View source for Escambia County, Florida

{{short description|County in Florida, United States}}
{{about|the county in Florida|the adjacent county in Alabama|Escambia County, Alabama|the river|Escambia River}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Escambia County
 | state                = Florida
 | seal                 = Seal of Escambia County, Florida.png
 | seal size            = 150px
 | logo                 = 
 | logo size            = 113px
 | founded year         = 1821
 | founded date         = July 21
 | seat wl              = Pensacola
 | leader_title         = County Administrator
 | leader_name          = Wes Moreno
 | largest city wl      = Pensacola
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 875
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 656
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 218
 | area percentage      = 25.0%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | population_total     = 321905 
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 326928 {{increase}}
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | named for            = [[Conecuh River|Escambia River]]
 | ex image             = Pensacola, FL, Courthouse, Escambia County, 12-16-2010 (2).JPG
 | ex image cap         = Escambia County Courthouse
 | district             = 1st
 | time zone            = Central
 | website              = http://myescambia.com }}

'''Escambia County''' is the westernmost and oldest [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Florida]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 321,905.<ref name="2020 Census" /> The [[county seat]] and largest city is [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|archive-date=May 31, 2011}}</ref> Escambia County is included within the [[Pensacola metropolitan area|Pensacola Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The county population has steadily increased as the City of Pensacola and its surrounding [[bedroom communities]] continue to grow with residential and commercial development. The county is part of the [[Florida panhandle|Northwest Florida]] region of the state.

==History==
{{main|History of Pensacola, Florida}}

The area had been inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples of varying cultures. Historic [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indian]] tribes at the time of European-American settlement were the [[Pensacola people|Pensacola]] and [[Muscogee (Creek)|Muscogee]], known among the English as the Creek.

Escambia County had been part of Spanish colonial settlement before the United States acquired it in 1818. The county was organized by European-Americans on July 21, 1821; it was named for the [[Conecuh River|Escambia River]]. The name "Escambia" may have been derived from the [[Creek language|Creek]] name ''Shambia'', meaning "clear water",<ref>[http://www.co.escambia.al.us/history.html Escambia County Alabama History] - accessed August 18, 2009</ref> or the [[Choctaw language|Choctaw]] word for "cane-brake" or "reed-brake".<ref>[http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/escambia.html Alabama Department of Archives and History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204183123/http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/escambia.html |date=December 4, 2010 }} - accessed August 18, 2009</ref> The Choctaw were another major tribe in the Southeast.

Created on the same date, Escambia and [[St. Johns County, Florida|St. Johns]] Counties were Florida's two original counties, covering the entire territory within modern state boundaries. The [[Suwannee River]] was the border between them,<ref>''Today in Florida History!'', July 21, 2012, www.myfloridahistory.org, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida</ref> following a winding path from the northern border of the state to the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Essentially, the Escambia county government had jurisdiction over the "[[Florida Panhandle|panhandle]]" and "[[Big Bend (Florida)|big bend]]" areas, and St. Johns over the remainder of the entire state.

As population increased in the frontier territory, 21 counties were later organized from Escambia county directly or indirectly. They include [[Jackson County, Florida|Jackson]] (1821), [[Gadsden County, Florida|Gadsden]] (created from Jackson)(1823), [[Leon County, Florida|Leon]] (1824), [[Walton County, Florida|Walton]] (1824), [[Washington County, Florida|Washington]] (created from Jackson and Walton)(1825), [[Hamilton County, Florida|Hamilton]] (1827), [[Jefferson County, Florida|Jefferson]] (1827), [[Madison County, Florida|Madison]] (created from Jefferson) (1827), [[Franklin County, Florida|Franklin]] (1832), [[Calhoun County, Florida|Calhoun]] (1838), [[Santa Rosa County, Florida|Santa Rosa]] (1842), [[Wakulla County, Florida|Wakulla]] (created from Leon) (1843), [[Holmes County, Florida|Holmes]] (created from Jackson and Walton) (1848), [[Liberty County, Florida|Liberty]] (created from Gadsden) (1855), [[Lafayette County, Florida|Lafayette]] and [[Taylor County, Florida|Taylor]] (created from Madison) (1856), [[Bay County, Florida|Bay]] (created from Washington) (1913), [[Okaloosa County, Florida|Okaloosa]] (created from Santa Rosa and Walton) (1915), [[Dixie County, Florida|Dixie]] (created from Lafayette) (1921), and [[Gulf County, Florida|Gulf]] (created from Calhoun) (1925). The number of counties in Florida since 1925 has been stable at 67.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has an area of {{convert|875|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|656|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|218|sqmi}} (25.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The county jurisdiction includes the island of [[Santa Rosa Island, Florida|Santa Rosa]] south of Pensacola; it is not part of [[Santa Rosa County, Florida|Santa Rosa County]] proper. Escambia County is part of the [[Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area|Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Escambia County, Alabama]] — north
* [[Santa Rosa County, Florida]] — east
* [[Baldwin County, Alabama]] — west

