2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Fort Walton Beach, FL vs Chicago, IL

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Highlights
- Household income in Chicago, is 18% more than it is in Fort Walton Beach and is 5% below the National Average.
- Fort Walton Beach unemployment rate is 4.0%.
- Chicago unemployment rate is 9.0%.
 Fort Walton Beach, FLChicago, ILUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock9.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth46.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,350  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$65,781$69,021
 Family Median Income$71,000  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Fort Walton Beach, FLChicago, ILUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.6%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock6.7%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K11.2%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K12.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock10.9%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Fort Walton Beach, FLChicago, ILUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.6%6.5%
 Community, social services1.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.2%1.2%
 Education, library4.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.0%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance7.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.9%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair10.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock12.1%13.1%
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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Reviews for Chicago    270 Reviews

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major  More

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Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the  More

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I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices.  More

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