Fort Walton Beach, Florida

City in Okaloosa County · population 20,922 (2020 Census)

Median home: $321,800
Household income: $68,538
Jan low / Jul high: 45° / 91°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 55
Median age: 39.1

Fort Walton Beach is a city of 20,922 people in Okaloosa County, Florida. The median home is worth $321,800, close to the typical Florida town ($331,600). It ranks more vibrant than 92% of Florida towns, better for cycling than 92% of Florida towns, more seaside character than 83% of Florida towns.

How Fort Walton Beach ranks

Percentile among Florida towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Florida towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Fort Walton Beach is worth $321,800, close to the typical Florida town ($331,600). Homes cost about 4.7 times the median household income of $68,538, which is more affordable than 46% of Florida towns. Median rent is $1,307 a month. 61.8% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Florida towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Fort Walton Beach	Typical Florida town
Median home value	$321,800	$331,600
Median rent	$1,307	$1,569
Median household income	$68,538	$71,140
Home value ÷ income	4.7×	4.5×
Homeownership	61.8%	73.5%
Median year built	1972	1985
Seasonal / vacation homes	1.9%	—

Who lives in Fort Walton Beach

People	Fort Walton Beach	Typical Florida town
Median age	39.1	42.8
Age 65 and over	19.7%	20.2%
Under 18	22.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.7%	28.8%
Below the poverty line	13.3%	11.3%
Veterans	16.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	9.4%	—
Work from home	8.4%	13.5%
Average commute	22.7 min	27.5 min
Homes with broadband	87.7%	92.4%

Weather in Fort Walton Beach

July highs average 90.9°F and January lows 45.3°F. About 55.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Florida town: 0.0 in). Expect about 50 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 6 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Destin Ft Walton Ap station (9.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

55 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Fort Walton Beach since 1950, compared with 35 for the typical Florida town. 7 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on December 25, 1964 about 3.0 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 70 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on October 29, 2022.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 12 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on July 12, 2000.

Severe weather in Okaloosa County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Okaloosa County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 21 deaths recorded.

Okaloosa County has been included in 43 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
October 27, 2026	Hurricane	DR-4955: Hurricane Isaias
October 9, 2026	Tropical Storm	EM-3655: Hurricane Isaias
September 28, 2024	Hurricane	DR-4828: Hurricane Helene
September 24, 2024	Tropical Storm	EM-3615: Tropical Storm Helene
August 10, 2024	Tropical Storm	DR-4806: Hurricane Debby

Jobs and pay in Okaloosa County

Okaloosa County had 89,705 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $61,616 a year. Unemployment was 2.6% in 2023; in Fort Walton Beach itself the ACS puts it at 3.5%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Fort Walton Beach

13 public schools with 8,274 students, about 17.8 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
CHOCTAWHATCHEE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	9-12	1,701	20.7
FORT WALTON BEACH HIGH SCHOOL	9-12	1,558	20.8
LIZA JACKSON PREPARATORY SCHOOL (charter)	K-8	977	16.3
MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL	6-8	739	18.5
W. C. PRYOR MIDDLE SCHOOL	6-8	679	17.0
ELLIOTT POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	PK-5	598	18.1
WRIGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	PK-5	590	15.9
KENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	PK-5	525	15.0
ANNETTE P. EDWINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	PK-5	464	17.2
OKALOOSA ACADEMY (charter)	3-12	157	52.3
NORTHWEST FLORIDA BALLET ACADEMIE	3-10	137	19.6
SILVER SANDS-EXCEP. CHILDREN	PK-12	106	5.3

Towns near Fort Walton Beach

Ocean City, FL
1.3 mi · 6,314 people · home $303,900
Wright, FL
1.8 mi · 26,277 people · home $306,100
Mary Esther, FL
2.4 mi · 3,982 people · home $298,900
Lake Lorraine, FL
3.5 mi · 7,142 people · home $434,500
Eglin AFB, FL
4.9 mi · 3,006 people · home —
Valparaiso, FL
7.8 mi · 4,752 people · home $394,700
Destin, FL
9.1 mi · 13,931 people · home $490,300
Niceville, FL
11.3 mi · 15,772 people · home $423,500

Fort Walton Beach questions

Is Fort Walton Beach, Florida a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Fort Walton Beach scores better for retirees than 30% of Florida towns and quieter than 26%. 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 39.1).

How much does a house cost in Fort Walton Beach?

The median owner-occupied home in Fort Walton Beach is valued at $321,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $68,538, so homes cost about 4.7 times income. Median rent is $1,307 a month.

What is the weather like in Fort Walton Beach?

July highs average 90.9°F and January lows 45.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 55.4 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Fort Walton Beach get tornadoes?

55 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Fort Walton Beach since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on December 25, 1964. The typical Florida town has had 35.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Fort Walton Beach's Census boundary (GEOID 1224475). Comparisons use the median of Florida towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.