Bay County, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bay County, FL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
-
C
Income Below averageWealthier than 70% of counties in Florida
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 186,393 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 127.1 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.54% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.6 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 78,779 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bay County grew by 13.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 186,393 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bay County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.6% of residents. That is 0.9 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 36,418 19.5% +0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 40,169 21.6% +0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 39,040 20.9% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 35,007 18.8% -0.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Florida, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Bay County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Florida 51.0%
- Men 49.4% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Bay County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Bay County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,432 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.31% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bay County is about 2% lower than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $370,907 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,483 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 66.8% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bay County is about 20.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,483 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bay County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.2 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,326 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,947 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,792 | 3,068 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Florida:
Taylor County (13.8 min), Monroe County (16.1 min), Franklin County (16.6 min).
Slowest:
Washington County (32.8 min), Osceola County (32.3 min), Liberty County (32.1 min).
The average commute time in Bay County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Florida.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Bay County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.7% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.4), Leon County (0.4), Alachua County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hamilton County (0.1), Hendry County (0.1), Hardee County (0.1).
Health
Bay County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Bay County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.8 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.5% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.8), Seminole County (0.8), Alachua County (0.8).
Lowest:
Glades County (0.8), Putnam County (0.8), Hendry County (0.8).
Bay County, FL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Bay County, FL compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County, FL | 186,393 | $73,432 #2/3 | $370,907 #2/3 | 20.6 min #1/3 |
| Washington County, FL | 25,529 | $59,460 | $183,231 | 32.8 min |
| Walton County, FL | 82,948 | $83,983 | $468,285 | 25.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bay County, Florida.
What is the population of Bay County, Florida?
About 186,393 people live in Bay County, Florida, in 78,779 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Bay County, Florida mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Bay County, Florida has 127 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Bay County, Florida an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 5.1 times the median household income ($370,907 against $73,432), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,483 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Bay County, Florida?
Unemployment in Bay County, Florida is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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