| | Gulf Shores, AL | Merritt Island, FL | United States |
| Population | 14,712 | 34,013 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 54.7% | 50.7% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 45.4% | 49.3% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 50 | 50.1 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 10,869 | 34,205 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 5,044 | 36,090 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 3,261 | 32,886 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 161.0% | 8.3% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 303.7% | 18.9% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 524.2 | 1,941.6 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 28.1 | 17.5 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 4.8 | 29.7 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Gulf Shores, AL | Merritt Island, FL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 1.8% | 4.5% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 2.1% | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 5.4% | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.6% | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.5% | 3.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 3.3% | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 9.1% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 10.0% | 9.8% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 18.3% | 14.1% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 9.0% | 9.8% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 7.1% | 8.7% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 16.4% | 12.8% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.8% | 9.0% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.2% | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Gulf Shores, AL | Merritt Island, FL | United States |
| White | 93.6% | 82.4% | 59.4% |
| Black | 0.5% | 2.7% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 1.3% | 2.4% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 0.4% | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 3.6% | 7.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Gulf Shores, AL | Merritt Island, FL | United States |
| Married Population | 47.6% | 55.4% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 47.0% | 54.4% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 52.4% | 44.6% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 27.6% | 24.9% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 19.0% | 12.1% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.8% | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.09 | 2.49 | 2.60 |
| Households | 7,026 | 13,582 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 4,050 | 8,696 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 19.7% | 25.4% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 55.4% | 59.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,976 | 4,886 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 14.8% | 8.3% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 10.1% | 7.0% | 10.8% |