Sites & Data · Gap-analysis Tier 1

Data & Demographics

The numbers site selectors screen for — population and growth, workforce and wages, top employers, and the cost of doing business — in one place, with the full interactive dashboard and a downloadable summary.

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A county on a growth curve

Walton has grown roughly 74% since 2010 and is projected to pass 100,000 residents by 2030 — mirroring where neighboring Okaloosa County stood about 55 years earlier. That trajectory is the core of the economic-development case.

Population: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS & Population Estimates); 2030 figure is a projection.

Population 2010 → 2030

2010 · 55K2025 · 91K2030 · 103K

Demographics

Workforce & wages

Taxes & cost of doing business

Reading the numbers in context

Wages look higher than they are. The published hourly mean is a two-county (Okaloosa–Walton) figure inflated by Okaloosa's defense and aerospace jobs; Walton's own hospitality and retail wages run lower.

Half the workforce leaves to work. A majority of employed residents commute out of the county — mostly to Okaloosa. That's both the challenge and the opportunity: a trained workforce already here if we bring the jobs home.

Growth is real, not hype. The population gains are documented by the Census Bureau, and the school district's top-tier performance means the talent pipeline is being built, not just promised.

Major employers

A representative snapshot of the county's largest employers, by sector. Staff maintain this list.

Interactive

Walton County Economic Dashboard

Five live charts — population, jobs, wages, GDP by sector, and commuting flows — with plain-language context. Opens full-screen.

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⚠️ Figures reflect WCEDA's spring-2026 data refresh. Headline metrics come from the Economic Dashboard; detailed demographic and workforce rows are maintained by WCEDA staff via Staff Login and should be refreshed on the county's regular data cycle.

Sources: QCEW & JobsEQ (jobs, wages, establishments) · BLS LAUS (labor force, unemployment) · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (GDP) · U.S. Census Bureau ACS (demographics) · BLS OEWS (occupational wages, MSA-level) · Florida TaxWatch (millage) · FloridaCommerce BWSER (labor shed).