Census-designated place · Walton County, Florida

Miramar Beach, Florida

Miramar Beach is a census-designated place in Walton County, Florida, part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area. It has 8,902 residents. Miramar Beach, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 58 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,582 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #227 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), new business applications (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on rent-burdened households (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and traffic deaths (high).

58Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,582 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #227 of 780 in FL
Population: 8,902 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,267.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1246000

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety47#8,273/15,637
Economy82#2,852/15,631
Housing3#14,502/14,977
Health71#4,534/15,609
Healthcare15#13,372/15,650
Environment33#10,358/15,453
Education94#950/15,649
Infrastructure64#5,585/15,650
Community53#7,431/15,651
Leisure & amenities96#566/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Miramar Beach, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Walton 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

Restaurants and bars · high20.4 /10k
98/100Florida 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalton County value
New business applications · high30.0 /1k
97/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWalton County value
Voter turnout · high79.3%
95/100Florida 68.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWalton County value
Food insecurity · low7.7%
94/100Florida 17.9%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.1 /10k
93/100Florida 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalton County value
Physical inactivity · low16.2%
92/100Florida 25.5%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Rent-burdened households · high81.4%
2/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.535
4/100Florida 0.485United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Traffic deaths · high33.2 /100k
6/100Florida 15.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWalton County value
Rent as share of income · high34.2%
7/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Home price to income ratio · high7.1×
8/100Florida 4.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an Amtrak station · high111 mi
8/100Florida 27 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWalton County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
8,356 (2015-2019) → 8,902 (2020-2024)
+6.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
23.8% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−24 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
64.4% (2015-2019) → 81.4% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$70,069 (2015-2019) → $103,250 (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.3% (2015-2019) → 93.0% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.6× (2015-2019) → 7.1× (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Miramar Beach, Florida improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved3

Child poverty−24 points23.8% → 0.0%
Household income+47%$70,069 → $103,250
Broadband+6.7 points86.3% → 93.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Miramar Beach, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	22.9 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.9%2015-2019	52.5%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Broadband subscriptions	86.3%2015-2019	93.0%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Improved	42%
Child poverty rate	23.8%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−24 points	Improved	96%
Effective property tax rate	0.61%2015-2019	0.51%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
High school diploma or higher	97.6%2015-2019	99.2%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	5.6×2015-2019	7.1×2020-2024	+1.5×	Within the margin of error	9%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.5352020-2024	+0.060	Within the margin of error	13%
Median household income	$70,0692015-2019	$103,2502020-2024	+47%	Improved	82%
Poverty rate	8.3%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent as share of income	32.5%2015-2019	34.2%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent-burdened households	64.4%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	+17 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.5%2015-2019	16.0%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%

“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 Miramar Beach, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Miramar 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, Miramar Beach, Florida itself moved −2.2 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

8,902 residents (±1,017)

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

4,365 households (±542)

Miramar Beach, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k11%†494
$25k–50k12%†506
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

4,365 households (±542)

Miramar Beach, Florida
Florida share

Own82%3,573
Rent18%†792

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−10.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,881 workers (±604)

Miramar Beach, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone69%2,684
Carpool4.3%†168
Public transit0.0%0

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 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, 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 Walton County, the county holding most of Miramar Beach's residents.

Walton County has 3,348 employer establishments, 387 for every 10,000 residents (1.56× the US rate of 248; 1.37× Florida's), with 26,994 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,250. The Census Bureau also counts 12,718 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,348; 12,718 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 387; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 26,994
Average annual pay: $50,250; US $68,342

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

Lessors of real estate	458	52.9	4.29×More than typical	1,717	$62,505	2,310
Specialty trade contractors	279	32.2	2.08×More than typical	1,945	$53,816	898
Real estate agents and brokers	274	31.6	6.50×More than typical	461	$76,633	873
Restaurants and other eating places	259	29.9	1.63×More than typical	4,445	$35,703	48
Construction of buildings	187	21.6	2.86×More than typical	700	$68,217	585
Ambulatory health care services	155	17.9	0.86×About typical	920	$94,033	366
Full-service restaurants	152	17.5	2.28×More than typical	3,238	$38,947	25
Clothing and accessories stores	150	17.3	4.77×More than typical	1,592	$28,536	92
Services to buildings and dwellings	140	16.2	2.40×More than typical	844	$40,091	1,214
Management, scientific and technical consulting	118	13.6	2.03×More than typical	166	$99,771	588
Building finishing contractors	89	10.3	2.70×More than typical	370	$48,092	341
Building equipment contractors	78	9	1.50×More than typical	719	$51,790	111

Rank places for an industry Open Walton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,622 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Miramar Beach, Florida: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

131.2KFY2017
170.3KFY2018
629.1KFY2019
1.9MFY2020
180.8KFY2021
64.6KFY2022
13.3KFY2023
843.6KFY2024
-589.3KFY2025

What was bought

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 Miramar Beach, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Miramar Beach, Florida's figures are part of those of Walton County, FL ($49.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Walton 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.

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

House

Senate

County

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

Walton County66100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL70

Other cities and towns in Walton 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
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/1246000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends