Palm Beach County is one of about 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the United States. It has 1,974.1 sq. miles in land area and a population density of 640.9 per square mile. In the last three decades of the 1900s its population grew by 224.1%. On the 2000 census form, 97.6% of the population reported only one race, with 13.8% of these reporting African-American. The population of this county is 12.4% Hispanic (of any race). The average household size is 2.34 persons compared to an average family size of 2.89 persons. In 2007 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $27,824. Per capita income grew by 24.0% between 1997 and 2007 (adjusted for inflation).

People & Income Overview (By Place of Residence)	Value	Rank in U.S.	Industry Overview (2007) (By Place of Work)	Value	Rank in U.S.
Population (2008)	1,265,293	29	Covered Employment	560,215	42
Growth (%) since 1990	46.5%	346	Avg wage per job	$43,777	195
Households (2000)	474,175	26	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	3.4%	2475
Labor Force (persons) (2008)	628,273	29	Avg wage per job	$61,604	182
Unemployment Rate (2008)	6.6	950	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	2.0%	1669
Per Capita Personal Income (2007)	$59,147	33	Avg wage per job	$42,906	697
Median Household Income (2007)	$53,500	407	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	12.6%	733
Poverty Rate (2007)	10.2	2472	Avg wage per job	$45,305	144
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	83.6	839	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	4.4%	351
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	27.7	273	Avg wage per job	$86,056	49