GouldingFL
A town of 3,734, settled in 1891.
Is Goulding a good place to live?
Goulding grades D overall, 546th of 634 graded towns in Florida, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $29K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Goulding, against 11% in Florida’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 67 of Florida’s 774 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
What makes Goulding stand out
Where Goulding beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
| Widest gap | Goulding | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 36.7% | 12.7% |
Goulding has shrunk 17% from 2010 to 2020
4,102 counted in 2010 and 3,392 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Goulding grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Goulding is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Fort Pickens and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Goulding. Close and well known come first.
9 mi LandmarkFort Pickens
11 mi Ancient siteUSS Massachusetts
8 mi MuseumNational Naval Aviation Museum
7 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
8 mi LandmarkFort Barrancas19 mi BeachOno IslandPhoto credits
Fort Pickens: Notneb82, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain · National Naval Aviation Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Fort Barrancas: National Park Service, Public domain
._Starboard_bow_at_wharf,_06-1901_-_NARA_-_535432.jpg){kind=link}
Moving to Goulding: who provides what
Goulding is unincorporated, so Escambia County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Goulding.
Goulding draws workers from Pensacola and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Goulding stands out in Florida and nationally: a larger share of its adults say their health is fair or poor
Against the 500 U.S. towns with household incomes like Goulding’s, it is less healthy than 80%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Goulding. Only 10 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Goulding. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Goulding.
| Goulding | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Goulding | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 9.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 36.7% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Goulding’s public schools trail 83% of Florida districts
Its public schools are run by the Escambia school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| BB C Christian Academy PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 48 | – |
| Escambia Juvenile DetentionLargest public high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 67 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
In Goulding, the median household income runs lower than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
2,548 jobs are based in Goulding, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Among 638 Florida towns, just 1 have a lower median household income than Goulding. Most working residents leave Goulding for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Goulding fell to 2,548 in 2023, 207 fewer than in 2013.
| Goulding | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Goulding
Since 1979, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Goulding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mild winters and hot summers in Goulding
The Pensacola Forest Sherman Nas weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 277 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 77% of Florida places with climate records. The Pensacola Forest Sherman Nas weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 56 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 85% of Florida places with climate records.
Goulding has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Goulding is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in Goulding sells for about $235K
At 1.2 years of the Pensacola metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in any other Florida town; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $587, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
47% of Goulding households own their home.
| Goulding | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,106 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Goulding
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Goulding
About 2 of every 100 Goulding residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Every workday, about 2,524 people come to Goulding for work
Where Goulding’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Goulding
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Goulding is a census-designated place (CDP) in Escambia County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,392 at the 2020 census, down from 4,102 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 82 ft
- Area code
- 850
Goulding’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Goulding.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; West Pensacola (D) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goulding | #546 | D | B+ | — | C− | D− |
| Pensacola | #333 | C | C | B+ | C− | B |
| West Pensacola | #540 | D | B+ | — | C− | D− |
| Brent | #468 | C− | B | — | C− | C− |
Goulding, West Pensacola and Brent report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Goulding with a neighbor →
Questions about Goulding
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Goulding, FL a good place to live?
Goulding grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #546 of 634 in Florida. It grades D− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Goulding, FL expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $90,000, 76% below the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.