2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Panama City, FL vs Fort Walton Beach, FL

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Highlights
- Household income in Fort Walton Beach, is 8% more than it is in Panama City and is 24% below the National Average.
- Panama City unemployment rate is 5.3%.
- Fort Walton Beach unemployment rate is 4.0%.
 Panama City, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock4.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth27.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$30,862  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$55,623$69,021
 Family Median Income$65,578  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Panama City, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.3%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock14.1%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K9.1%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.0%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K14.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K3.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock4.3%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Panama City, FLFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Management, business, finance13.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.9%6.5%
 Community, social services1.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.9%1.2%
 Education, library5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.2%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.8%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock11.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair9.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.9%13.1%
Reviews for Panama City    20 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

I moved here from Akron, OH back in 2007 and was expecting a huge city (similar to Miami), nope, I was wrong. It ended up being more like a backwards redneck town more  More

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Over 4 years ago

If you love bars, trailers, isolation, and generic shopping while feeling depressed then this is the place for you. Panama City has alot of shallow people, most red  More

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This review is from a 24 year resident moved from Michigan. When I first moved, I missed the bigger city things like a university, large library, electronics stores, and  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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