Boynton Beach (33472) Tops West Palm Beach Yields at 8.8%

Yields across 50 suburbs in West Palm Beach (Palm Beach County) range from 8.8% in Boynton Beach (33472) down to under 3% in premium waterfront enclaves. That 6-point spread is wider than the gap between short-term rental and long-term rental strategies at the city level, which means the neighborhood you buy in matters more than the rental model you run. The ranking below shows which suburbs lead on gross yield and why the pattern holds together across this stretch of South Florida.

West Palm Beach sits within a premium Florida market where buyers often pay for waterfront amenity, school catchments, and proximity to Palm Beach island rather than rental income. The city median 3-bed house sits at $689,950, well above the Florida state median of $384,493 and more than double the national figure of $242,500. Against that backdrop, the highest-yielding suburbs are not downtown or on the water; they are inland Boynton Beach and Riviera Beach pockets where entry prices have stayed reasonable while rents have tracked the regional tourism and retirement demand upward.

Boynton Beach (33472) Leads on Long-Term Yield at 8.8%

Gross yields = annual income / sale price. Based on 3-bed house medians. The dashboard shows every property type and bedroom count.

Inland Boynton Beach and Riviera Beach Drive the Top of the Ranking

Boynton Beach (33472) leads the market at 8.8% because its entry price of $465,000 sits roughly a third below the city median while monthly rent of $3,408 tracks in line with inner-suburb demand. This is classic yield compression in reverse: inland Boynton Beach ZIPs have 55-plus community stock, solid school feeders, and easy access to I-95 and the Turnpike. Tenants are paying for proximity to employment centers in Delray and Boca, not waterfront amenity, so rents hold up even as purchase prices lag the coast.

Boynton Beach (33426) follows closely at 8.6%, reflecting the same pattern at an even lower price point of $366,000. The suburb captures commuter tenants who want a Palm Beach County address without paying Lake Worth or downtown premiums. Riviera Beach (33404) at 7.8% is the short-term rental wildcard in the top three: its proximity to the Port of Palm Beach, the Manatee Lagoon, and cruise terminals gives it a tourism overlay that the inland Boynton Beach ZIPs lack, which is why its short-term rental potential sits alongside a respectable long-term number.

Further down the ranking, Boynton Beach (33437) and West Palm Beach (33407) yield 7.2% and 7.1% respectively. These are transitional zones: prices have risen faster than rents as buyers from Broward and out of state have pushed north, compressing yield. They still beat the city median yield of 4.8%, but the capital-growth thesis matters more here than the income thesis.

The Yield-Price Trade-Off Is Steepest at the Top of the Market

Gross yield and price move in opposite directions across Palm Beach County, and the gap is severe. An investor buying at $465,000 in Boynton Beach (33472) is committing roughly two-thirds of the capital required for a median-priced home at $689,950, and a small fraction of the range ceiling of $14,900,000 on Palm Beach island. That lower capital base means a vacancy month, a bad tenant, or a surprise repair represents a smaller percentage of the investment, which is a real risk advantage that the yield number alone does not capture.

Premium suburbs yield less because buyers there are not buying income; they are buying amenity, school access, waterfront frontage, and the expectation of capital appreciation. Rents cap out at what tenants can pay, but prices can keep climbing on the strength of demand from cash buyers and second-home owners. That is why a 3-bed house can trade for over $14 million in parts of Palm Beach County while the rent a tenant would actually pay barely moves the yield needle.

Premium Suburbs Offer Context, Not Income

For context, here is how some of West Palm Beach's most in-demand suburbs compare. These are established areas where investors typically accept lower yields in exchange for capital growth and liquidity, and where the rental pool skews toward corporate executives, seasonal residents, and high-income professionals.

High-demand suburbs for context. Same methodology as the yield ranking above.

The premium suburbs yield less on long-term rental because purchase prices reflect lifestyle amenity, proximity to Palm Beach island, and growth expectations rather than income potential. The short-term rental column is where the picture sometimes changes: seasonal tourism demand and the five-month winter season can lift short-term rental gross yields above the long-term number in coastal and intracoastal ZIPs, which is why any investor in these suburbs should be running both models before committing.

What the Ranking Does Not Show

A yield ranking is a starting point, not a verdict. A high yield can signal depressed prices as easily as strong rents, and inland Palm Beach County has pockets where flood insurance costs, aging housing stock, or school-zoning issues are quietly baked into the lower purchase price. The ranking also ignores capital growth: premium West Palm Beach and Palm Beach waterfront suburbs have historically delivered stronger total returns once appreciation is counted, even with yields closer to 3%. A buyer choosing between Boynton Beach (33472) at 8.8% and a premium coastal suburb at roughly half that yield is really choosing between income now and growth later.

Vacancy risk is the other gap. Some high-yield inland ZIPs have thin active rental pools, meaning a single vacancy can stretch longer than a city-wide average would suggest. Medians also lag: ZIP-level data can be three to six months behind transaction activity, which matters in a market where flood insurance reform and interest rate movement have been reshaping buyer behaviour through 2026.

View West Palm Beach in the dashboard → Free preview · every bedroom count and property type

West Palm Beach Yields Trail the State and National Medians at the City Level

The city median yield of 4.8% sits below both the Florida state median of 6.1% and the national median of 5.3%. That is expected for a premium coastal market where capital appreciation, not income, is the primary return driver. The more useful number is the top of the ranking: Boynton Beach (33472) at 8.8% comfortably beats both the state and national figures, proving that suburb selection can turn a sub-average market into an above-average investment. The bottom of the ranking, by contrast, drags well below the national median and exists mainly to deliver capital growth and liquidity to wealthier buyers. For a more speculative Florida comparison, see After All Costs, Broward County's Short-Term Rental Edge Shrinks to 2.3%, which covers a market with a very different yield profile. Pompano Beach (33069) Yields 7.9% in Broward County, Roughly Double the Coast looks at another South Florida metro with tighter regulations.

On regulation, Florida state law preempts local short-term rental bans enacted after June 2011, which means cities in Palm Beach County cannot prohibit vacation rentals if they allowed them before that date. A state vacation rental license is required, and tourist development tax sits around 6.0% on top of state sales tax. Compared to restrictive markets like Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale beachfront, Palm Beach County is relatively investor-friendly, though individual HOA and condo associations can still impose rental minimums. Full details on the market-level picture sit in the market score methodology and data sources documentation.

Data reflects market conditions as of April 2026.

This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or legal advice. Regulations and market conditions change frequently. Verify current rules with local authorities before making investment decisions.