Top 20 beach towns ranked

Hobe Sound, Fla., is the No. 1 beach town in America, according to a study accounting for home values, crime rate, weather and air quality

Are you working in one of the country’s best beach towns? A leading analytics firm has released a special report on the top 20 seasinde towns in the country based on home values, weather, air quality and crime rate.

RealtyTrac first selected the top 100 beach towns based on those criteria, then narrowed the list to 20. The top 20 markets all had median home values under $1 million.

“Buying near the beach is one of the best ways to ensure a property will appreciate in value,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Whether buying for retirement, a vacation home or a primary residence, homes located in quality beach towns benefit from virtually unlimited demand and a finite supply of land to build on.”

Four of the top 20 beach towns were in Florida. Led by the small town of Hobe Sound. The community of less than 15,000 has an average temperature of 76 degrees, a crime grade of A+ and 98% of days with good air quality. Naples, Fla., was No. 2 on the list, and Marco Island, Fla., was No. 5.

Hawaii, meanwhile, had 11 towns on the list – the most of any state. The town of Waianae on the island of Oahu was Hawaii's top beach town, ranking No. 3 on the overall list. Waianae boasts an average temperature of 76 degrees, 74 percent sunny days and 100% days with good air quality.