Living in Panama City Beach, Florida
Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County, with about 18,971 people.1 It feels small-town or low-density suburban, at 982 people per square mile.1,3
Nearest 24-hour emergency room
Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, in Panama City, about 13 miles away.2
Straight-line distance from the town's center; driving is longer. Freestanding ERs and urgent care aren't counted.
Life in the Panhandle
Florida's far northwest: sugar-white Gulf beaches, Navy and Air Force towns, and a Southern pace.4
Hazards: Hurricanes hit hard here. Michael came ashore at Mexico Beach in October 2018 as a Category 5 with 160 mph winds and a storm surge about 14 feet deep, damaged every building on Tyndall Air Force Base, and was blamed for 50 deaths in Florida. It was the strongest landfall ever recorded on the Panhandle. Ivan in 2004 and Sally in 2020 also battered the Pensacola area.4,5,6,7
Visitor information
Bay County's official tourism office: Visit Panama City Beach.8 Ask about local events, things to do and a free visitor guide, if they offer one.
Read the free Panhandle preview, including the region's state-certified visitor centers.
The full Panama City Beach town card
Choosing Your Place has the complete card for Panama City Beach and 779 other places:
- How its home values, rent, age and income compare with the rest of the Panhandle
- Household income, and how many ER hospitals are within 15 miles
- The nearest airline airport and the nearest big airport
- The full region profile, side-by-side compare and the monthly-cost calculator
Other places in Bay County
- Panama City · 34,979 people · home value $268,900
- Lynn Haven · 20,081 people · home value $320,000
- Upper Grand Lagoon · 17,232 people · home value $373,200
- Callaway · 13,496 people · home value $250,300
- Springfield · 8,230 people · home value $188,600
- Parker · 4,509 people · home value $224,200
- Lower Grand Lagoon · 4,287 people · home value $397,200
- Laguna Beach · 3,830 people · home value $438,100
- Cedar Grove · 3,802 people · home value $176,100
- Pretty Bayou · 2,906 people · home value $298,900
"Median" means half are above and half below. Figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Panama City Beach as a Census-defined place; the area a mailing address calls Panama City Beach can be larger.
Notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024
- CMS Hospital General Information (Care Compare)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (places)
- Eglin Air Force Base (Wikipedia)
- Pensacola climate summaries (National Weather Service, Mobile)
- Pensacola (Wikipedia)
- Hurricane Michael (Wikipedia)
- County tourism office websites, each opened or confirmed 2026-11-05