2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Merritt Island, FL vs Palm Bay, FL

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Highlights
- Household income in Palm Bay, is 28% less than it is in Merritt Island and is 23% below the National Average.
- Merritt Island unemployment rate is 4.5%.
- Palm Bay unemployment rate is 4.9%.
 Merritt Island, FLPalm Bay, FLUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.9%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.9%1.6%
 Future Job Growth42.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$45,083  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$55,963$69,021
 Family Median Income$102,570  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Merritt Island, FLPalm Bay, FLUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock7.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.4%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock11.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.2%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock12.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.6%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock3.7%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Merritt Island, FLPalm Bay, FLUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock7.2%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock6.8%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.7%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.0%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.5%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock12.5%13.1%
Reviews for Merritt Island    5 Reviews

Over 11 years ago

It can get hot in the summer, but you get a breeze off the ocean most afternoons. If you live on the waterways, it seems to be a little cooler. Winters are  More

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Over 14 years ago

New to the area, but soon to know more. Florida is a sunshine state  More

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Over 17 years ago

Coming from Virginia, the Merritt Island architecture leaves a lot to be desired. Hurricane season (June - November) causes me a lot of  More

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Reviews for Palm Bay    27 Reviews

I moved to Palm Bay in 2020 and the cost of living has skyrocketed! A two bedroom apartment was around $900/month in 2020. Now it's $1600 and up. Mostly up. A three  More

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My family of 4 have lived here in NW Palm Bay for over 10 years. My wife and my son from another marriage lived here for over 7 before that. I myself have lived here for  More

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I lived in Palm Bay for 12 years. It's a very unfriendly and crowded place to live. It's well into the 90's from late April till right around the 10th of November. The  More

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