“Counties like it” are metro-area counties with a similar population and a median household income near Palm Beach County's ($84,789). Ahead or behind means more than 15% better or worse than the typical one.
Ahead of similar counties on 1 measure:
Behind similar counties on 2 measures:
About the same on 8: life expectancy, residents per primary care doctor, residents per mental health provider, children in poverty, food insecurity, households with severe housing problems, unemployment, households with broadband internet.
| Measure | Palm Beach County | Typical similar county |
|---|---|---|
| Population change, 2020–2024 | 5.9% 1,494,276 → 1,582,055 | 1.9% |
| School spending per student (day-to-day costs) | $14,024 | $17,299 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Census Annual Survey of School System Finances (school year 2023), current spending divided by enrollment across the districts based in the county.
“Counties like it” means other counties in a metro area with a similar number of people and a similar median household income (about $84,789 here). Comparing with them, instead of the whole country, shows what similar places have managed. Palm Beach County is furthest behind on adults under 65 without health insurance, drug overdose deaths per 100,000.
| Measure | Palm Beach County | Typical similar county | Doing best among similar counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug overdose deaths per 100,000 behind similar counties | 35.9 | 30.4 | Gwinnett County, GA 16.1 Tarrant County, TX 17.9 Oakland County, MI 18.6 |
| Life expectancy about the same | 80.7 years | 77.8 years | Queens County, NY 81.2 years Suffolk County, MA 80.1 years Kings County, NY 80.1 years |
| Adults under 65 without health insurance behind similar counties | 16.3% | 8.0% | Suffolk County, MA 3.1% Worcester County, MA 3.2% Essex County, MA 3.5% |
| Residents per primary care doctor about the same | 1,244 | 1,321 | Suffolk County, MA 635 Multnomah County, OR 680 Oakland County, MI 726 |
| Residents per mental health provider about the same | 343 | 301 | Multnomah County, OR 87 Suffolk County, MA 90 Essex County, MA 146 |
| Children in poverty about the same | 14.6% | 14.2% | Oakland County, MI 9.5% Baltimore County, MD 10.3% Salt Lake County, UT 10.6% |
| Food insecurity about the same | 11.6% | 11.9% | Hennepin County, MN 8.7% Prince George's County, MD 9.3% Essex County, MA 10.1% |
| Households with severe housing problems about the same | 21.5% | 19.0% | Oakland County, MI 12.2% Allegheny County, PA 12.7% St. Louis County, MO 13.0% |
| Unemployment about the same | 3.0% | 3.5% | Baltimore County, MD 2.2% Prince George's County, MD 2.2% Hennepin County, MN 2.6% |
| Households with broadband internet about the same | 90.1% | 92.3% | Pierce County, WA 93.8% Oakland County, MI 93.6% Salt Lake County, UT 93.6% |
| Bridges rated poor ahead of similar counties | 0.3% | 3.1% | Gwinnett County, GA 0.0% Orange County, FL 0.0% Clark County, NV 0.2% |
“Behind” or “ahead” means more than 15% worse or better than the typical (median) similar county; small differences can be noise. Sources: County Health Rankings 2025 (health, money and internet), Vera Institute (jail, latest year from 2015 on), FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025, HUD (metro areas), Census 2024 population. What has worked elsewhere on each of these.
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
Related: By the numbers · The money trail · Audits · What has worked. Spot an error? Report it.