Palmetto is a somewhat small coastal city (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 12,334 people and eight constituent neighborhoods, Palmetto is the 200th largest community in Florida.

Because occupations involving physical labor dominate the local economy, Palmetto is generally considered to be a blue-collar town. 37.6% of the Palmetto workforce is employed in blue-collar occupations, compared to the national average of 24.7%. Overall, Palmetto is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Palmetto who work in office and administrative support jobs (11.67%), sales jobs (9.45%), and building maintenance and grounds keeping (7.64%).

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Palmetto, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

The city is also nautical, which means that parts of Palmetto are somewhat historic and bounded by the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery. This is certainly the case with Palmetto, which has a vibrant tourist economy.

Palmetto Information and Demographics

The rate of college-level education in Palmetto is quite a bit lower than the national average among all cities of 14.96%: just 11.59% of people here over 25 have a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree.

The per capita income in Palmetto in 2000 was $17,724, which is middle income relative to Florida and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $70,896 for a family of four.

Palmetto is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Palmetto home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Palmetto is White, followed by African-American. Palmetto also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 26.10% of the city's residents. Important ancestries of people in Palmetto include German, English, and Irish.

The most common language spoken in Palmetto is English. Some people also speak Spanish.