Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Fort Lauderdale.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Fort Lauderdale compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 183,032City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $79,935Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 141ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)41% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $455,600City limits (ACS)50% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,776City limits (ACS)32% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.4%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 27 min8% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 5829% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 594.3annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (602.7)U.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4915.4annualized per 100k · citywide59% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 89°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 63°F29.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 60.9 in85% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 23412% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Fort Lauderdale with another city
Relocators eyeing Fort Lauderdale, Florida will find roughly 183,032 residents within city limits. Households here report a median income near $79,935; our housing-derived cost index is about 141 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Budget for median rents around $1,776 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Subtropical summers, hurricane planning, and no state income tax loom large. With about 60.9 inches of rain a year, wet-season drainage and mold checks are worth asking about. Commutes average near 27 minutes one-way, with walkability near 58/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.4% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 594.3 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Fort Lauderdale is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Fort Lauderdale with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Fort Lauderdale city, 1600000US1224000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN120110000000003 (Broward County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00012849 FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28