Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,440, settled in 1800. A regional job hub with 7,975 jobs.
Milton grades B− overall, 153rd among Florida's 634 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 80% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On history, just 28 of Florida’s 779 towns do better. 15% of residents are under 18 in Milton, against 20% in Florida’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Blackwater River Water Management Area, at 81 acres.
Where Milton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| W. H. Rhodes Elementary School | PK–5 | 789 |
| Hobbs Middle School | 6–8 | 743 |
| Martin Luther King Middle School | 6–8 | 621 |
Its founding year, 1800, comes before those of 98% of the Florida towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,815 in 1860, a low of 831 in 1910, 10,197 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1920 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Milton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Milton, 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 Milton.
Milton draws workers from Pace and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
7,975 jobs are based in Milton, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Milton for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are Pensacola (15%), Ferry Pass (7%) and East Milton (5%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Milton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Santa Rosa school district. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Milton High School, with 1,985 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. H. Rhodes Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 789 | B |
| Milton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,985 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Since 1978, 108 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Milton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Milton beats the Florida average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Milton.
| Milton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Milton | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17% | 12.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 7.2% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.9% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Milton has grown 12% since 2020, to 11,440 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Milton’s median age is 38.4 years. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Milton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.4 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 31% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Milton | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.6% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.5% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.5% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.9% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Milton home is worth about $287,000, up 1.8% in a year, 24% below the Florida typical home. 53% of Milton households own their home.
| Milton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,455 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Milton Exp Stn weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 94 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Milton Exp Stn weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 241 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 88% of Florida places with climate records.
Milton has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Milton is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Milton's reported crime rate is close to Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 18 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
| Milton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 16.8 per 1,000 residents | 18.2 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blackwater River Water Management Area | — | 81 |
| 2. Russell Landing Park | — | 17 |
| 3. Riverwalk Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Milton. Close and well known come first.
25 mi LandmarkFort Pickens
28 mi Ancient siteUSS Massachusetts
25 mi MuseumNational Naval Aviation Museum
18 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
24 mi LandmarkFort Barrancas35 mi BeachOno IslandFort 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
2 within 15 miles of the center of Milton
About 5 of every 100 Milton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
8,826 counted in 2010 and 10,197 in 2020; an estimated 11,440 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12% since 2020, after 15.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Milton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Milton.
City in Florida, United States
Milton is a city in and the county seat of Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. It is located within the Pensacola metropolitan area. The city was first Incorporated in 1844, however certain areas such as East Milton, Point Baker, and Bagdad remain unincorporated. Milton is located in the geographic center of Santa Rosa County, and it is bordered by Pace to the west, and Navarre to the south. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Milton.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | #153 | B− | B | — | A− | C |
| East Milton | #137 | B− | A | — | A− | C |
Milton and East Milton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Milton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Milton grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #153 of 634 in Florida. It grades C for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk 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 B.
7 notable people were born here, including Mark Everett and Randy Allen.
._Starboard_bow_at_wharf,_06-1901_-_NARA_-_535432.jpg){kind=link}