Escambia County, Florida, and Escambia County, Alabama, are two of 22 counties or parishes in the United States with the same name to border each other across state lines.<!--Hide this list, or put it as an article to be referenced from articles related to these places. It's not significant for these southern counties to have all the other pairs listed. "The others are [[Bristol County, Massachusetts]] and [[Bristol County, Rhode Island]], [[Kent County, Delaware]] and [[Kent County, Maryland]], [[Vermillion County, Indiana]] and [[Vermilion County, Illinois]], [[Pike County, Illinois]] and [[Pike County, Missouri]], [[Union Parish, Louisiana]] and [[Union County, Arkansas]], [[Sabine Parish, Louisiana]] and [[Sabine County, Texas]], [[Teton County, Idaho]] and [[Teton County, Wyoming]], [[Big Horn County, Montana]] and [[Big Horn County, Wyoming]], [[Park County, Montana]] and [[Park County, Wyoming]], and [[San Juan County, New Mexico]] and [[San Juan County, Utah]],  ."-->

===National protected areas===
* [[Gulf Islands National Seashore]] (part)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1830= 3386
|1840= 3993
|1850= 4351
|1860= 5768
|1870= 7817
|1880= 12156
|1890= 20188
|1900= 28313
|1910= 38029
|1920= 49386
|1930= 53594
|1940= 74667
|1950= 112706
|1960= 173829
|1970= 205334
|1980= 233794
|1990= 262798
|2000= 294410
|2010= 297619
|2020= 321905
|estyear=2023
|estimate=326928
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/fl190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/escambiacountyflorida/PST045218|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607113737/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12033.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> 2020<ref name="2020 Census">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US12033 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Escambia County, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Escambia County, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US12033&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref>{{cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Escambia County, Florida|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US12033&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref>{{cite web |title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Escambia County, Florida |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US12033&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=May 27, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|208,678
|196,901
|style='background: #ffffe6; |200,962
|70.88%
|66.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |62.43%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|62,548
|67,443
|style='background: #ffffe6; |68,148
|21.25%
|22.66%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21.17%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|2,525
|2,384
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,998
|0.86%
|0.80%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|6,440
|8,015
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,866
|2.19%
|2.69%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.06%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|321
|400
|style='background: #ffffe6; |410
|0.11%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.13%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|420
|472
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,771
|0.14%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.55%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|5,543
|7,943
|style='background: #ffffe6; |17,957
|1.88%
|2.67%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.58%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|7,935
|14,061
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20,793
|2.70%
|4.72%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.46%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''294,410'''
|'''297,619'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''321,905'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
[[File:2023_Racial_Demographics_in_Escambia_County_by_Census_Tract.svg|thumb|A map of racial demographics in Escambia County, Florida by Census tract{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''
{{legend|#fbdedd|30–40%}}
{{legend|#f1b4b2|40–50%}}
{{legend|#ed8783|50–60%}}
{{legend|#e55651|60–70%}}
{{legend|#d02923|70–80%}}
{{legend|#b00600|80–90%}}
{{legend|#850400|>90%}}

'''Black or African American'''
{{legend|#d7c477|40–50%}}
{{legend|#c0a32f|50–60%}}
{{legend|#a88600|60–70%}}

{{col-end}}
}}]]
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 321,905 people, 122,169 households, and 74,083 families residing in the county.

===2010 Census===
At the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] there were 297,619 people, 116,238 households, and 74,040 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|449|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 136,703 housing units at an average density of {{convert|206|/mi2|/km2}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2010 census|racial makeup]] of the county was 68.9% White, 22.9% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name="GR8">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
Of the 116,238 households 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 28.9% of households were one person and 10.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.

The median household income was $43,707 and the median family income was $54,543. Males had a median income of $38,878 versus $30,868 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,773. About 12.7% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

===2000 Census===
At the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]] there were 294,410 people, 111,049 households, and 74,180 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|444|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 124,647 housing units at an average density of {{convert|188|/mi2|/km2}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2000 census|racial makeup]] of the county was 72.4% White, 21.4% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 2.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name="GR8" />
Of the 111,049 households 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 26.9% of households were one person and 9.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.

