The Town Files

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

City in Broward County · population 182,760 (2020 Census)

Map: where Fort Lauderdale is in FloridaFort Lauderdale
Median home
$486,700
Household income
$83,130
Jan low / Jul high
60° / 91°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
96
Median age
42.8

Fort Lauderdale is a city of 182,760 people in Broward County, Florida. The median home is worth $486,700, above the typical Florida town ($331,600). It ranks more vibrant than 94% of Florida towns, better for young professionals than 93% of Florida towns, better transit than 93% of Florida towns.

Fort Lauderdale in our rankings:

How Fort Lauderdale ranks

Percentile among Florida towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Florida towns.

Fort Lauderdale lifestyle rankings vs other Florida townsRetirement29th pctFamilies13th pctQuiet19th pctWalkability90th pctFirst-time buyers46th pctYoung professionals93rd pctVibrancy94th pctHip & trendy88th pctCollege town48th pctUpscale65th pctVacation homes69th pctSeaside character73rd pctCycling75th pctTransit93rd pctDriving18th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Fort Lauderdale is worth $486,700, above the typical Florida town ($331,600). Homes cost about 5.9 times the median household income of $83,130, which is more affordable than 18% of Florida towns. Median rent is $1,854 a month. 54.1% of households own their home.

Fort Lauderdale vs Broward County vs typical Florida townFort LauderdaleBroward CountyTypical Florida townHome value$486,700$414,600$331,600Household income$83,130$77,633$71,140Monthly rent$1,854$1,907$1,569
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Florida towns with 500+ people.
HousingFort LauderdaleTypical Florida town
Median home value$486,700$331,600
Median rent$1,854$1,569
Median household income$83,130$71,140
Home value ÷ income5.9×4.5×
Homeownership54.1%73.5%
Median year built19731985
Seasonal / vacation homes12.5%—

Who lives in Fort Lauderdale

PeopleFort LauderdaleTypical Florida town
Median age42.842.8
Age 65 and over19.6%20.2%
Under 1817.3%—
Bachelor's degree or higher40.8%28.8%
Below the poverty line15.0%11.3%
Veterans4.3%—
Born outside the U.S.27.0%—
Work from home19.0%13.5%
Average commute26.1 min27.5 min
Homes with broadband91.8%92.4%

Weather in Fort Lauderdale

July highs average 90.5°F and January lows 59.6°F. About 64.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Florida town: 0.0 in). Expect about 70 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 0 nights at or below freezing.

Fort Lauderdale monthly temperatures and precipitation50°60°70°80°90°100°77°60°Jan78°61°Feb80°64°Mar83°68°Apr86°72°May89°76°Jun91°77°Jul91°77°Aug89°77°Sep86°74°Oct82°68°Nov78°63°DecPrecipitation (in)2.53.33.23.56.38.06.07.39.37.74.23.0
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Ft Lauderdale Beach station (2.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

96 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Fort Lauderdale since 1950, compared with 35 for the typical Florida town. 10 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on March 1, 1980 about 2.5 miles from the town center and killed 1. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 89 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on February 18, 2024.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Fort Lauderdale by decade51950s71960s51970s231980s241990s112000s142010s72020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 51 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on February 10, 1983.

Severe weather in Broward County since 1996

Storm events in Broward County since 1996 by typeHail183Flood79Drought85Tornado72Lightning133Waterspout46Flash Flood35Rip Current64
NOAA Storm Events Database, Broward County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 91 deaths recorded.

Broward County has been included in 43 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, tornado.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
October 11, 2024HurricaneDR-4834: Hurricane Milton
October 7, 2024HurricaneEM-3622: Hurricane Milton
April 27, 2023FloodDR-4709: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
December 13, 2022HurricaneDR-4680: Hurricane Nicole
November 8, 2022Tropical StormEM-3587: Tropical Storm Nicole

Jobs and pay in Broward County

Broward County had 864,520 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $71,492 a year. Unemployment was 2.9% in 2023; in Fort Lauderdale itself the ACS puts it at 5.3%.

Largest industries in Broward CountyRetail105,078 jobs · $46,484Health care & social assistan…94,848 jobs · $66,707Hotels & restaurants84,415 jobs · $33,741Administrative & support78,285 jobs · $57,201Professional & technical serv…64,859 jobs · $108,708Construction53,750 jobs · $75,530
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Broward County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023Broward 2.9%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Fort Lauderdale

32 public schools with 21,020 students, about 19.0 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
DILLARD 6-126-122,19920.7
FORT LAUDERDALE HIGH SCHOOL9-122,18222.5
NEW RIVER MIDDLE SCHOOL6-81,58921.8
STRANAHAN HIGH SCHOOL9-121,32821.1
LAKEWOOD RANCH PREPARATORY ACADEMY (charter)K-121,27018.1
SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL6-81,23820.6
FLORANADA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPK-573916.4
MEADOWBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPK-573915.4
VIRGINIA SHUMAN YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPK-569218.7
WILLIAM DANDY MIDDLE SCHOOL6-868117.5
STEPHEN FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPK-565816.9
CROISSANT PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPK-565318.7

Towns near Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale questions

Is Fort Lauderdale, Florida a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Fort Lauderdale scores better for retirees than 29% of Florida towns and quieter than 19%. 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.8).

How much does a house cost in Fort Lauderdale?

The median owner-occupied home in Fort Lauderdale is valued at $486,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $83,130, so homes cost about 5.9 times income. Median rent is $1,854 a month.

What is the weather like in Fort Lauderdale?

July highs average 90.5°F and January lows 59.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 64.2 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Fort Lauderdale get tornadoes?

96 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Fort Lauderdale since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on March 1, 1980. The typical Florida town has had 35.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Fort Lauderdale's Census boundary (GEOID 1224000). Comparisons use the median of Florida towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-12.