Ocean CityFL
A town of 5,941.
Is Ocean City a good place to live?
Ocean City grades C+ overall, 260th among Florida's 634 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 76% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Ocean City’s January low is 43°F, against 51°F in Florida’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.
Ocean City has grown 14% from 2010 to 2020
5,550 counted in 2010 and 6,314 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Ocean City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Ocean City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Gulf Islands National Seashore and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ocean City. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
3 mi MuseumAir Force Armament Museum23 mi Zoo & aquariumGulf Breeze Zoo
36 mi MuseumPensacola Museum of History
36 mi MuseumPensacola Museum of Art
25 mi MuseumBaker Block MuseumPhoto credits
Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Air Force Armament Museum: Greg Goebel, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pensacola Museum of History: User:TheCustomOfLife, Public domain · Pensacola Museum of Art: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baker Block Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Ocean City: who provides what
Ocean City is unincorporated, so Okaloosa 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 Ocean City.
Ocean City has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Ocean City
Since 1982, 227 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ocean City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.7 jobs for every working resident, most of Ocean City’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Ocean City for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Ocean City grew to 1,795 in 2023, 201 more than in 2013. The median household income in Ocean City is $59,000.
| Ocean City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
More young adults than Florida overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 14% of residents (21% statewide). Ocean City’s median age is 37.6 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Ocean City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.6 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 31% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Ocean City | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.8% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.8% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.5% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.8% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Mild winters and hot summers in Ocean City
The Niceville weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 253 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Niceville weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 52 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 95% of Florida places with climate records.
Ocean City has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 43° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Ocean City is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns
Against the 8,680 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ocean City’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Ocean City beats the Florida average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Ocean City.
| Ocean City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Ocean City | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 13.4% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11.6% | 13.5% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 17.9% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ocean City has set aside 0.1% of its land for conservation
0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Ocean City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stillwell Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Ocean City sells for about $320K
58% of Ocean City households own their home.
| Ocean City | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,443 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 Ocean City
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ocean City
About 5 of every 100 Ocean City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
95% of working residents leave Ocean City for work
Where Ocean City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Ocean City
CDP in Florida, United States
Ocean City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,314 at the 2020 census, up from 5,550 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- Area code
- 850
Ocean City’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Ocean City.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City | #260 | C+ | C | — | A− | B |
| Wright | #258 | C+ | C | — | A− | C+ |
| Fort Walton Beach | #332 | C | C | C− | A− | B− |
Ocean City and Wright report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ocean City with a neighbor →
Questions about Ocean City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ocean City, FL a good place to live?
Ocean City grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #260 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ocean City, FL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $304,000, 19% 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 C.