The median household income was $35,234 and the median family income was $41,708. Males had a median income of $31,054 versus $22,023 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,641. About 12.1% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
{{main|Escambia County School District}}

Public [[primary education|primary]] and [[secondary education]] schools in Pensacola are administered by the [[Escambia County School District]], the county's only school district.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st12_fl/schooldistrict_maps/c12033_escambia/DC20SD_C12033.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Escambia County, FL|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=August 1, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st12_fl/schooldistrict_maps/c12033_escambia/DC20SD_C12033_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

The [[University of West Florida]], [[Pensacola State College]], and [[Pensacola Christian College]] are in Escambia County.

==Media==

===Newspapers===
The largest daily print newspaper in the area is the ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]''. There is also a weekly print newspaper, ''[[Pensacola Independent News|The Independent News]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inweekly.net/ |title=Home |publisher=Inweekly |date= |accessdate=August 7, 2022}}</ref>

===Television===
One major network broadcasts from Pensacola, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WEAR-TV|WEAR]]. Several major networks are broadcast from nearby [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], such as [[CBS]] affiliate [[WKRG]], [[NBC]] affiliate [[WPMI-TV]], and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WALA]]. The following is a list of [[Terrestrial television|broadcast television]] stations in the [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]] – [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] – [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida|Fort Walton Beach]], [[Florida]] market.<ref name="nielsen_dma59">[http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html (Nielsen DMA#59)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517010320/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |date=May 17, 2006 }} <!-- broken ref --></ref> [[Cox Communications]] provides cable television service in the county's urbanized areas, and television advertising through its subsidiary, Cox Media. [[Spectrum (TV service)|Spectrum]] holds the cable television franchise for the county's mainland rural areas, while [[Mediacom]] serves the Pensacola Beach community on Santa Rosa Island.

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[WALA]]
* [[WAWD]]
* [[WFNA (TV)|WFNA]]
* [[WBQP-CD]]
* [[WEAR-TV]]
* [[WEIQ]]
* [[WFBD]]
* [[WFGX]]
* [[WHBR (TV)|WHBR]]
* [[WJTC]]
* [[WKRG-TV]]
* [[WMPV-TV]]
* [[WPAN]]
* [[WPMI-TV]]
* [[WSRE]]
{{div col end}}

===Radio===
Radio stations in the [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] / [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] market:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/mm001050.asp|title=Market Ranks|website=www.arbitron.com}}</ref>

{{Pensacola Radio}}

==Transportation==

===Airports===
* Coastal Airport
* Ferguson Airport
* [[Pensacola International Airport]]

===Transit===
Escambia County is served by buses run by [[Escambia County Area Transit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goecat.com/routes/_doc/fullmap-201212.pdf |title=Route map |website=[[Escambia County Area Transit]] |access-date=November 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116101943/http://www.goecat.com/routes/_doc/fullmap-201212.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2013 }}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{See also|List of county roads in Escambia County, Florida}}
* {{jct|state=FL|I|10|FL|8}}
* {{jct|state=FL|I|110}}
* {{jct|state=FL|US|29|SR|95}}
* {{jct|state=FL|US|90}}
* {{jct|state=FL|US-Alt|90|dab1=Pensacola}}
* {{jct|state=FL|US|98}}<!--is the main costal west-to-east highway in the county.-->
* {{jct|state=FL|US-Bus|98|dab1=Pensacola}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|4}}<!--is the west to east route that's closest to the Alabama border.-->
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|97}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|99}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|173}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|289}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|291}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|292}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|295}}
* {{jct|state=FL|SR|296}}

===Railroads===
Pensacola was a [[Pensacola station (Amtrak)|scheduled stop]] on the route of [[Amtrak]]'s [[Los Angeles]]-[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] ''[[Sunset Limited]]'' from 1993 to 2005, when damage to railroad bridges and tracks caused by [[Hurricane Katrina]] resulted in cancellation of the route east of New Orleans. Escambia County has had no passenger train service since then.

Before the creation of Amtrak in 1971, Pensacola was served by the New Orleans-Jacksonville ''[[Gulf Wind]]'', operated jointly by the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] and the [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad]] (predecessors of CSX).

The following freight railroads serve Escambia County:
* [[CSX]] from [[Flomaton, Alabama]], to Pensacola
* [[Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad]], which acquired most of the CSX main line from Pensacola to [[Jacksonville]] on June 1, 2019
* [[Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway]] from [[Amory, Mississippi]], to Pensacola (predecessor: the [[Frisco Railway]]).

==Library==
Escambia County is served by the [[West Florida Regional Library|West Florida Regional Library System]].

==Government==
Escambia County government is led by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. Each is elected from a [[single-member district]]. The county commission appoints a professional county administrator as chief administrative officer of the county.

