Panama City Beach, FL vs Destin, FL

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricPanama City Beach, FLDestin, FL
Population18,97114,077
Median Household Income$80,941$89,011
Median Rent$1,791/mo$1,936/mo
Median Home Value$441,300$490,300
Cost of Living (US = 100)9797
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income56.2%45.7%
Poverty Rate10%7.4%
Unemployment Rate4% (county)3.8% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k1,031331*
Property Crime Rate /100k5,9511,337*
Median AQI4436
Good AQI Days /yr239338
Summer Highs90°F90°F
Winter Lows43°F47°F
Snowfall0 in/yr0 in/yr
Avg Commute20.7 min26 min
Hospitals——
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher18.315.8
College Degree Rate38%46.2%
Foreign-Born %10.4%14.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+12.7%+0.1%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Destin (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.