Bay County, Florida

Bay County is a county on the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 175,216. Its county seat is Panama City. Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida metropolitan area.

History

On February 12, 1913, representatives from five towns on St. Andrews Bay met in Panama City to select a name for a proposed new county. The name Bay was selected because it was satisfactory to the majority of the citizens and descriptive of the territory that would be included. On July 1, 1913, the Legislature created Bay County from portions of Washington, Calhoun and Walton counties.

Panama City was where Gideon v. Wainwright, a 1963 US Supreme Court decision that gave all persons accused of a crime the right to an attorney paid for by the government, originated.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida metropolitan area along with Washington County.

Adjacent counties Washington County - north Jackson County - northeast Calhoun County - east Gulf County - southeast Walton County - west

National protected area Apalachicola National Forest (part)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Bay County, Florida – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)82,901108,004122,708133,790128,34884.82%85.05%82.79%79.24%73.25%Black or African American alone (NH)11,57813,61215,52617,84417,54911.85%10.72%10.48%10.57%10.02%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4239031,0961,0337950.43%0.71%0.74%0.61%0.45%Asian alone (NH)1,0652,1652,5343,2984,0681.09%1.70%1.71%1.95%2.32%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census111140194xx0.07%0.08%0.11%Other race alone (NH)236541642237200.24%0.04%0.11%0.13%0.41%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,4874,4179,696xx1.68%2.62%5.53%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,5372,2563,5918,10713,8461.57%1.78%2.42%4.80%7.90%Total97,740126,994148,217168,852175,216 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 175,216, 70,134 households, and 47,432 families. The median age was 42.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.6 males age 18 and over.

Of those households, 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 46.6% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 102,971 housing units, of which 31.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.4% were owner-occupied and 32.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.4%.

The racial makeup of the county was 74.9% White, 10.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.1% from some other race, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.9% of the population.

85.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.2% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 148,217 people, 59,597 households, and 40,466 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 78,435 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.17% White, 10.64% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 59,597 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,092, and the median income for a family was $42,729. Males had a median income of $30,116 versus $21,676 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,700. About 9.80% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over. Government As required by the Florida Constitution, Bay County elects the constitutional officers of sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of elections, and clerk of the circuit court. It is also one of the thirty-eight counties in which the superintendent of schools is elected. There are five members of the county commission, each of whom is elected from a district.

Countywide Officials + Bay County elected officials Office Officeholder Party Current term ends Sheriff Tommy Ford Republican 2028 Clerk of the Court and Comptroller Bill Kinsaul Republican 2028 Property Appraiser Dan Sowell Republican 2028 Supervisor of Elections Nina Ward Republican 2028 Tax Collector Chuck Perdue Republican 2028 Superintendent of Schools Mark McQueen Republican 2028

County Commission + Bay County Board of County Commissioners District Commissioner Party Current term ends 1 Daniel Raffield Republican 2028 2 Robert Carroll Republican 2026 3 Doug Crosby Republican 2028 4 Doug Moore Republican 2026 5 Clair Pease Republican 2028

Politics

Bay County is highly conservative, along with the Florida panhandle as a whole. The Republican presidential candidate has carried the county in every election since 1976, often by large margins.

For elections to the Florida state senate, Bay County is part of District 2.

For elections to the Florida House of Representatives, Bay County makes up District 6.

Voter registration According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a majority of the registered voters in Bay County. Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment Political Party Total Voters Percentage Republican 66,358 53.51% Democratic 27,605 22.26% Independent 27,524 22.20% Other Parties 2,508 2.02% Total 123,995 100%

Statewide elections

Education Bay District Schools operates public schools serving all portions of the county except Mexico Beach, which is served by Gulf County Schools."Bay District Schools High School Attendance Zones ." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008."Bay District Schools Middle School Attendance Zones ." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008."Bay District Schools Elementary School Attendance Zones ." Bay District Schools. Accessed October 10, 2008.

Schools in Bay County

Pre-K – 12 schools

Deane Bozeman School

North Bay Haven Charter Academy

Palm Bay Preparatory Academy

Rising Leaders Academy

PreK-8 Schools

Breakfast Point Academy

Bay Haven Charter Academy

Tyndall Academy

University Academy

High schools

Zoned

J. R. Arnold High School (Panama City Beach)

Bay High School (Panama City)

A. Crawford Mosley High School (Lynn Haven)

Rutherford High School (Springfield)

Special Purpose

A.D. Harris High School (Panama City)

Haney Technical High School (Panama City)

New Horizons Learning Center (Lynn Haven)

Rosenwald High School (Panama City)

Middle schools

Jinks Middle School

Merritt Brown Middle School

Mowat Middle School

Surfside Middle School (Panama City Beach)

Elementary schools

A. Gary Walsingham Academy Covenant Christian School Callaway Elementary School

Cedar Grove Elementary School

Deer Point Elementary School

Hiland Park Elementary School

Hutchison Beach Elementary School (Panama City Beach)

Lucille Moore Elementary School

Lynn Haven Elementary School

M. Cherry Street Elementary School

Millville Elementary School

Northside Elementary School

Oakland Terrace Elementary School

Parker Elementary School

Patronis Elementary School (Panama City Beach)

Patterson Elementary School

Southport Elementary School

St. Andrew Elementary School

Tommy Smith Elementary School

Tyndall Elementary School

Waller Elementary School

West Bay Elementary School

Public transportation

Major highways

Bay County does not have any interstate connections; the nearest connection is with I-10 at US-231 near Cottondale.

Airports The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened for commercial flights in 2010. It connects the region to several major airports in the South and Midwest.

Public surface transportation The county operates the Bayway (formerly Bay Town Trolley), which runs several routes in and around Panama City. The county also have a greyhound in Panama City.

Library

Bay County is part of the Northwest Regional Library System (NWRLS), which also serves Gulf and Liberty Counties. The Bay County Public Library is the headquarters library for the system. The Bay County Board of Commissioners is the system's governing authority and single administrative unit.

Locations: Bay County Public Library Panama City Beach Public Library Parker Public Library Springfield Public Library Gulf County Public Library Charles Whitehead Public Library Harrell Memorial Library of Liberty County Jimmy Weaver Memorial Library Bay County Law Library (at the Bay County Public Library)

Communities

Cities

Callaway Lynn Haven Mexico Beach Panama City Panama City Beach Parker Springfield

Census-designated places

Cedar Grove Laguna Beach Lower Grand Lagoon Pretty Bayou Tyndall AFB Upper Grand Lagoon

Unincorporated communities

Bayou George Cedar Grove Fountain Glenwood Millville Sand Hills Santa Monica Southport Sunnyside Vicksburg Youngstown

Former Census-designated places

Hiland Park

Bay County, Florida

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