With 21,025 people, Fort Walton Beach is a city in Florida. There are 2,745 people per square mile. About 30% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median household income is $68,538, under the $82,259 national median. The typical home is worth $321,800, having more than tripled since 2000. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $68,538, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 102%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Fort Walton Beach
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$155,524 → $321,800(+107%)US over the same years: +67%
Adults with a bachelor's degree21.4% → 29.7%(+8.2 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)36.2%(955)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)41.3%(1,088)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27%(711)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.4%(117)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.4%(63)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 2,636 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Fort Walton Beach, decade by decade
Fort Walton Beach population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
21,468
$67,980
$155,524
21.4%
41.9
2000
19,973
$73,145
$159,030
21.3%
49.3
2010
19,507
$67,575
$262,539
21.7%
55.5
2020
20,922
$65,827
$244,953
25.4%
67.1
2024
21,025
$68,538
$321,800
29.7%
69.1
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
