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].

WWW Official Site

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

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
Latino whites\|White]	122,708	133,790	128,348	82.79%	79.24%	73.25%
Black or African American	15,526	17,844	17,549	10.48%	10.57%	10.02%
Native Americans in [the United States\|Native American] or Alaska Native	1,096	1,033	795	0.74%	0.61%	0.45%
Asian	2,534	3,298	4,068	1.71%	1.95%	2.32%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone	111	140	194	0.07%	0.08%	0.11%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census\|Other race] alone	164	223	720	0.11%	0.13%	0.41%
Mixed race or Multiracial	2,487	4,417	9,696	1.68%	2.62%	5.53%
Hispanic or Latino	3,591	8,107	13,846	2.42%	4.80%	7.90%
Total	148,217	168,852	175,216	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

Board of Commissioners

5 members, elected from districts

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.
Fore 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 Florida's 6th [House of Representatives district|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 as of 2022	Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 2022	Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 2022	Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 2022	Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 2022	Bay County Voter Registration & Party Enrollment as of 2022
Political Party	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	Total	123,995	100%	-	-

Statewide elections

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2022	78.38% 52,590	21.00% 14,091	0.61% 412
2018	72.17% 45,709	26.46% 16,757	1.37% 865
2014	71.79% 40,956	22.77% 12,990	5.44% 3,104
2010	66.39% 36,512	28.53% 15,689	5.08% 2,796
2006	65.26% 31,382	30.78% 14,802	3.96% 1,907
2002	70.02% 34,107	29.27% 14,258	0.71% 344
1998	69.01% 26,759	30.99% 12,017	0.00% 2
1994	56.87% 23,498	43.12% 17,816	0.01% 2

Education

operates public schools serving all portions of the county except Mexico Beach, which is served by Gulf County Schools.

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
University Academy

High schools

;Zoned

J. R. Arnold High School
Bay High School
A. Crawford Mosley High School
Rutherford High School

;Optional

A.D. Harris High School
Haney Technical High School
New Horizons Learning Center
Rosenwald High School

Middle schools

Jinks Middle School
Merritt Brown Middle School
Mowat Middle School
Surfside Middle School

Elementary schools

Callaway Elementary School
Cedar Grove Elementary School
Deer Point Elementary School
Hiland Park Elementary School
Hutchison Beach Elementary School
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
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, 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, 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