Palm Beach County, Florida Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Palm Beach County, Florida, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Palm Beach County, Florida. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Palm Beach County, Florida. The estimated population of Palm Beach County, Florida is 1,481,233 people, with a median age of 45.

We can look at the total population in Palm Beach County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
1,481,233
 -0.06% +3.82%
2020
1,482,057
+1.16%
-
2019
1,465,027
+1.3%
-
2018
1,446,277
+1.37%
-
2017
1,426,772
 - -

Population of Palm Beach County, Florida by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
52.5%
56%
 -6.25%
Black/African American
18.2%
18.1%
 +0.55%
Native
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Hispanic
23.1%
21.3%
 +8.45%
Asian
2.8%
2.6%
 +7.69%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.8%
1.5%
 +86.67%
Other
0.5%
0.4%
 +25.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Palm Beach County, Florida by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 45 0% 43.2 +0.47% 46.6 -0.21%
2020 45 +0.45% 43 +0.7% 46.7 +0.43%
2019 44.8 +0.45% 42.7 +0.23% 46.5 +0.43%
2018 44.6 +0.45% 42.6 +0.24% 46.3 +0.43%
2017 44.4 - 42.5 - 46.1 -

The median age of Palm Beach County, Florida gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 76,776 +2.24% 73,807 -1.49% 78,507 72,702
10 to 19 80,968 +2.33% 77,565 +5.99% 82,876 82,320
20 to 29 85,311 -2.49% 81,038 -0.51% 83,173 80,602
30 to 39 81,585 +9.78% 81,812 +4.8% 89,865 85,805
40 to 49 86,830 -0.32% 90,278 +0.02% 86,544 90,292
50 to 59 93,994 +3.29% 101,880 -0.81% 97,118 101,051
60 to 69 80,681 +10.04% 93,275 +8.86% 89,079 101,800
70+ 105,009 +9.16% 135,963 +6.31% 114,883 144,616

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Palm Beach County, Florida is $68,874.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Palm Beach County.

  • Under 25
    $42,158.00
  • 25 to 44
    $73,640.00
  • 45 to 64
    $82,065.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,732.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Palm Beach County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Palm Beach County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Palm Beach County, Florida is currently $107,298.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

11.34% of households in Palm Beach County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Palm Beach County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    16.53%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.22%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    16.74%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.49%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.55%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    7.13%
  • $200,000 or more
    11.34%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Palm Beach County is $43,733.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Palm Beach County by the total population of Palm Beach County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Palm Beach County, Florida, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Palm Beach County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    15.98%
  • Bachelor's degree
    37.77%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.36%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    33.57%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.32%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Palm Beach County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Palm Beach County over the age of 16 is 1,229,967.

Of those people, a total of 59.80% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Palm Beach County is 56.10%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 65,139 37.30% 20.10%
20 to 24 years 77,801 77.60% 11.90%
25 to 29 years 85,974 84.70% 7.20%
30 to 34 years 88,074 84.40% 6.30%
35 to 44 years 172,761 84.30% 4.70%
45 to 54 years 188,252 83.00% 4.80%
55 to 59 years 101,588 75.30% 3.70%
60 to 64 years 98,281 61.90% 4.40%
65 to 74 years 175,270 29.40% 4.40%
75 years and over 176,827 7.40% 6.20%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Palm Beach County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 836,412 56.10% 5.20%
Black or African American 211,019 68.10% 8.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 3,010 60.20% 3.80%
Asian 34,784 66.00% 6.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 395 66.10% 0.00%
Other 47,732 66.10% 6.30%
Two or more races 96,615 68.60% 6.80%
Hispanic or Latino 266,374 69.90% 6.10%
Not Hispanic or Latino 688,742 52.90% 5.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Palm Beach County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Palm Beach County is 690,230, with median earnings of $39,190.00.

