The Escambia County Budget

Location and Area

According to the United States Census, Escambia County is home to 331,275 residents in Northwest Florida. Escambia County is the 21st most populated county in Florida and is one of the oldest counties in the state. The mission of Escambia County government is to provide efficient, responsive services that enhances our quality of life, meet common needs and promote a safe and healthy community. With over 2,000 employees, we pride ourselves on being the perfect climate for everything - building a business, raising a family and enjoying the many recreational amenities in the area. Picture perfect white sand beaches and clear, emerald Gulf waters draw millions of vacationers to Escambia each year, especially to Pensacola Beach, named the #4 Top U.S. Beach in 2020 by Tripadvisor and the Perdido Key area.

 

Escambia County is bordered on the west and north by Alabama, on the east by Santa Rosa County and on the south by the Gulf of America. The county encompasses approximately 661 square miles, or 420,480 acres, with an additional 64,000 acres of water area. From the Gulf of America, north to Alabama is a distance of approximately 50 miles. According to the National Weather Service, the annual average temperature in the region is 63 degrees; average January temperature is 45 degrees; average July temperature is 89 degrees; average annual rainfall of 68.3 inches; and the average annual sunshine percentage is 60%. There are two municipalities within the county, the largest of which is the City of Pensacola, where the county seat is located.

 

Although Northwest Florida has not experienced the rapid growth that Southern and Central Florida evidenced after World War II, the area has grown significantly during the past two decades. The military, industry, shipping, tourism and recreation, agriculture, and retail sales trade are all part of the county's economic structure. Because of this diversified base, the economy of the area has historically been stable. Learn more about Escambia County.

 

Workforce

Approximately 91.29% of the population in Escambia County holds a high school degree. The University of West Florida boasted a graduation rate of 53.7% and Pensacola State College had an estimated graduation rate of 42% for the Class of 2024. The county's labor force, as percent of population, was 45% in 2024 and boasts a low unemployment rate of 3.6%. The Pensacola area is characterized by a younger workforce due to a higher rate of youth employment, influenced primarily by our military population. The percentage of millennial workers is an estimated 24.6% of 176,389 total workers in the Greater Pensacola area. 

 

The largest employers include Navy Federal Credit Union, Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Systems. Ascend Performance Materials, GE Verona, and Innisfree Hotels. Escambia County has a myriad of industries such as aviation manufacturing; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and cybersecurity, are represented in a variety of career academies. Escambia County is also home to the University of West Florida, Pensacola Christian College and Pensacola State College. 

 

Greater Escambia County is also home to more than 35,000 military retirees—the second largest concentration in the nation—many of whom are looking to apply their skills in civilian jobs. These professionals are educated, disciplined, technically proficient self-starters; the type of employees that all leaders want in their companies. Learn more about the county workforce at the Florida West Economic Alliance.

 

 

 

Housing

Escambia County residents can choose from a variety of lifestyles offered by the area: rural setting, beaches, bayfront or one of many lovely subdivisions at a range of prices. Most of the developments are close to shopping, churches, schools and parks. Total dwelling units in the County as of 2023 number 151,224, with 64% owner occupied and 36% offered as rental units. According to Realtor.com in September 2025, the median listing home price in Escambia County, FL was $339,000, with home prices varying depending on location, square footage and style. The median listing home price per square foot was $177. The median home sale price was $280,000 in June 2025. 

 

Utilities

Escambia County utility service providers offer a variety of services to the citizens of the County. The service providers include Florida Power and Light (FPL) providing energy services to both residential and industrial customers and Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) providing services to citizens of Northern Escambia County. Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) providing services to residential and industrial customers including water and wastewater services and Peoples Water Services Company provides water services to West Pensacola residents. Natural gas services are provided by Pensacola Energy. Escambia County has a host of internet service providers including Cox, AT&T, and Spectrum; as well as EREC and Mediacom providing internet in rural regions of Escambia County and wireless internet service providers like T-Mobile. The county is also served by six cable/satellite companies.

Education

Escambia County has an estimated 70 schools providing educational services to 35,646 students as of the fall of 2025. The School District operates 31 elementary, 8 middle, and 7 high schools. There are also a variety of exceptional student education centers, private schools, charter academies, alternative education centers, as well as George Stone Technical College. The ECSD Workforce Education Department oversees 59 career and technical education academies at the middle and high school level.

The University of West Florida offers many four-year degree programs and is one of the 12 public universities of the State of Florida University System providing higher education facilities to students. Pensacola State College offers two and select four-year college degree programs with three campuses in the City of Pensacola and one in Town of Century. Troy University-Florida Region operates a four-year university located near Pensacola International Airport. Escambia County also has one private four-year college, Pensacola Christian College (PCC). Learn more about educational opportunities in Escambia County.

 

Media Services

Escambia County is served by one daily newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola is also home to WEAR-TV, the ABC affiliate for the Pensacola – Mobile Markets, while the local PBS member station which is operated by Pensacola State College. Pensacola Magazine and Bella Magazine focus on community and lifestyle issues, while the Northwest Florida’s Business Climate is the only business magazine devoted to the region. There are also 2 weekly newspapers: The Independent News and the Escambia Sun Press. The area is also served by 18 AM and 33 FM radio stations, there are also 19 television stations serving the local market, including public broadcasting. 

 

Social Media

Escambia County Board of County Commissioners provides updates on community happenings, weather alerts, and local government updates through several social media outlets. Please feel free to connect with Escambia County via Facebook, X, and Instagram. 

