Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
The numbers that matter most
What an investor checks first when sizing up a new metro — affordability ratio, rent vs income, cap rate proxy, and where the market is moving. Each metric shown vs. state and national medians for instant context.
moderate
Price to income
4.22×
The single most-cited 'is this market still cheap' check. Below 3× and you're in an affordability tailwind.
- vs Florida
- 4.23×-0.02
- vs U.S.
- 3.43×
Benchmark
ACS median home value ÷ median HHI
moderate
Rent to income
27.1%
What share of a typical household's income goes to rent. Below 30% means tenants can absorb modest rent increases.
- vs Florida
- 28.1%-1.1
- vs U.S.
- 23.3%
Benchmark
(HUD FMR 2BR × 12) ÷ median HHI
deal-by-deal
Cap rate proxy
4.17%
Rough first-pass yield assuming a 35% expense ratio. Not an underwriting number — a 'is this even worth modeling' filter.
- vs Florida
- 4.40%
- vs U.S.
- 4.35%
Benchmark
(FMR 2BR × 12 × 0.65) ÷ ACS median home value
steady
Net migration
+0.21%
Forward-looking demand signal. Positive net migration drives rent growth and absorbs new supply.
- vs Florida
- 0.83%
- vs U.S.
- 0.03%+0.18
Benchmark
IRS net migration ÷ population
strong
Permit pipeline
11.44
permits per 1,000 residents
Forward-supply indicator. Above ~5 means the metro is building meaningfully relative to its size; below 2 means supply is tight.
- vs Florida
- 8.03+3.41
- vs U.S.
- 3.52+7.92
Benchmark
Census BPS permits TTM ÷ population × 1,000
softening
Unemployment
4.5%
Tighter unemployment means higher wages, more rental demand, lower vacancy.
- vs Florida
- 4.9%-0.4
- vs U.S.
- 3.9%
Benchmark
BLS LAUS, latest month
Where prices are and where they've been
5-year price appreciation
+51.3%
homeValues.yearOverYear
+4.2%
Median home value
$333,800
The rent ladder
| Bedroom | Monthly | Annual | % of median HHI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | $1,581 | $18,972 | 24.0% |
| 2 BR | $1,785 | $21,420 | 27.1% |
| 3 BR | $2,448 | $29,376 | 37.1% |
Labor market direction
Unemployment
4.5%
Median household income
$79,150
What's being built
Total TTM
3,303
Single-family
2,506
2–4 unit
83
5+ unit
714
All 2 counties, ranked by population
| County | Population | Home value | Median HHI | Permits TTM | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okaloosa County | 212,021 | $324,800 | $79,097 | 1,182 | +2.5% |
| Walton County | 76,618 | $376,400 | $79,281 | 2,121 |
Similar metros nationally
| Metro | Pop | Med HHI | P/I | Cap proxy | HPI 5y | Permits/1k | Unemp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★Crestview | 288,639 | $79,150 | 4.22× | 4.17% | +51.3% | 11.44 | 4.5% |
| Sioux Falls, SD | 277,944 | $81,418 | — | — | +48.0% | — | 2.3% |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 295,165 | $75,473 | — | — | +50.6% | — | 3.9% |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 275,693 | $77,084 | — | — | +38.5% | — | 3.4% |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 274,339 | $80,600 | — | — | +84.4% | — | 7.2% |
| Wilmington, NC | 289,726 | $73,687 | — | — | +70.7% | — | 3.4% |
Where people are moving in from
Net migration
+601
+0.21% of population
| Origin county | Tax returns |
|---|---|
| Okaloosa County, FL | 808 |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 672 |
| Walton County, FL | 561 |
| Escambia County, FL | 370 |
| Bay County, FL | 320 |
| Clark County, NV | 136 |
Who lives in Crestview
- Median age
- 39
- Bachelor's+
- 34.2%
- Owner-occupancy
- 70.4%
- Vacancy rate
- 27.6%
- Rent burdened (30%+)
- 50.3%
- Median household income
- $79,150
This page shows federally sourced data. A full editorial analysis with charts and investment commentary is in progress.