Goldenrod vs Orlando

Which is the better fit for you?

Goldenrod, FL
55
Area Score
Bottom 36% nationally
Orlando, FL
56
Area Score
Bottom 40% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Orlando receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Goldenrod to Orlando

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 101.6 against 101.6 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$125 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,945 in Orlando against $2,070 in Goldenrod.
The median home
10% more
$394,100 in Orlando against $358,700 in Goldenrod.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F colder
Normal January lows are 50°F in Orlando against 52°F in Goldenrod; July highs are 92°F against 92°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Goldenrod
Orlando
Opportunity: Orlando is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
49 · Bottom 35%
vs
55 · Bottom 47%
Growth: Orlando is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
48 · Bottom 46%
vs
57 · Top 36%
Climate
80 · Top 17%
vs
80 · Top 18%
Physical resilience: Goldenrod is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
48 · Bottom 40%
vs
46 · Bottom 37%
Housing affordability: Orlando is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
54 · Bottom 26%
vs
56 · Bottom 29%
Schools: Goldenrod is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
38 · Bottom 35%
vs
31 · Bottom 26%
Access: Orlando is the more favorable of the two.
Access
98 · Top 17%
vs
99 · Top 9%
Economic stability: Goldenrod is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
55 · Bottom 45%
vs
52 · Bottom 39%

Measured values

MetricGoldenrodOrlandoSource period
Population12,878319,7582024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$67,563 ±$11,002$72,336 ±$2,2112024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$36,375$43,312 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,102/sq mi2,878/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$358,700$394,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,734 ±$53$1,747 ±$202024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,070$1,945 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index101.6101.62023
Homeownership rate47.8%39.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.6%4.3% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.5%−0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher38.4%42.5% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate14.0% ±5%14.1% ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)8,9792,22412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents6.17.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−21.1%−14.1% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F92°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low52°F50°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation51.5"51.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport12 mi4 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate28.8 min ±1.7 min28.0 min ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age31.835.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools71012024-25 school year
Students per teacher20.317.9 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency51.6%53.3% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.9% — more favorable52.7%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility37.8%42.7%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Goldenrod

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hurricane.

Orlando

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hurricane.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Goldenrod
—
Goldenrod: Your Score
55
Area Score
Orlando
—
Orlando: Your Score
56
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Goldenrod, FL · Orlando, FL · How this is calculated: methodology