IM3 Data Center Atlas, from OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Homeowners insurance
About $7,136 a year
The statewide average for a typical policy in FL. Your own quote will depend on the home.
Source: Statewide estimate, 2026
Natural disaster risk
Relatively High
FEMA's overall rating for the county, covering floods, storms, wildfire, earthquakes and more.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hail risk
Relatively Low
FEMA's rating for hail damage in the county, compared with other U.S. counties.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Hospitals nearby
6 within 5 miles
Hospitals mapped within 5 miles of the center. Emergency and specialty care vary, so check which ones fit your needs.
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Drug overdose deaths (county)
14.2 per 100,000 people a year
224 deaths in the 12 months ending March 2026. FL average: 17.1 per 100,000. U.S.: 19.9. Counts are by where people lived, and recent months may still be updated.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, provisional counts through March 2026; Census population estimates 2024
People without housing (local count)
About 9.6 per 10,000 residents
HUD's one-night count in January 2025 found 1,520 people without housing in the West Palm Beach/Palm Beach County area: 606 in shelters and 914 outside, down from 2,126 in 2024. FL: 11.9 per 10,000. U.S.: 21.9. One-night counts miss people, and how areas count differs.
Source: HUD Point-in-Time Count, January 2025 (HUD, 2025 report to Congress); Census population estimates 2024
Median household income
$81,115
Half of households in the county earn more than this, half earn less.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
Property tax
0.88% of home value a year
About $880 a year for every $100,000 of home value.
Source: U.S. Census (American Community Survey), 2023
State income tax
No state income tax
FL's state income tax. Some cities and counties add their own.
Source: 2026

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