Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety40#9,282/15,637
Economy96#635/15,631
Housing—
Health92#1,270/15,609
Healthcare67#5,113/15,650
Environment64#5,552/15,453
Education73#4,180/15,650
Infrastructure93#1,133/15,650
Community59#6,346/15,651
Leisure & amenities92#1,202/15,651
Nature & outdoors—

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Westlake, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Palm Beach County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New homes permitted · high147.8 /1k
100/100Florida 7.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
New business applications · high30.8 /1k
98/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauPalm Beach County value
Households subscribed to broadband · high98.9%
97/100Florida 91.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Depression · low15.6%
97/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Adult obesity · low24.1%
95/100Florida 34.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · low8.0%
94/100Florida 14.8%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Rent-burdened households · high44.4%
4/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty
Hot days · high118 days
5/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPalm Beach County value
Average commute time · high45.2 min
7/100Florida 28.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
9/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesPalm Beach County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.2
14/100Florida 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPalm Beach County value
Natural hazard risk · high82.8
16/100Florida 75.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyPalm Beach County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
52 (2015-2019) → 4,237 (2020-2024)
+8,048%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.059 (2015-2019) → 0.373 (2020-2024)
+528%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
0.0% (2016-2020) → 44.4% (2020-2024)
+44 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
1,431.2 /1k (2021) → 147.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−90%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 10.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
50.0% (2015-2019) → 56.5% (2020-2024)
+6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Westlake, Florida improved on 0 of 2 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 2 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 2 measures

Change of every measure of Westlake, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Households subscribed to broadband	100.0%2015-2019	98.9%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	0.0%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	3%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 10077 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Westlake, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Westlake, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Westlake, Florida five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Westlake, Florida itself moved −3.2 points in standing on average over the same 1 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,237 residents (±22)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 men (−42.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,237 residents (±22)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

White38%1,623
Black30%1,268
Hispanic or Latino24%1,036

Education

2,837 residents (±144)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

No high school diploma3.8%†108
High school or GED10.0%†283
Some college15%432

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,455 households (±71)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k1.3%†19
$25k–50k11%†155
$50k–75k5.2%†76
$75k–100k10%†147
$100k–150k33%†485
$150k–200k7.4%†107
$200k or more32%†466

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−82.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,455 households (±71)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Own99%1,438
Rent1.2%†17

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−1.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

9 households (±10)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50056%†5

Home values

1,438 homes (±71)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Under $150k1.8%†26
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k5.1%†74

Age of homes

1,467 homes (±69)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

2010 or later97%1,421
2000–20090.2%†3
1980–19990.8%†11

Size of homes

1,467 homes (±69)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Studio0.1%†2
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms11%†156

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,145 workers (±256)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone73%1,564
Carpool7.3%†156
Public transit1.7%†36
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home18%†378
Other0.5%†11

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (−28.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,767 workers (±244)

Westlake, Florida
Florida share

Under 15 min5.6%†99
15–29 min12%†216
30–44 min30%†529

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Palm Beach County, the county holding most of Westlake's residents.

Palm Beach County has 55,803 employer establishments, 358 for every 10,000 residents (1.44× the US rate of 248; 1.27× Florida's), with 592,227 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,342. The Census Bureau also counts 261,006 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 55,803; 261,006 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 358; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 592,227
Average annual pay: $66,342; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Palm Beach County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	5,793	37.1	1.78×More than typical	50,402	$71,176	20,694
Lessors of real estate	3,768	24.1	1.96×More than typical	13,623	$75,585	30,169
Specialty trade contractors	3,651	23.4	1.51×More than typical	29,822	$59,392	14,741
Management, scientific and technical consulting	2,962	19	2.83×More than typical	9,370	$100,653	10,841
Restaurants and other eating places	2,865	18.4	1.00×About typical	60,433	$26,007	1,219
Services to buildings and dwellings	2,231	14.3	2.12×More than typical	15,919	$38,612	19,817
Offices of physicians	2,170	13.9	2.15×More than typical	20,320	$93,711	2,467
Legal services	2,090	13.4	2.49×More than typical	10,885	$116,644	2,823
Real estate agents and brokers	1,975	12.7	2.60×More than typical	3,165	$103,352	9,363
Offices of other health practitioners	1,751	11.2	1.85×More than typical	6,475	$47,460	6,426
Construction of buildings	1,606	10.3	1.36×More than typical	8,629	$90,446	7,212
Full-service restaurants	1,370	8.8	1.14×About typical	37,170	$30,048	491

Rank places for an industry Open Palm Beach County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,560,348 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Public schools

Public schools located in Westlake, Florida and the districts that run them (NCES Common Core of Data). Students per teacher counts full-time-equivalent teachers, not the size of each class.

Westlake, Florida has 3 public schools with 4,299 students and 18.4 students per teacher (Florida: 18.1, US: 15.2).

3 schools serve free meals to every student.

Elementary schools: 1
Middle schools: 1
High schools: 1
Students per teacher: 18.4; US: 15.2

School districts

Districts with schools here, by students here.

District	Schools	Students	Spending / student
Palm Beach	3	4,299	$15,224

Largest schools

School	Grades	Students	Students / teacher	District
Seminole Ridge Community High SchoolFree meals for all	9–12	2,246	18.9	Palm Beach
Western Pines Community MiddleFree meals for all	6–8	1,097	18.0	Palm Beach
Golden Grove Elementary SchoolFree meals for all	Pre-K–5	956	17.7	Palm Beach

All 3 schools

Sources

Public schools and school districts (National Center for Education Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau), 2024–25 school year. NCES Common Core of Data and EDGE public school geocodes; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances and cartographic boundary files (places).

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$285 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Westlake, Florida: -$0.07 per resident (US $2,152).

Obligations: -$285; −101% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$0.07; US $2,152
Sole-source: —; US 31%
Single offer: —; US 8.9%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$81.950.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.8KFY2017
0FY2018
423.1FY2019
1KFY2020
8.6KFY2021
11.9KFY2022
23.7KFY2023
22KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other schools and instruction · 6116$81.960.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 15, 2026, loaded Oct 15, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Westlake, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Westlake, Florida's figures are part of those of Palm Beach County, FL ($3.1B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Westlake is mostly in Palm Beach County.

See federal money in Palm Beach County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Westlake, Florida is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Palm Beach County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL70

Other cities and towns in Palm Beach County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
National Broadband Map (Broadband Data Collection)Federal Communications Commission · release 2025-12-31
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1276417

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends