Fort Walton Beach is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, home to about 21,025 people across 7.7 square miles. Its ZIP code is 32548, and parts of 32547 are in Fort Walton Beach too.
Homes sold for a median of $251 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a buyer’s market.
Mostly Fort Walton Beach; also Wright and Cinco Bayou
Mostly Wright; part is in Fort Walton Beach
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Fort Walton Beach. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Fort Walton Beach’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Pensacola International Airport (PNS)33 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS)8 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | New Orleans, LA199 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Houston, TX525 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Fort Walton Beach; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Fort Walton Beach had 20,922 residents in the 2020 census, up 5% since 2000.
It’s the 198th largest of 954 towns in Florida by population.
Okaloosa County grew from 9,360 residents in 1920 to 211,668 in 2020.
Okaloosa County, 1920–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 91°F in summer, and winter lows average 45°F. About 55.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Destin Ft Walton Ap, FL weather station (9 miles away).
64,766 jobs at 6,011 businesses in Okaloosa County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
239 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Fort Walton Beach.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 13 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 6 |
| Dentists | 30 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 30 |
| Mental health providers | 98 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 52 |
| Optometrists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 7 |
| Pharmacies | 4 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (26 nearby)
Grocery stores (7 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries
Museums (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1941.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Okaloosa. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annette P. Edwins Elementary SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–5 | 490 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Elliott Point Elementary SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–5 | 583 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Kenwood Elementary SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–5 | 471 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Silver Sands-Excep. ChildrenFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–12 | 93 | Special Education | 0.8 mi |
| Wright Elementary SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–5 | 609 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Liza Jackson Preparatory SchoolFort Walton Beach | K–8 | 977 | Charter | 2.2 mi |
| Okaloosa Virtual Instruction ProgramFort Walton Beach | K–12 | — | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Okaloosa AcademyFort Walton Beach | 2–12 | 115 | Charter, Alternative Education | 2.3 mi |
| Northwest Florida Ballet AcademieFort Walton Beach | 3–8 | 134 | Public | 2.2 mi |
| Max Bruner Junior Middle SchoolFort Walton Beach | 6–8 | 677 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Okaloosa Technical CollegeFort Walton Beach | 6–12 | 42 | Alternative Education | 3.0 mi |
| Okaloosa Virtual FranchiseFort Walton Beach | 6–12 | — | Public | 2.2 mi |
| W. C. Pryor Middle SchoolFort Walton Beach | 6–8 | 721 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Choctawhatchee Senior High SchoolFort Walton Beach | 9–12 | 1,720 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| Fort Walton Beach High SchoolFort Walton Beach | 9–12 | 1,550 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinco Christain SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–5 | 148 | Baptist | 1.0 mi |
| First United Methodist SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–K | 14 | Methodist | 1.8 mi |
| Montessori Learning CenterFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–3 | 46 | Nonsectarian | 1.7 mi |
| St Mary Catholic SchoolFort Walton Beach | Pre-K–8 | 379 | Roman Catholic | 1.4 mi |
| Lotus Learning & Arts CenterFort Walton Beach | 2–11 | 27 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Wright, Ocean City, Cinco Bayou and Hurlburt Field.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.