Rank

1404of 3,144

Gulf, Florida

Score 6.38 / 10· population 15,693

Gulf County takes in Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka and the beaches of Cape San Blas in Northwest Florida. Hurricane Michael put the whole county under an extreme wind warning in October 2018, and its surge cut two inlets through the state park on Cape San Blas. Government held 22 percent of local jobs in 2024, twice Florida's share, and 15 percent of children live with a single parent, compared with 27 percent for the state.

Sources
  • Gulf County is located in the heart of the Panhandle in Northwest Florida, with white sand beaches visitgulf.com
  • Gulf County's listed destinations are Cape San Blas, Indian Pass, Port St. Joe, St. Joe Beach, and Wewahitchka visitgulf.com
  • Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10, 2018 as a category 5 hurricane; an Extreme Wind Warning encompassed the entirety of Gulf County weather.gov
  • At St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas, Michael's storm surge cut through the peninsula, creating two inlets weather.gov
  • Government was 22.1% of Gulf County's average annual employment in 2024 (Florida 11.3%) edr.state.fl.us
  • Children in single-parent households: 15.2% in Gulf County, 27.4% in Florida, in the 2025 County Health Rankings countyhealthrankings.org

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values

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Eleven factors

Government behavior

  1. Fraser Institute state ranking (state)7.6
  2. 2A (state)8.0
  3. GOP + LP vote for President7.7
  4. Sales tax3.6
  5. Property tax7.7

Environment

  1. Air quality6.0
  2. Floods / hurricanes0.7

Private behavior

  1. Homicide rate8.0
  2. Life expectancy4.7
  3. Government employees1.3
  4. Single-parent households8.4

Neighbors