Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,839, founded in 1882.
Bonifay earns a D−, 598th of 634 graded towns in Florida, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $41K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. What it does well: it is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns. No town among the 105 in Florida we compare has a lower property offense rate than Bonifay. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On history, just 47 of Florida’s 779 towns do better.
Where Bonifay beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Bonifay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Bonifay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 922 in 1910, a peak of 4,078 in 2000, 2,759 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1979 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bonifay, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bonifay.
Bonifay draws workers from Chipley and beyond, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
At 2.9 years of the county’s $49K median household income, the typical home (about $145K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $145K, is 13% below its December 2024 peak.
Home values are down 6.8% over the year to September 2026. In Bonifay, 54% of households live in a home they own, where Florida’s towns sit at 72% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Bonifay | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $868 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Holmes County High School, with 464 students. The Holmes school district runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonifay K-8 SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,136 | B |
| Holmes County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 464 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
2,426 jobs are based in Bonifay, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 1,701 in 2013 to 2,426.
The top destinations are Chipley (9%), Panama City (4%) and DeFuniak Springs (3%). The share of working residents in Bonifay who work locally: 24%. The average trip to work for Bonifay comes to 31 minutes, above both Florida’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Employers in Bonifay added 725 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 2,426.
| Bonifay | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,638 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bonifay’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Bonifay, 19% report frequent physical distress. Two figures for adults in the town: 44% sleep under 7 hours, 20% smoke cigarettes.
| Bonifay | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Bonifay | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.5% | 12.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.1% | 7.2% |
| More smokers | 20.1% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal aid has come to Bonifay households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. 70% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 15%. Since 1994, Bonifay has seen 13 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Chipley weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 98 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Chipley weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 263 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 95% of Florida places with climate records.
July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Bonifay's reported crime rate is well below Florida's. Its level of violent crime comes in at 1.4 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Bonifay; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Bonifay residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
5 notable people were born in Bonifay.
City in Florida, United States
Bonifay is a city and the county seat of Holmes County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,759.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bonifay grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #598 of 634 in Florida. It grades D for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Chris Walker and Georgia Boy Williams.