Panama City Beach is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 19,393 people and ten associated neighborhoods, Panama City Beach is the 155th largest community in Florida. There's nothing like the smell of a brand new house, and in Panama City Beach, you'll find that a large proportion of houses were recently built. New growth in residential real estate is an indication that people are choosing to move to Panama City Beach, and putting down their money on brand new construction. Panama City Beach’s real estate is, on average, some of the newest in the nation. Panama City Beach does seem to be experiencing an influx of affluent people, because the median household income is $78,921.00.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Panama City Beach, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 10.69% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Panama City Beach is a major vacation destination. Much of the city’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Panama City Beach’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

One of the nice things about Panama City Beach is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The education level of Panama City Beach citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 36.76% of adults in Panama City Beach have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Panama City Beach in 2022 was $50,766, which is upper middle income relative to Florida, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $203,064 for a family of four. However, Panama City Beach contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Panama City Beach is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Panama City Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Panama City Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Panama City Beach include Irish, English, German, French, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Panama City Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Slavic languages.