Photo: j.s. clark/ "Image by jsclark.net." · CC BY-SA 2.0Safety in Panama City Beach: figures, but no grade
The closest graded town is Lynn Haven, 14 miles away, at B+. Panama City Beach has no FBI crime figures of its own for 2023–2025, so there is nothing to grade it on. Within a 25-mile drive lie 4 towns that have a grade.
The nearest Florida towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn Haven | B+ | 14 mi | 1.1 | 7.0 |
| Springfield | D | 17 mi | 6.4 | 19.6 |
| Parker | C | 18 mi | 2.4 | 20.1 |
| Panama City | D | 21 mi | 5.6 | 20.1 |
| DeFuniak Springs | C− | 36 mi | 3.7 | 17.6 |
| Niceville | A+ | 41 mi | 0.3 | 1.8 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Panama City Beach. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Panama City Beach.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
27 people died in crashes on Panama City Beach’s roads in 2019–2023
Panama City Beach had 26 fatal crashes in five years, in which 27 people died; 7 were pedestrians and 1 was a cyclist.
That is 28.5 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, above the median for Florida towns of 5,000–25,000 people (11.0, 308 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Panama City Beach and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Grand Lagoon | — | — | — |
| Laguna Beach | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Lower Grand Lagoon and Laguna Beach are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Panama City Beach
Is Panama City Beach, FL safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Panama City Beach. The nearest Florida towns with a grade are Lynn Haven (B+, 14 mi), Springfield (D, 17 mi), Parker (C, 18 mi).
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Panama City Beach.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.