PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL

47.5
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#228
of 387 metros
41%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Panama City ranks #228 of 387 US metros, ahead of 41% - carried by its schools (85/100) and held back most by rent (22/100).

85
strongest: Schools
85
then: Safety
22
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Panama City sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

48 41th percentile higher than 41% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Panama City Life Score

Panama City's composite score of 47.5 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #228 of 387, ahead of 41% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (85/100) and Safety (85/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (22/100) and Wages (25/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 97.3 (rent-RPP 96.4). BLS median salary $60,913, 84,900 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,682/mo (studio $1,426).

FBI UCR (FL): 210 violent, 1030 property/100K. NCES: 17.8:1 ratio, 17.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,505/yr. EPA: 81 Superfund sites (FL). Ranks #225-#231 below.

Dimension detail

How Panama City scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 32/100 (20%)
Wages 25/100 (20%)
Rent 22/100 (15%)
Safety 85/100 (15%)
Schools 85/100 (10%)
Childcare 48/100 (10%)
Environment 69/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

97.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,913
Avg Median Salary
$1,682
2BR Fair Market Rent
210
Violent Crime/100K (FL)
17.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$10,505
Infant Childcare/yr (FL)
81
Superfund Sites (FL)
84,900
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Panama City With...

Panama City vs Wildwood Compare → Panama City vs Jacksonville Compare → Panama City vs Tallahassee Compare → Panama City vs Waterloo Compare → Panama City vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Panama City outranks 41% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#225 Salem, OR 47.6 C+
#226 Victoria, TX 47.7 C+
#227 Port St. Lucie, FL 47.7 C+
#228 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL 47.5 C+
#229 Altoona, PA 47.5 C+
#230 Columbus, IN 47.4 C+
#231 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 47.4 C+

FL Metro Scores

Wildwood-The Villages, FL A+ 71.6 Jacksonville, FL B+ 59.0 Tallahassee, FL B 54.9 Sebring, FL B 54.8 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL B 52.8 Homosassa Springs, FL B- 51.0

Using Panama City's Life Score

Panama City is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is schools (85/100) and its weakest is rent (22/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Panama City head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Panama City lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Panama City's biggest strengths? ▼
Panama City's strongest dimensions are Schools (85/100), Safety (85/100), Environment (69/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Panama City's weakest areas? ▼
Panama City's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (22/100), Wages (25/100), Cost of Living (32/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Panama City compared to the national average? ▼
Panama City's Regional Price Parity is 97.3 (2.7% less than national); rent RPP 96.4.
What is the average salary in Panama City? ▼
Panama City median salary: $60,913, 84,900 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Panama City's 47.5/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.