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Cost of living, pay and housing

30.20° N · 85.70° W · GEOID 1258962

Pretty Bayou

Bay County, Florida · part of the Panama City, FL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

FloridaPretty Bayou, FLPretty BayouPretty Bayou

The short answer

Pretty Bayou is home to 2,906 people. Median household income is $85,208 a year and median rent is $1,749 a month, 24.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $298,900, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,749
28% above the median place
Median household income
$85,208
6% above the median place
Median home value
$298,900
6% below the median place
Unemployment
3.9%
20% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Pretty Bayou

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 16.2% a year while household income rose 1.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 473 Florida places.
  • 77% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 97% of places its size.
  • Households average 1.94 people, smaller than in 96% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 52.3 years old, older than in 94% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $94 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 90% of places its size.
01

Moving to Pretty Bayou

Bay County gains about 29.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in14,084
Moved out9,911
Net+4,173

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Washington County, FL342459−117
Gulf County, FL196176+20

Within Florida, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within FloridaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$75K
Leavers$61K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Bay County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
9.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 5.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Bay County report $74,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $61,100, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$70,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,749 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,843 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $298,900.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 10.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Chelsea, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
29.0
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
5.7%
187% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
9.9%
73% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure9.9%73% above
Moved from another state1County figure5.7%187% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure29.0above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$74,8946% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$61,07313% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 76.9%, 52% above the median place.

Pretty Bayou24.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$69,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.6%
21% above the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
8% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$65,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Pretty Bayou, $1,749 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Pretty Bayou, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Oak Hill, ME21.4% vs 24.6%$9,900Compare
Diamondhead, MS21.6% vs 24.6%$6,600Compare
Lake of the Woods, VA19.4% vs 24.6%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Pretty Bayou.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Pretty Bayou? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
76.9%
52% above the median place
Vacant homes1
15.7%
122% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
38% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,74928% above
Rent to income124.6%21% above
Property tax rate10.6%38% below
Home price to income13.5x8% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure97.34% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,6512% above
HUD area median income4County figure$98,9008% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,65949% below
Median home value1$298,9006% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.4%24% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure48.4%6% below
Homeownership171.4%8% above
Renters paying 30%+176.9%52% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8432% below
Vacant homes115.7%122% above
Median year built119790% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
5.8%
46% below the median place
Income per person1
$54,368
36% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$85,2086% above
Income per person1$54,36836% above
Unemployment1County figure3.9%20% below
Average annual pay6County figure$55,56016% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.0%8% above
Jobs6County figure83,25145% below
Poverty rate15.8%46% below
Mean commute122 min11% below
Works from home1County figure10.1%19% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 99.0%, 7% above the median place.

High school or higher1
99.0%
7% above the median place
Household size1
1.9
22% below the median place
Median age1
52.3
34% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband95.6% +4%
Bachelor's or higher48.6% +52%
No health insurance8.4% +31%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,9066646th largest
Median age152.334% above
Bachelor's or higher148.6%52% above
High school or higher199.0%7% above
Household size11.922% below
Born abroad1County figure8.6%2% below
No health insurance18.4%31% above
Homes with broadband195.6%4% above
05

Life in Pretty Bayou

12 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars25.4 +22%
Shops44.0 +45%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.6 +12%
Doctors' offices and clinics24.4 +21%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
44.0
45% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
25.4
22% above the median place
Public school students11
27,672
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure50above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure27,672above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure17.111% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure25.422% above
Shops per 10k8County figure44.045% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.612% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure24.421% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure128% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 58.3 in, 33% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Pretty Bayou. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
58.3 in
33% above the median place
Hurricane risk13
98.7
40% above the median place
January average low12
42°F
68% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePretty BayouAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure91°F4% above
January average low12County figure42°F68% above
Average temperature12County figure68°F24% above
Annual precipitation12County figure58.3 in33% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure94.12% above
Hurricane risk13County figure98.740% above
Tornado risk13County figure94.116% above
Wildfire risk13County figure75.724% above
Heat wave risk13County figure84.36% below
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure66.4%3% below
08

Pretty Bayou in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 26% of the median income in 2030, up from 25% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,749/mo (2024)$2,350/mo$1,930 to $2,860/mo+5.0%
Median household income$85,208 (2024)$107,000$90,500 to $127,000+3.9%
Median home value$298,900 (2024)$413,000$300,000 to $569,000+5.5%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Pretty Bayou

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Chelsea, MI$1,619$72,098Compare
Westchester, IL$1,794$98,954Compare
Southgate, FL$1,671$80,133Compare
Oak Hill, ME$1,743$97,610Compare
Oak Hill, MESouthgate, FLWestchester, ILChelsea, MIPretty Bayou, FLPretty BayouChelseaWestchesterSouthgateOak HillPretty BayouChelseaWestchesterSouthgateOak Hill

Common questions

Is Pretty Bayou a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 16.2% a year while household income rose 1.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 473 Florida places. 77% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 97% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 40 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Pretty Bayou expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $298,900.

What salary do you need to live in Pretty Bayou?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $69,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Pretty Bayou?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Chelsea, MI, Westchester, IL, Southgate, FL and Oak Hill, ME.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Pretty Bayou with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Pretty Bayou itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/pretty-bayou-florida

Citytistics. “Pretty Bayou, Florida.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/pretty-bayou-florida/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.