Panama City Beach is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 19,056 people and ten associated neighborhoods, Panama City Beach is the 155th largest community in Florida. Panama City Beach has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Panama City Beach, where the median household income is $76,091.00.

A relatively large number of people in Panama City Beach telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.79% 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 Panama City Beach is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the city experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller city.

Panama City Beach is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The overall education level of Panama City Beach citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 33.59% of adults in Panama City Beach have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.

The per capita income in Panama City Beach in 2022 was $47,615, which is upper middle income relative to Florida, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $190,460 for a family of four. However, Panama City Beach contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Panama City Beach is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Panama City Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Panama City Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Panama City Beach include Irish, English, German, French, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Panama City Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.