City · Palm Beach County, Florida

Delray Beach, Florida

Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area. It has 67,979 residents. Delray Beach, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,551 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #157 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on new business applications (high), depression (low) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), rent-burdened households (high) and hot days (high).

65High

Quality-of-life score: #5,551 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #157 of 780 in FL
Population: 67,979 (2020-2024)
Land area: 16 mi²
Density: 4,268.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 1217100

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety41#9,224/15,637
Economy48#8,192/15,631
Housing10#13,466/14,977
Health80#3,176/15,609
Healthcare65#5,525/15,650
Environment64#5,559/15,453
Education68#4,969/15,649
Infrastructure66#5,297/15,650
Community59#6,346/15,651
Leisure & amenities92#1,202/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Delray Beach, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Palm Beach County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New business applications · high30.8 /1k
98/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauPalm Beach County value
Depression · low17.3%
93/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.5 /10k
93/100Florida 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPalm Beach County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.1 /10k
92/100Florida 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPalm Beach County value
Life expectancy · high81.2 yrs
91/100Florida 78.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePalm Beach County value
Average weekly wage · high$1,579
89/100Florida $1,399United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPalm Beach County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.535
1/100Florida 0.485United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent-burdened households · high59.6%
4/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Hot days · high118 days
5/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPalm Beach County value
Rent as share of income · high35.0%
8/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
9/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesPalm Beach County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.2
14/100Florida 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPalm Beach County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Median household incomeImproving
$60,746 (2015-2019) → $82,041 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
38.3% (2015-2019) → 43.7% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
New homes permittedWorsening
4.1 /1k (2021) → 3.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−26%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.6% (2015-2019) → 89.7% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
55.9% (2015-2019) → 59.6% (2020-2024)
+3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
16.3% (2015-2019) → 13.1% (2020-2024)
−3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Delray Beach, Florida improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Uninsured−3.2 points16.3% → 13.1%
Bachelor's++5.4 points38.3% → 43.7%
Household income+35%$60,746 → $82,041
Broadband+5.1 points84.6% → 89.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Delray Beach, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	23.0 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.3%2015-2019	43.7%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	71%
Broadband subscriptions	84.6%2015-2019	89.7%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Improved	32%
Child poverty rate	16.9%2015-2019	19.9%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Effective property tax rate	0.93%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%
High school diploma or higher	87.5%2015-2019	88.7%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Home price to income ratio	4.6×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	47%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5202015-2019	0.5352020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$60,7462015-2019	$82,0412020-2024	+35%	Improved	65%
Poverty rate	11.7%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Public transit commuters	1.9%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	99%
Rent as share of income	32.8%2015-2019	35.0%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Rent-burdened households	55.9%2015-2019	59.6%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.3%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Improved	78%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Delray Beach, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Delray Beach, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Delray Beach, Florida itself moved −2.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

67,979 residents (±64)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

29,933 households (±925)

Delray Beach, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k15%4,521
$25k–50k19%5,680
$50k–75k12%3,653

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

29,933 households (±925)

Delray Beach, Florida
Florida share

Own63%18,928
Rent37%11,005

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

33,388 workers (±1,157)

Delray Beach, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone68%22,684
Carpool6.2%2,068
Public transit3.1%†1,035

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Palm Beach County, the county holding most of Delray Beach's residents.

Palm Beach County has 55,803 employer establishments, 358 for every 10,000 residents (1.44× the US rate of 248; 1.27× Florida's), with 592,227 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,342. The Census Bureau also counts 261,006 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 55,803; 261,006 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 358; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 592,227
Average annual pay: $66,342; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Palm Beach County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	5,793	37.1	1.78×More than typical	50,402	$71,176	20,694
Lessors of real estate	3,768	24.1	1.96×More than typical	13,623	$75,585	30,169
Specialty trade contractors	3,651	23.4	1.51×More than typical	29,822	$59,392	14,741
Management, scientific and technical consulting	2,962	19	2.83×More than typical	9,370	$100,653	10,841
Restaurants and other eating places	2,865	18.4	1.00×About typical	60,433	$26,007	1,219
Services to buildings and dwellings	2,231	14.3	2.12×More than typical	15,919	$38,612	19,817
Offices of physicians	2,170	13.9	2.15×More than typical	20,320	$93,711	2,467
Legal services	2,090	13.4	2.49×More than typical	10,885	$116,644	2,823
Real estate agents and brokers	1,975	12.7	2.60×More than typical	3,165	$103,352	9,363
Offices of other health practitioners	1,751	11.2	1.85×More than typical	6,475	$47,460	6,426
Construction of buildings	1,606	10.3	1.36×More than typical	8,629	$90,446	7,212
Full-service restaurants	1,370	8.8	1.14×About typical	37,170	$30,048	491

Rank places for an industry Open Palm Beach County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,560,348 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $26.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Delray Beach, Florida: $388 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $26.4M; −49% vs FY2025
Per resident: $388; US $1,994
Sole-source: 31%; US 30%
Single offer: 12%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$16.9M64%
Indian Health Service$2.3M8.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$2.2M8.3%
Department of the Army$1.5M5.8%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$1.4M5.4%
Department of the Navy$867.6K3.3%
Federal Aviation Administration$526.8K2.0%
Social Security Administration$223K0.8%

Top recipients

VETMED GROUP LLC$16.6M63%
MICROTECHNOLOGIES LLC$6.4M24%
STEALTH SUPPLY, INC.$1.7M6.4%
SKILL-METRIC MACHINE AND TOOL, INC.$819.4K3.1%
DELFLO INDUSTRIES, INC.$582K2.2%

Spending by fiscal year

39.7MFY2017
55.8MFY2018
66.6MFY2019
54.5MFY2020
37.1MFY2021
12MFY2022
8.3MFY2023
16.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$14.3M54%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$3.4M13%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$2.4M8.9%
Offices of physicians · 6211$2.2M8.5%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$1.1M4.2%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Delray Beach, Florida

BEACH RENOURISHMENT DELRAY BEACH, PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL$19.2M
GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK CO, LLC· Palm Beach County, FL· Construction & real property· Sep 26, 2025 – Oct 16, 2025· W912EP25CA012
GENERAL LICENSING - SUPPORT FOR SOFTWARE LICENSES, CLOUD SERVICES, EXPANSION OF EXISTING LICENSES & CLOUD SERVICES, DATA SERVICES, AND OTHER ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER (OEM) PROVIDED SERVICES.$17.1M
MICROTECHNOLOGIES LLC· Palm Beach County, FL· Professional services· Sep 26, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026· 86615525F00010
TELERADIOLOGY PHYSICIAN SERVICES - ORDERING PERIOD 2$4.5M
VETMED GROUP LLC· Palm Beach County, FL· Health & medical· Apr 14, 2026 – Apr 14, 2026· 36C25026N0480

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Delray Beach, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Delray Beach, Florida's figures are part of those of Palm Beach County, FL ($3B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Delray Beach is mostly in Palm Beach County.

See federal money in Palm Beach County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Delray Beach, Florida is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Rick ScottR-

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Palm Beach County76100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL66

Other cities and towns in Palm Beach County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1217100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends