2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Fort Lauderdale, FL vs Fort Walton Beach, FL

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Highlights
- Household income in Fort Walton Beach, is 17% less than it is in Fort Lauderdale and is 24% below the National Average.
- Fort Lauderdale unemployment rate is 6.1%.
- Fort Walton Beach unemployment rate is 4.0%.
 Fort Lauderdale, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock4.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth37.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$48,407  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$55,623$69,021
 Family Median Income$78,205  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Fort Lauderdale, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.3%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock14.1%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.2%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.0%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock4.3%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Fort Lauderdale, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Management, business, finance19.8%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.9%6.5%
 Community, social services1.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.9%1.2%
 Education, library4.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.2%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.8%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock11.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.9%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair8.4%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.9%13.1%
Reviews for Fort Lauderdale    64 Reviews

Fort Lauderdale and South Florida are eclectic, which makes for a tough adjustment if you're from a homogenous area. The secret is to find the location of all the things  More

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Like any city, Fort Lauderdale has it's good points and it's bad. On the good side you can't beat the weather here, especially October to June. No snow and no winter  More

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Over 10 years ago

My husband I are are from Illinois and Indiana. We moved here five years ago and we still HATE it! In the Midwest people are friendly and care about others. I can't  More

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Reviews for Fort Walton Beach    10 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

Ive lived in Fort Walton for atleast 15yrs.Ive seen the good days(early to late 200's)and now the bad.If you move here,youd better make atleast $10,000 a month.These  More

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I would like to know if Fort Walton Beach is a better place to live rather than busy Clearwater FL. We want to re-locate to a quieter city with all the amenities of a  More

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FWB is great for its beautiful beaches and saltwater fishing. It's also easy to move around town except during rush hour (yes, we have a rush hour - but it literally  More

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