 

 

 

Transportation

The county area is served by a full array of transportation systems. Commercial air service to all parts of the United States is provided through the Pensacola International Airport by Southwest, American, Delta, United Airlines, Frontier, Spirit and Silver Airways.

 

The county also has excellent bus, rail, and trucking transportation services. Local bus service is provided by the Escambia County Area Transit System (ECAT). Intercity service is provided by Greyhound-Trailways. Rail service is provided by Burlington Northern and CSX Transportation for freight.

 

Medical Facilities

Medical services are provided by five (5) main hospitals located in Escambia County, all of which have surgical centers. Baptist Hospital, a part of Baptist Health Care, located at the intersection of Brent Lane and Interstate 110, features a 10 story, 336-bed facility. Also located on the Baptist campus is the Bear Family Foundation Health Center, a six-floor medical office building with 162 exam rooms. Baptist Health Care operates the area's only 24-hour a day air ambulance service, emergency room, and trauma center. HCA Florida West Hospital is a 515-bed facility that offers a comprehensive range of medical and surgical services. Mental health services are provided by Baptist Hospital and HCA Florida West Hospital as well as, Lakeview Center and Community Health Northwest Florida. Navy Hospital provides a variety of services to service members and their families including primary care, internal medicine, and women's health. Sacred Heart Hospital is a 566-bed acute care facility, specializing in heart and vascular care and pediatric care. Sacred Heart is the only hospital to offer a Children's Hospital and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery for children from across Northwest Florida. Select Specialty Hospital is a 52-bed, critical illness recovery hospital. The Department of Veteran Affairs Joint Ambulatory Care Center offers a multitude of medical services to the areas Veteran population. Additionally, Community Health of Northwest Florida is a Federally recognized health center that provides free, reduced cost, or accepts insurance for medical services for the community. Nemours Children's Clinic offers a wide range of pediatric specialties.

 

Services Provided

Escambia County provides a wide range of services and resources including law enforcement, fire protection, emergency management, beach safety, conservation and resource management, employment opportunities and career development, parks and recreation facilities, planning and zoning, transportation and general administrative services. To promote quality of life and enhance our community amenities, the County operates eight full-service library facilities, the Pensacola Bay Center with host seating for 10,000 attendees for concerts, sporting and community events. In the area neighborhood revitalization, the County has programs dedicated to building and maintaining community centers, new and replacement sidewalks, playgrounds, after-school programming and safe neighborhood initiatives. Transportation services are also augmented by a county-wide bus and trolley system to expand accessibility and reduce reliance on personal vehicular travel. The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has invested millions in growing the economy to promote job growth, maintain county tax rates at the lowest possible levels, and provide community services that meet the needs of residents and businesses. Learn more about Escambia County government at MyEscambia.com.
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Form of Government

The 1868 Florida Constitution established the structure of county government. One hundred years later the 1968 Revision of the Florida Constitution made virtually no change to that structure. The Constitution provided for a Board of County Commissioners whose primary responsibility was to provide roads and levy the necessary taxes to fund county government.

 

Although most county governments in Florida today have the same structure described in the 1868 Constitution, the mission of county government has changed dramatically in the ensuing century. Where once the primary responsibility of county government was to provide roads and fund law enforcement, the scope has expanded to include items such as comprehensive planning, environmental protection, impact fees, water and sewer utilities, bond issues, solid waste management, computerization and management information systems.

 

The county has a non-charter government structure established by the State of Florida Constitution. Pursuant to Florida Statutes, the legislative powers are vested with the five-member Board of County Commissioners. Separate powers for operation of specific functions of county government are vested with the five Constitutional Officers - Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. The Board of County Commissioners of Escambia County is the principal legislative and governing body of the county, as provided by the Florida Constitution and Chapter 125, Florida Statutes. The County Administrator, the chief administrative official of the county, is appointed by and serves at the discretion of the Board. The County Administrator is directly responsible to the Board for administration and operation of all departments of the county. The Office of the County Attorney, who is appointed by the Commission, provides legal services to the county government.

 

Annually, the Board elects one of their members as Chairman. The Chairman presides over all meetings, signs all legal documents, and appoints commissioners to various committees. The Chairman is the official representative of the Board. The Board meets at the Escambia County Courthouse Building, on the first and third Thursday of each month. Minutes are recorded of all Commission meetings, committee meetings and public hearings and made a part of the record in the Clerk to the Board's Office. County Board meetings are also streamed on County's YouTube site and include an archive of past board meetings, interviews and special events.

 

The Economy

The military remains a large factor in the area's economy. Navy and Air Force expenditures, including construction, have historically accounted for nearly half of the total payroll in the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Navy installations include Pensacola NAS, Saufley Field and Corry Station. Whiting Field is located in Milton, Florida, about 30 miles northeast of Pensacola. As a whole, Escambia County has transitioned to other market segments including financial services, health care, technology, housing and education. Interested in learning more about starting, expanding or relocating your business, contact Florida West Economic Development Alliance.  In 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the top three industries in Escambia County were Office and Administrative Support (12.6%); Food Preparation and Serving (11.9%); and Sales and Retail (10.4%). 

Escambia County has several commercial/industrial parks, including Central Oaks, Heritage Oaks, and the newest is the Downtown Technology Park. The average annual wage for all industries in the county area is $60,384, with a per capita income level of $55,416 (2024) as compared to the statewide per capita income level of $70,390. Learn more about the local and statewide economy.

 

Whether you are resident, a visitor to our scenic land and beautiful shores, or an entrepreneur looking for a new business opportunity, Escambia County welcomes you!