The chief law enforcement authority of Escambia County is the [[Escambia County Sheriff's Office]], also an elective office. The sheriff of Escambia County is Chip Simmons, elected in 2020.

The fire protection arm of the Escambia County is the Escambia County Fire Rescue (Florida).

===Board of County Commissioners===
Escambia County is divided into five districts. One county commissioner is elected from each district to serve a four-year term. Commissioners are chosen in partisan elections by voters from the districts in which they live. The board appoints a county administrator to be chief administrative officer of the county, responsible to the commission for the orderly operations of matters within the board's jurisdiction. The current office holders are,

* Escambia County District 1: Steve Stroberger
* Escambia County District 2: Mike Kohler (chair)
* Escambia County District 3: Lumon May 
* Escambia County District 4: Ashlee Hofberger
* Escambia County District 5: Steven Barry 
* Escambia County administrator: Wes Moreno
* Escambia County assistant administrator: Debbie Bowers
* Escambia County assistant administrator: Wesley Hall
* Escambia County attorney: Alison P. Rogers

<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your Government |url=https://myescambia.com/your-government |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=MyEscambia.com |language=en}}</ref>

===County jail===
In 2011, the [[United States Department of Justice|US Justice Department]]’s [[Civil Rights Division]] issued a letter detailing the results of its investigation into conditions at Escambia County Jail, which houses roughly 1,300 prisoners. The department found that, although Sheriff David Morgan had recently implemented a series of reforms, conditions at the jail still routinely violated prisoners' constitutional rights.<ref name="doj-2013">{{cite web |author=Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs |date=May 22, 2013 |title=Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions of Confinement at Escambia County, Fla. Jail |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/May/13-crt-590.html |publisher=United States Department of Justice}}</ref>

Specifically, the department concluded that known systemic deficiencies, stemming mainly from staffing shortages, subjected prisoners to excessive risk of assault by other prisoners and to inadequate mental health care. Additionally, the department found that, until recently, the jail had an informal policy and practice of segregating its housing units, reserving one for African-American prisoners. According to the Department of Justice, this race-based segregation stigmatized and discriminated against many of the prisoners, and aggravated racial tensions in the jail.<ref name="doj-2013" /> Between April 2012 and March 2013, the prison recorded 176 inmate-on-inmate assaults, including 20 serious head wounds.<ref name="austin-2013">{{cite web |author=Roy L. Austin Jr. |date=May 22, 2013 |title=Findings Letter of Investigation of Escambia County Jail |url=https://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/7492013522113545964446.pdf}}</ref>

The investigation released a letter of findings:
* Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults are a common occurrence at the jail, making the Facility unsafe for prisoners. Assaults occur routinely primarily because of a shortage of correctional staff. The facility needs more staff to patrol jail pods, intervene when altercations or fights break out, and search cells for dangerous items that could be used as weapons against fellow prisoners;<ref name="austin-2013" />
* A staffing study released in March 2011 commissioned by county leadership has given Jail leadership good reason to know that staffing shortages pose a significant risk to prisoner safety. Among other findings, the study concluded that: the jail "is operating with only about three-fourths of its needed staff; that "the [j]ail has been understaffed for many years;" that "[d]eputies ... are routinely borrowed from other jobs which results in leaving their posts unmanned;" that "[t]he frequency of some important operations, such as cell searches, is reduced due to lack of staff to conduct the searches;" that "[p]osts are understaffed or not staffed at all;" and that, "[l]arge insufficiencies in jail staffing ... raise the likelihood that something serious could happen that would overwhelm the jail's ability to respond;"<ref name="austin-2013" />
* The Jail's leadership fails to appropriately monitor and track prisoner-on-prisoner violence and staff-on-prisoner uses of force;<ref name="austin-2013" />
* The jail's decades-long practice of housing some prisoners in housing units designated as only for black prisoners ("black-only pods") racially discriminates against African-Americans, contributes to prisoner perceptions that the jail favors white prisoners over black prisoners, and reduces safety by exacerbating racial tensions among prisoners at the Facility;<ref name="austin-2013" />
* Prisoners are not given timely and adequate access to appropriately skilled mental health care professionals;<ref name="austin-2013" />
* The jail routinely fails to provide appropriate medications to prisoners with mental illness;<ref name="austin-2013" />
* The jail provides inadequate housing and observation for prisoners with serious mental illness and/or at risk of self-injury, including suicide;<ref name="austin-2013" /> and
* On average, the jail sends roughly one prisoner per month to the hospital after an incident of self-injury, a rate judged indicative of an inadequate mental health program.<ref name="austin-2013" />