Women in Palm Beach County, Florida earning approximately 77.00% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 690,230 $39,190.00
Male 365,363 $44,061.00
Female 324,867 $33,946.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 81,579 $75,801.00
Business and Financial 40,094 $68,688.00
Computer and Mathematical 16,464 $72,081.00
Architecture and Engineering 10,542 $83,784.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 4,595 $53,502.00
Community and Social Service 10,502 $40,703.00
Legal 11,956 $80,258.00
Educational and Library 34,379 $44,528.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 13,952 $40,353.00
Healthcare Practitioners 44,664 $61,951.00
Healthcare Support 23,494 $27,065.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 10,663 $34,670.00
Law Enforcement 5,070 $77,532.00
Food Preparation and Serving 42,091 $20,366.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 39,171 $23,008.00
Personal Care and Service 24,722 $21,450.00
Sales 84,839 $33,628.00
Office and Administrative Support 71,113 $33,833.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 3,704 $20,881.00
Construction and Extraction 37,367 $34,252.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 19,383 $43,313.00
Production 19,068 $33,784.00
Transportation and Material Moving 23,168 $34,173.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 51,041 $86,153.00 30,538 $59,907.00
Business and Financial 20,867 $77,895.00 19,227 $59,423.00
Computer and Mathematical 12,236 $76,603.00 4,228 $52,248.00
Architecture and Engineering 9,216 $86,218.00 1,326 $75,733.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 2,233 $48,704.00 2,362 $56,687.00
Community and Social Service 3,235 $38,768.00 7,267 $41,531.00
Legal 5,992 $132,500.00 5,964 $60,173.00
Educational and Library 8,593 $48,404.00 25,786 $43,688.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 7,113 $45,486.00 6,839 $34,420.00
Healthcare Practitioners 13,443 $86,073.00 31,221 $56,135.00
Healthcare Support 3,287 $34,822.00 20,207 $26,357.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 8,244 $38,204.00 2,419 $28,501.00
Law Enforcement 3,828 $86,229.00 1,242 $44,443.00
Food Preparation and Serving 20,765 $22,733.00 21,326 $17,546.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 22,583 $26,769.00 16,588 $18,324.00
Personal Care and Service 9,025 $20,996.00 15,697 $21,648.00
Sales 42,640 $48,596.00 42,199 $24,619.00
Office and Administrative Support 17,445 $35,217.00 53,668 $33,485.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 2,579 $24,750.00 1,125 $16,269.00
Construction and Extraction 36,386 $34,328.00 981 $31,891.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 18,951 $43,318.00 432 $42,273.00
Production 12,221 $39,014.00 6,847 $24,120.00
Transportation and Material Moving 19,791 $35,768.00 3,377 $26,046.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 581,119 households in Palm Beach County, with an average household size of 2.51 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 363,490 families in Palm Beach County with an average family size of 3.16 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 265,523 29,213 68,754 217,629
Average Household Size 3.14 3.62 3.57 1.27
Total Families 265,523 29,213 68,754 0
Average Household Size 3.11 3.18 3.35 0

Poverty

Of the 363,490 families in Palm Beach County, 8.00% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Palm Beach County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 702,877 housing units in Palm Beach County, Florida.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 581,119 82.68%
Vacant 121,758 17.32%

24.30% of the total 702,877 housing units in Palm Beach County are rental units. This is approximately 170,788 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 403,453 are occupied by the owner - or 57.40% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Palm Beach County is $1,534.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Palm Beach County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    6,878
  • Less than $500
    5,067
  • $500 to $999
    20,234
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    56,506
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    52,299
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    20,981
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    8,203
  • $3,000 or more
    7,498

Property Value

The median value of a property in Palm Beach County is $316,600.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Palm Beach County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    16,343
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    24,049
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    28,069
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    37,885
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    82,701
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    125,243
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    65,708
  • $1,000,000 or more
    23,455

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Palm Beach County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Palm Beach County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    11,603
  • 1940 to 1949
    8,132
  • 1950 to 1959
    35,654
  • 1960 to 1969
    55,581
  • 1970 to 1979
    132,092
  • 1980 to 1989
    189,396
  • 1990 to 1999
    116,884
  • 2000 to 2009
    111,678
  • 2010 to 2013
    40,629
  • 2014 or later
    1,228

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Palm Beach County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    34,591
  • 1 vehicle available
    238,587
  • 2 vehicles available
    220,037
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    87,904

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Palm Beach County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Palm Beach County that commute to work in a particular way.

26.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Palm Beach County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    10,818
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    45,042
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    75,411
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    98,181
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    97,824
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    45,784
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    100,919
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    18,760
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    24,447
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    43,106
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    31,019
  • 90 or more minutes
    13,285

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Palm Beach County, Florida in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Palm Beach County, Florida

We have data for 69 places in Palm Beach County, Florida. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.