• county
  • FIPS 12005
  • Largest town: Panama City

Bay County, Florida

Bay County had 199,718 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 758.6 square miles of land. It ranks 30th of 67 in Florida by population and 29th by land area.

Population
199,718
#30 of 67 in Florida · #357 in US
Area
758.6 sq mi
#29 of 67 in Florida · #1,155 in US
Density
263 / sq mi
#32 of 67 in Florida · #479 in US
Median household income
$70,859
#27 of 67 in Florida · #940 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Bay County within Florida. Pin: Tallahassee.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Bay County

Bay County population, land area and income

Bay County had 199,718 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 758.6 square miles of land. It ranks 30th of 67 in Florida by population and 29th by land area. That works out to 263.3 people per square mile, 2.7 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Florida has 154,693 residents; Bay County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $70,859 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

199,718

3144th1st

357th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

759 sq mi

3144th1st

1155th of 3,144 (US)

Density

263.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

479th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$70,859

3143rd1st

940th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Florida (67)

Population

199,718

67th1st

30th of 67 (FL)

Land area

759 sq mi

67th1st

29th of 67 (FL)

Density

263.3 / sq mi

67th1st

32nd of 67 (FL)

Median household income

$70,859

67th1st

27th of 67 (FL)

How Bay County's population changed since 2020

Bay County gained 25,175 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 14.4%. That ranks 12th of 67 in Florida for growth. The median Florida county changed by +7.8%, and the state as a whole by +8.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Bay County recorded 8,676 births and 9,455 deaths, a natural change of -779. Net international migration added +5,232 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +19,906. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 19,906 people.

174.5k2020179.5k2021185.7k2022192.4k2023199.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
8,676
Deaths
9,455
Net international migration
+5,232
Net domestic migration
+19,906
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+7,296

Where Bay County is

The Census internal point of Bay County is at 30.159100, -85.534400. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Florida's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Bay County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Escambia County: +2.7%Okaloosa County: +4.0%St. Lucie County: +17.9%Okeechobee County: +6.8%DeSoto County: +7.8%Bradford County: -0.5%Bay County: +14.4%Holmes County: +1.6%Gilchrist County: +13.1%Manatee County: +14.1%Hardee County: +2.9%Lafayette County: +5.0%Flagler County: +17.9%Nassau County: +14.7%Pasco County: +16.4%Martin County: +4.4%Palm Beach County: +5.9%Alachua County: +4.3%Lee County: +12.5%Brevard County: +8.2%Polk County: +16.8%Pinellas County: +0.6%Highlands County: +8.3%Hamilton County: +4.4%Wakulla County: +9.5%Clay County: +8.1%Suwannee County: +9.2%Madison County: +2.9%Columbia County: +6.0%Jackson County: +6.1%Calhoun County: -3.1%Franklin County: +4.0%Gulf County: +11.3%Hernando County: +11.5%Washington County: +4.7%Levy County: +10.9%Liberty County: +1.9%Putnam County: +5.3%Volusia County: +8.5%Walton County: +18.2%Osceola County: +19.7%Leon County: +2.2%Union County: +2.0%Sarasota County: +9.2%Dixie County: +5.6%Charlotte County: +12.8%Indian River County: +7.3%Broward County: +4.8%Hendry County: +16.1%Sumter County: +18.7%Miami-Dade County: +5.3%Citrus County: +10.1%Seminole County: +4.9%Lake County: +15.0%Marion County: +13.6%St. Johns County: +20.9%Gadsden County: +1.7%Jefferson County: +10.5%Baker County: +4.3%Glades County: +8.7%Collier County: +10.3%Duval County: +5.7%Taylor County: +0.4%Monroe County: -2.3%Hillsborough County: +7.8%Santa Rosa County: +9.9%Orange County: +7.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +4.0%
  2. < +5.7%
  3. < +8.7%
  4. < +13.1%
  5. ≥ +13.1%
no data

Orange pin: Bay County internal point. Dark pin: Tallahassee.

Internal point

Decimal
30.159100, -85.534400
DMS
30°09'32.76"N 85°32'3.84"W
UTM
16N 641135.4E 3337322.1N
Geohash
dj75td7c2
Plus code
862P5F58+J6

Towns in Bay County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Bay County, 107,577 people together, or 54% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Bay County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Panama City with 37,024.

  1. 01Panama City37,024
  2. 02Lynn Haven21,954
  3. 03Panama City Beach19,955
  4. 04Callaway14,138
  5. 05Springfield8,495
  6. 06Parker4,801
  7. 07Mexico Beach1,210
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Bay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Bay County. The most populous is Walton County, FL, with 89,666 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Tallahassee and the nearest big city

Tallahassee is 77.2 miles ENE of Bay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Tallahassee, FL (population 205,089), 79.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Callaway, FL (population 14,138), 2.2 miles away.

Bay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Bay County is 12005: state code 12 for Florida plus county code 005. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $70,859.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Bay County, Florida?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 199,718. That is up 25,175 people (14.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 174,543.

What is the FIPS code of Bay County?

12005. The first two digits (12) are Florida; the last three (005) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Bay County?

Panama City, with 37,024 residents inside Bay County in 2024.

Which counties border Bay County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Walton County, FL; Jackson County, FL; Washington County, FL; Gulf County, FL; Calhoun County, FL.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.