In 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael made landfall just miles north of the county line in Mexico Beach, severely damaging large parts of the region and its timber and shellfish industries. The area has largely recovered in the years since.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 756 square miles (1,960 km2), of which 564 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 192 square miles (500 km2) (25.4%) is water.[3]
By way of the Intracoastal Waterway, Gulf County is one of a small number of counties in the United States to be in two time zones, Eastern and Central in this case.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,192 people, 5,897 households, and 3,940 families residing in the county.
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 13,332 people, 4,931 households, and 3,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 inhabitants per square mile (9.3/km2). There were 7,587 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.89% White, 16.94% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,931 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,276, and the median income for a family was $36,289. Males had a median income of $27,539 versus $20,780 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,449. About 13.70% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Once heavily Democratic, Gulf County voted Republican at the Presidential level for the first time in 1964 and has transitioned to a Republican stronghold at the Presidential level. The county still supported conservative Democrats for local office until the 2000s. Republicans flipped most county offices in the 2010s and now consist of a strong majority of registered voters as of 2023.
The county is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners, elected in single-member districts. At the state level, Gulf County is represented by State Senator Corey Simon (R) and State Representative Jason Shoaf (R).
Gulf County is a part of Florida's 2nd Congressional District and is represented by Neal Dunn (R).
United States presidential election results for Gulf County, Florida[16]
^Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[11][12]
^"Florida Geographic Names". U.S.G.S. Topographic Division, Office of Research & Technical Standards, National Center. September 23, 1981 – via Google Books.
