Population
Palm Bay
125,273
Essex
40,670
Median Income
Palm Bay
$67,521
Essex
$67,082
Home Value
Palm Bay
$248,000
Essex
$253,500
Rent
Palm Bay
$1,487
Essex
$1,307
Crime Rate
Palm Bay
3.48
Essex
N/A
Cost of Living
Palm Bay
118.1
Essex
115.8
Avg Temp
Palm Bay
N/A
Essex
N/A
Unemployment
Palm Bay
5.9%
Essex
5.3%
How Similar Are Palm Bay & Essex?
Essex is Palm Bay's #18 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Palm Bay
125,273
Essex
40,670
Palm Bay (125,273) is about 3.1x larger than Essex (40,670).
Political Leaning
Palm Bay
59.9%
Essex
36.5%
Palm Bay leans Republican while Essex leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Palm Bay
5.9%
Essex
5.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Palm Bay
$67,521
Essex
$67,082
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Palm Bay
$248,000
Essex
$253,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Palm Bay
16.0%
Essex
13.3%
Palm Bay has a 17% higher education than Essex.
Demographics
Palm Bay
59.2%
Essex
54.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Palm Bay
118.1
Essex
115.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Palm Bay and Essex share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Palm Bay
0
Essex
Cost of Living & Affordability — Essex leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPalm Bay has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,709 vs $1,857 in Essex (8% lower). Essex scores 102.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 108.9 in Palm Bay. Essex scores 139.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 142.7 in Palm Bay.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm Bay has a median property tax of $1,539 vs $2,895 in Essex (47% lower). Palm Bay has a owner-occupied of 79.3% compared to 57.6% in Essex. Essex has a vacancy rate of 6.5% compared to 9.0% in Palm Bay.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Palm Bay leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm Bay: 61,386 vs Essex: 22,026 for labor force. Palm Bay has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 6.6% in Essex. Palm Bay has a government sector of 43.2% compared to 38.8% in Essex.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPalm Bay has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.0% compared to 13.3% in Essex. Essex has a high school diploma or higher of 40.9% compared to 39.1% in Palm Bay.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm Bay has a population of 125,273, about 3.1x the size of Essex (40,670).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Palm Bay
Essex
Healthcare — Essex leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEssex: 3.8 vs Palm Bay: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Essex: 5 vs Palm Bay: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Palm Bay leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalm Bay has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.3% in Essex. Essex has a public transit of 6.3% compared to 1.0% in Palm Bay. Palm Bay has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 6.6% in Essex.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Palm Bay, FL
Compare Palm Bay against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.