Duval Street Live Cam

Key West, a tropical paradise, envisions itself to be a role model city, known for the respect of our diverse people and our environment. We will strive to be a user-friendly city, establishing an atmosphere of trust and confidence by providing quality, professional service. We are a city that cares.

The mission is to maximize services to our customers in the most cost effective way. We will accomplish this through teamwork, high employee morale, sufficient staffing and quality training by establishing a partnership with the community and safeguarding the health, safety and welfare of our customers.

Key West had a 1990 population of 24,832 year-around inhabitants. This was a slight increase (450 persons) since 1980. In addition to the permanent residents, the City was also home to an estimated 12,887 more seasonal visitors, including 1,628 living in the community three to five months per year, and 11,259 staying less than three months. This meant that on an average day the number of persons in Key West swelled to 37,539. By 1999, the City had an estimated permanent population of 27,698 in addition to 18,630 tourist/visitors, for a total daily population of just over 46,000.

Characteristics of the population are available only on the permanent residents as of 1990. The median age of the local citizens was 33.7 years, in contrast to the Florida average of 36.5 years. About 7 percent of the City's population was of pre-school age (0 to 5), 13 percent of school age (5 to 18), 68 percent of working age (18 to 65), and 12 percent of retirement age (65 and above).

The age groupings of the local residents have changed very little between 1980 and 1990. Of the full-time residents, 72 percent were white (non-Hispanic), 10 percent were black (non-Hispanic), less than one percent were of all other races (non-Hispanic), and 16 percent were of Hispanic origin (of any race). Key West also has a large and diverse gay and lesbian population. One characteristic of the local population is great mobility. Almost two-thirds of the 1990 inhabitants didn't live in the same dwelling five years previously, and only an estimated 20 percent of residents lived in the same dwelling over 15 years.

There were 12,221 housing units in Key West in 1990. This is an increase of 1,355 units since 1980. Of the total dwellings, 39 percent were single family detached residences, 54 percent were multi-family units, 4 percent were mobile homes, and 3 percent were boats, tents, etc. Not included in the 1990 Census figures are the 4,345 hotel, motel, guest boarding house rooms, and campground sites and cottages in the City.

About 85 percent of all dwellings were occupied year-around, 8 percent were vacant for sale or rent, and 7 percent (808) were seasonally or otherwise used. Of the 10,424 permanently occupied units, 42 percent were owner-occupied and 58 percent were renter-occupied. Between 1980 and 1990, the percent of owner-occupied homes declined significantly, from 50 percent to 42 percent, while the percentage of renter-occupied units increased from 50 to 58 percent over the same period.

There are two distinguishing characteristics of housing in the City. One is age. Only 17 percent of all housing units in Key West were built after 1970, in contrast to 57 percent of the dwellings in Monroe County. Of all housing stock in the city, 28 percent (3,428) were built before 1939, compared to 8 percent in Monroe County.

The second major characteristic of City housing is cost. The median value of owner-occupied housing in 1990 was $147,400 compared to the state average of $76,400. Median gross monthly rent was $559, in contrast to the state average of $402. In 1996 (when the average single family home sale price was $220,300) National Association of Realtors data showed that Key West was the fourth most expensive housing market in the United States.

Tourism is the City's primary generator of local economic activity. In 1996, the City received an estimated 1.3 million annual visitors, including 274,000 airport deplanements; 427,000 cruise ship passengers; and 637,000 automobile passengers. Approximately 66 percent of the economic base (employment) in the city is directly or indirectly tied to tourism.

About two of every three jobs in Key West in 1990 were in either the retail trade or service sectors. Almost half of all retail trade positions were in eating and drinking establishments, and the professional and related category accounted for half of all service positions. The economic base of the City, in comparison to state-wide averages, is very high in retail trade and public administration employment and equally low in the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors.

The median household income in the community in 1990 was $28,121. This was slightly higher than the state average of $27,483. About 10 percent of Key West residents had incomes below the poverty line.