Florida is seen as the best U.S. state to settle down for a laid-back, vacation lifestyle, but Pensacola is the cream of the crop among the Sunshine State’s coastal cities.
ConsumerAffairs ranked Pensacola as the top U.S. city for coastal-lifestyle seekers to make a long-distance move to in a new list. Florida alone claimed half of the entries in the top 10 of the list, as well as 13 of the top 20 cities.
The Pensacola Metropolitan area earned the top spot thanks to its combination of affordability and safety provided to residents in comparison to similar metros across the country, according to ConsumerAffairs.
Affordability, in particular, was highlighted as one of the city’s biggest strengths because Pensacola has the second-best affordability ratio on this list, which compares median home sale price to median income, as well as the ninth-lowest median rent. Pensacola’s median rent was calculated at $1,848, about $800 less than the average among cities that were analyzed.
ConsumerAffairs formed the rankings by comparing 143 U.S. coastal metro areas on metrics ranging from quality of life to cost of living. Any municipality with a population of at least 130,000 people that is also located within 15 miles of a beach was eligible for the list.
What makes Pensacola the top coastal city in the U.S.?
The four key factors for the list were: affordability, livability, safety and economy, but the top five cities shared two metrics in common: affordability and job growth, or economy.
Pensacola was ranked as the best coastal city in the U.S. to migrate to because of those latter two factors.
The Pensacola Metro area’s local job market has grown by 4.05% since 2019 and the typical renter pays approximately $1,848 each month, according to ConsumerAffairs. The median home costs a little over four times the median household income with a state-local tax burden of 9.1%.
On top of the local economy, 85% of Pensacola residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or other green space. Since most residents live within a short distance of green spaces, in addition to the area’s relatively low violent and property crime rates, they’re consistently able to find some peace of mind.
Escambia County residents also enjoy 3,839 kilojoules per square meter of solar energy each year, which is a measure of how much bright and sunny weather a particular area gets.
It isn’t all sunshine in the area, however. Escambia County’s FEMA-based coastal risk score is 147.0, ranking Pensacola at No. 48 for hazard risk among the analyzed areas.
Sea levels are expected to rise 10 to 12 inches over the next 30 years, which will only increase the frequency and severity of coastal flooding or storm surges.
Top U.S. coastal cities to call home in 2025
According to ConsumerAffairs, the following areas are the ten best coastal cities to migrate to in the U.S.
The full list by ConsumerAffairs is below.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola ranked No. 1 coastal city in the U.S. among 143 areas
Reporting by Edward Bunch III, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
