Santa Rosa Beach is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 23,604 people and four associated neighborhoods, Santa Rosa Beach is the 142nd largest community in Florida. Much of the housing stock in Santa Rosa Beach was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Santa Rosa Beach economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Santa Rosa Beach, where the median household income is $117,081.00. Santa Rosa Beach home prices are not only among the most expensive in Florida, but Santa Rosa Beach real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.Santa Rosa Beach is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 86.77% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Santa Rosa Beach is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Santa Rosa Beach who work in sales jobs (15.54%), management occupations (15.51%), and office and administrative support (9.06%). Also of interest is that Santa Rosa Beach has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Santa Rosa Beach telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 25.44% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Another notable thing is that Santa Rosa Beach is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Santa Rosa Beach’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live. Because of many things, Santa Rosa Beach is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Santa Rosa Beach a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Santa Rosa Beach has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Santa Rosa Beach’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country. It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Santa Rosa Beach has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Santa Rosa Beach has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Santa Rosa Beach than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Santa Rosa Beach may be for you. One of the nice things about Santa Rosa Beach is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities. If knowledge is power, Santa Rosa Beach is a pretty powerful place. 50.08% of the adults in Santa Rosa Beach have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in Santa Rosa Beach in 2022 was $79,751, which is wealthy relative to Florida and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $319,004 for a family of four. Santa Rosa Beach is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Santa Rosa Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Santa Rosa Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Santa Rosa Beach include English, Irish, German, Italian, and European. The most common language spoken in Santa Rosa Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
