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Compare towns

Wright vs Panama City

68 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+23.3 pts in Wright) and street grid (2.7× in Wright).

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Wright, FLAn outdoors townFlorida · 27,927 people
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Panama City, FLA regional job hubFlorida · 34,979 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Wright places higher on 14 of 19 FL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Wright$1,740/mo
Typical home $306K (Census) · tax rate 0.54% · or rent about $1,621/mo · Housing →
Panama City$1,650/mo
Typical home $284K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,327/mo · Housing →

The difference: $100 a month, about $1,200 a year, between Wright and Panama City.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
WrightPanama City
Snow a year0″0″
January low38°F43°F
July high90°F91°F
Growing season (days)253d301d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th92nd
Outdoors & history
WrightPanama City
Trails0 mi27 mi
Conserved land0%1%
Settled—1909
National Register places—7
Archive photos212
Famous people born here—55
Community
WrightPanama City
Library hours a week—51 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

68 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Wright ↔ Panama City68 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

WrightPanama City
People
Population 27,927Lowest 34,979Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.6%Highest FL: +14.6% -9.7%Lowest FL: +14.6%
Median age 34.4±2.3Lowest 19% below FL 39.5±2.2Highest 7% below FL
Kids under 18 24%±2.4Highest FL: 19.5% 21.7%±1.9Lowest FL: 19.5%
Wright and Panama City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.8%±1.5Lowest FL: 21.3% 17.8%±1.6Highest FL: 21.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.3%Highest FL: 34.1% 26.4%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.9%±1.7Highest FL: 6.1% 4.9%±0.9Lowest FL: 6.1%
Wright and Panama City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $70,195±$5kHighest 6% below FL $62,265±$3kLowest 16% below FL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $306,100±$16kHighest 15% below FL $268,900±$16kLowest 25% below FL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,621±$89Highest about the FL average $1,327±$53Lowest 20% below FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,657Lowest 39% below FL $1,752Highest 36% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.8%±7.1Lowest FL: 60.1% 64.2%±6Highest FL: 60.1%
Panama City and Wright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.7%Lowest FL: 12.6% 17.6%Highest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.1%Lowest FL: 67.6% 56.3%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 1 yr newer than FL 1976Lowest 12 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 12% below FL 21 minLowest 24% below FL
Work from home 5%±1.7Lowest FL: 15.7% 10.9%±2.7Highest FL: 15.7%
Work in townworking residents 12.9%Lowest 39.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Lowest 2.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Fort Walton Beach (19%)Panama City Beach (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Panama CityFew work in Wright
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 27.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 14Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 143Highest 52.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #244 of 488 in FL#299 of 488 in FL
School district OKALOOSABAY · FSU BAY
High school in town None in townBay High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 19.8
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Wright neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wright’s Town Square.

Panama City neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Panama City’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wright and Panama City

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Wright

Towns like Wright

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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