City Profile

Palm Bay, Florida

USA · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Overall Score

Palm Bay is a vibrant and rapidly expanding city located in Brevard County, Florida, along the state's picturesque Space Coast. Originally known as Tillman, the area was renamed Palm Bay in 1925 due to the abundance of palm trees lining the local bay. Over the decades, it has evolved from a quiet citrus-growing and fishing settlement into a major residential and technological hub. Today, Palm Bay is the largest city in Brevard County by population, known for its spacious neighborhoods, subtropical environment, and close proximity to the Kennedy Space Center and Atlantic beaches.

About Florida

Florida, known as the "Sunshine State," offers a diverse character with a laid-back beach culture and vibrant city life, attracting a mix of residents including many transplants. Its economy, the fourth largest in the U.S. as of 2024, is driven by major industries such as tourism, real estate, agriculture, aerospace and aviation, financial services, and healthcare and life sciences. Living in Florida generally entails a cost of living slightly higher than the national average, though it varies by city, with an average annual cost around $50,689 per person. The climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild winters, with abundant sunshine year-round, fostering an outdoor-oriented lifestyle. Florida also boasts a tax-friendly environment with no state income tax.

148,092

Population

$67K

Avg Salary

100

Cost Index

63.9

Quality Score

How this 64/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them

Component	Readings used	Points	Weight	Contributes
Safety	Safety score: 71 / 100	71.0	30%	21.3
Affordability	Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 100.0	43.8	25%	10.9
Economy & jobs	Median household income: $72,614 Income needed to live here: $58,000 Unemployment rate: 4.8%	60.7	20%	12.1
Growth	Population growth rate: 3.58% Job growth rate: 2.2%	82.0	15%	12.3
Business climate assessment	Business climate assessment: 72 / 100	72.0	10%	7.2
Overall score				63.9

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Gemini (Tier 2 (reasoned), q=74), last refreshed 11 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business

Livability

Affordability

Growth

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Palm Bay aligns very closely with the national average, making it an attractive destination for families and professionals seeking affordable Florida living. Housing costs, while having risen significantly over recent years, remain slightly more accessible compared to major metropolitan centers like Miami or Orlando. Day-to-day expenditures such as groceries, utilities, and transportation hover near standard U.S. benchmarks, helping residents stretch their incomes further while still enjoying a coastal Florida lifestyle.

Average Rent

$2,000/mo

Groceries

$420/mo

Transport

$125/mo

Utilities

$175/mo

Healthcare

$240/mo

Gym membership (monthly)

$42.00

Cinema ticket

$13.00

Restaurant meal (mid-range)

$20.00

Monthly groceries

$400.00

Doctor visit (without insurance)

$140.00

Income

Salary Insights

Palm Bay's economy is heavily anchored by the aerospace, defense, and high-tech manufacturing sectors, driven heavily by its inclusion in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metropolitan area. Major employers such as L3Harris Technologies, Raytheon, and various engineering firms provide robust career opportunities in technical fields. The region's strong performance in job growth and innovation has turned it into a premier economic powerhouse on Florida's Space Coast, complemented by growing healthcare and retail sectors supporting the expanding population.

The average salary in Palm Bay is $67,000 per year. You would need approximately $58,000 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Retail Trade +1.40% Construction +1.90% Healthcare and Social Assistance +2.80% Aerospace and Defense +3.10% Professional and Technical Services +2.50%

Weather

Climate

🌡️

74°F

Avg Temp

☀️

89°F

Summer High

❄️

57°F

Winter Low

🌧️

51.20"

Annual Rain

💧

68.00%

Humidity

🌤️

194

Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around Palm Bay relies heavily on personal vehicles, with Interstate 95 providing crucial north-south access via multiple local exits. The expansion of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway has further improved cross-city commuting and relieved local traffic congestion. While public transit options are somewhat limited, the average commute time sits at approximately 27.8 minutes, aligning closely with national norms.

28 min

Avg Commute

42.00/10

Transit Score

45.00/10

Walkability

High

Car Dependency

At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages

Median home values remain accessible at approximately $283,200, offering competitive value compared to other Florida coastal markets.

Proximity to high-tech and aerospace giants like L3Harris and Raytheon provides robust local career paths.

Abundant natural recreation areas, including Turkey Creek Sanctuary and access to the Indian River Lagoon.

Strategic infrastructure enhancements like the St. Johns Heritage Parkway improve local transit connectivity.

Favorable subtropical climate with roughly 194 sunny days per year and mild winter averages.

Drawbacks

High population growth rate has placed upward pressure on local rental and housing inventories.

Car dependency is high, with limited public mass transit options across the sprawling 86-square-mile city footprint.

Summer heat and humidity can be intense, accompanied by high seasonal rainfall during tropical storm months.

Traffic congestion concentrates heavily during peak hours along major arteries like Palm Bay Road and Malabar Road.

Pockets of the city experience vulnerability to localized heavy rainfall and temporary urban flooding.

Head to Head

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Palm Bay VS Miami Palm Bay VS Akron Palm Bay VS Tampa Palm Bay VS Dallas

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Nearby Cities

Port St. Lucie

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Lakeland

West Palm Beach

Community Q&A

Questions about Palm Bay

What people ask about living in and moving to Palm Bay, Florida.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Urblytica benchmarks its Cost of Living Index against a United States national average baseline of 100. A score of 115 means a city is approximately 15% more expensive than the national average, while a score of 85 indicates it is 15% more affordable. This composite calculation is weighted across six primary expenditure categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods.

Urblytica aggregates housing data from multiple authoritative sources, including Multiple Listing Service (MLS) feeds, municipal property tax registries, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), and verified historical deed transactions. This multi-tier aggregation ensures precision in tracking median home values and rental rates.

A municipality must meet minimum data-density thresholds—including consistent reporting population samples from the U.S. Census and active residential or commercial real estate transaction feeds—to ensure statistical significance before a complete scoring profile is published.

When primary agencies (such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics or U.S. Census Bureau) issue historical data revisions or benchmark corrections, Urblytica's data pipeline automatically re-indexes affected historical archives to maintain longitudinal trend accuracy.

U.S. affordability calculations incorporate federal income tax brackets, state-specific income tax rates, and local municipal tax variations to evaluate the true net tax drag on median household earnings across different states and cities.

Local county and municipal property tax millage rates are factored directly into the housing component of the cost-of-living index to reflect recurring annual tax burdens for homeowners.

The platform aggregates state sales taxes alongside county and city surtaxes to measure consumer basket purchasing power parity accurately across different retail jurisdictions.

Utility calculations apply regional seasonal consumption weightings, incorporating high summer air conditioning loads in southern states and heavy winter heating demands in northern states.

The index tracks average out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, routine outpatient visit costs, and regional health insurance premium benchmarks published by federal health agencies.

Educational metrics aggregate state standardized testing benchmarks, student-to-teacher ratios, high school graduation rates, and per-pupil expenditure data published by state departments of education.

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