Census place 1224475

Fort Walton Beach

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Fort Walton Beach city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Fort Walton Beach.

According to the 2025 estimate, Fort Walton Beach has a population of 21,097 and 2,759 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 176 covered Florida places are: median gross rent is $1,307, below the comparison median of $1,702; typical commute is 22.7 minutes, below the comparison median of 26.3 minutes; and median home value is $321,800, below the comparison median of $363,750. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

median gross rent: $1,307
typical commute: 22.7 minutes
median home value: $321,800

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Fort Walton Beach's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 21,097
Annual change: -0.5%
Density: 2,759/sq mi
Median age: 39.1 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $68,538
Median home value: $321,800
Median gross rent: $1,307
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 29.7%
Typical commute: 22.7 min
Drive-alone commute: 81.2%
Public transit commute: 0.4%
Walked to work: 1.7%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 38.2%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 54.5%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 59%
Unemployed residents 16+: 2.1%
Working from home: 8.4%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 87.7%
Homes built 2020+: 0.3%
Households without a vehicle: 4.2%
Households with children: 27.9%
Residents with a disability: 16.1%
Residents without insurance: 14.9%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Okaloosa County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 26
Hurricane declarations: 19
Severe Storm declarations: 4
Tropical Storm declarations: 3

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: DESTIN FT WALTON BEACH AP (10 mi from place center)

Average high: 78.1°F
Average low: 61.4°F
Annual rainfall: 55.4"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in Fort Walton Beach.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

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Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 20,327
Median home: $309,600

Crowley, TX

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 20,954
Median home: $269,100

Lemoore, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 27,291
Median home: $328,300

Keep exploring

Compare Fort Walton Beach with Glenn Heights →