199,718 people (2024 Census estimate, +14.4% since 2020)
759 square miles of land · 263 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
10 active community water systems list Bay County in the area they serve, reporting 204,717 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| PANAMA CITY BEACH CITY OF buys surface water · local government · FL1030515 | 67,205 served |
| BAY COUNTY WATER SYSTEM surface water · local government · FL1030050 | 40,848 served |
| PANAMA CITY WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · local government · FL1030517 | 34,345 served |
| LYNN HAVEN, CITY OF WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · local government · FL1030435 | 23,380 served |
| CALLAWAY, CITY OF WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · local government · FL1030141 | 20,520 served |
| SPRINGFIELD, CITY OF buys surface water · local government · FL1030148 | 8,075 served |
| MEXICO BEACH, CITY OF buys surface water · local government · FL1030467 | 5,888 served |
| PARKER, CITY OF WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · local government · FL1030520 | 4,358 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,073 people were held in Bay County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 1,235.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
1 school district has its office in Bay County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $381.6 million — $303.8 million to run schools, about $11,117 per student, plus $65.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $187.5 million local (mostly property tax), $133.5 million state, $69.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $117.9 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Bay County about $157.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
131 bridges in Bay County: 42 in good condition, 76 fair, and 13 poor (9.9%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US98 SR30 over East Bay (ICWW) · built 1965 | 19,800 vehicles a day |
| US231 SR75 over Little Bear Creek · built 1951 | 15,896 vehicles a day |
| SR390 over Mill Bayou · built 1955 | 9,100 vehicles a day |
| S Star Avenue over Callaway Bayou · built 1973 | 5,600 vehicles a day |
| CR 2302 over Sherretts Branch · built 1934 | 3,500 vehicles a day |
| Hwy 2302-Bridge St over Fanning Bayou · built 1957 | 2,100 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $142.4 million of work in Bay County in fiscal 2025, about $813 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Vote-by-mail request due by 5 pm: 2026-10-22. Early voting — the statewide minimum: 2026-10-24 to 2026-10-31. Election Day — and mail ballots must arrive: 2026-11-03.
Source: Florida Division of Elections — election dates · WPTV, 2026 deadlines · Florida Division of Elections — early voting
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Bay County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Bay County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Florida: the state government and every county in Florida.
Nearby counties: Calhoun County (26 mi) · Gulf County (26 mi) · Washington County (31 mi) · Liberty County (40 mi) · Walton County (47 mi) · Jackson County (48 mi).