The Department of Justice concluded from these facts that Escambia County Jail's practices violated the [[Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution|fourteenth amendment]]'s [[due process]] protections for pre-trial detainees, as well as the [[Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution|eighth amendment]]'s protections for those convicted of a criminal offense. Jail officials must refrain from showing deliberate indifference to conditions of confinement posing an excessive risk of harm to prisoners.<ref name="austin-2013" />

Roy L. Austin Jr., deputy assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division, commended Sheriff Morgan for his willingness to remedy problems identified during the course of the investigation. The department conducted this investigation under the [[Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act]] (CRIPA) to enforce constitutional mandates. The department's investigation was broad-based.<ref name="doj-2013" />

The investigation was conducted by Special Litigation Counsel Avner Shapiro and Senior Trial Attorney David Deutsch of the Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section.<ref name="doj-2013" /> The findings letter is available on the department's website.

==Communities==
[[File:Juan Sebastian de Elcano at Pensacola.jpg|thumb|200px|''Juan Sebastian de Elcano,'' a Spanish tall ship, initiates a 21-gun salute in honor of the city of [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]'s 450th anniversary in 2009.]]

===City===
* [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]

===Town===
* [[Century, Florida|Century]]

===Census-designated places===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Bellview, Florida|Bellview]]
* [[Brent, Florida|Brent]]
* [[Ensley, Florida|Ensley]]
* [[Ferry Pass, Florida|Ferry Pass]]
* [[Gonzalez, Florida|Gonzalez]]
* [[Goulding, Florida|Goulding]]
* [[Molino, Florida|Molino]]
* [[Myrtle Grove, Florida|Myrtle Grove]]
* [[Naval Air Station Pensacola|Pensacola Station]]
* [[Warrington, Florida|Warrington]]
* [[West Pensacola, Florida|West Pensacola]]
{{div col end}}

===Other unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Barrineau Park, Florida|Barrineau Park]]
* [[Barth, Florida|Barth]]
* [[Beulah, Escambia County, Florida|Beulah]]
* [[Bluff Springs, Florida|Bluff Springs]]
* [[Bogia, Florida|Bogia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/200/f217/f217.htm|title=Bogia, 1936|website=fcit.usf.edu}}</ref>
* [[Bratt, Florida|Bratt]]
* [[Brownsville, Escambia County, Florida|Brownsville]]
* [[Cantonment, Florida|Cantonment]]
* [[Innerarity Point, Florida|Innerarity Point]]
* [[McDavid, Florida|McDavid]]
* [[Millview, Florida|Millview]]
* [[Oak Grove, Escambia County, Florida|Oak Grove]]
* [[Pensacola Beach, Florida|Pensacola Beach]]
* [[Perdido Key, Florida|Perdido Key]]
* [[Pleasant Grove, Escambia County, Florida|Pleasant Grove]]
* [[Walnut Hill, Florida|Walnut Hill]]
{{div col end}}

===Ghost towns===
* [[Muscogee, Florida|Muscogee]]
* Pine Barren

==Politics==

===Voter registration===
According to the secretary of state's office, Republicans constitute a plurality of registered voters in Escambia County.

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Escambia County voter registration & party enrollment as of September 30, 2022<ref>{{cite web |title=Voter Registration - By County and Party |url=https://dos.fl.gov/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-reports/voter-registration-by-county-and-party/ |access-date=November 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Political party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 98,987
| style="text-align:center;"| 44.25%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 71,746
| style="text-align:center;"| 32.07%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| No party affiliation 
| style="text-align:center;"| 48,734
| style="text-align:center;"| 21.78%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Minor parties 
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,252
| style="text-align:center;"| 1.90%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 223,719
! style="text-align:center;"| 100.00%
|}

===Statewide elections===
Escambia County is very conservative for an urban county. Before 1994, the area traditionally voted Democratic in local elections and sent Democrats to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] and the state legislature, like most of the Western Panhandle. This was particularly the case in the decades of the 20th century when most African Americans were [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised]] by the state constitution until the federal Voting Rights Act passed.

In 1994 incumbent representative [[Earl Hutto]] declined to run for reelection. That year, Republican [[Joe Scarborough]] was elected to the House of Representatives.

Voters of the county have not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1960. In 1964, a majority of the county's voters supported Republican nominee [[Barry Goldwater]]. In 1968, third-party candidate [[George Wallace]] won Escambia County with 54% of the vote. In 1972, Republican [[Richard Nixon]] received 80% of the vote. Since 1972, Republican nominees in every presidential election have won an absolute majority in Escambia County, but in recent years, the Democratic Party has increased its share of the presidential vote. In 2020, [[Joe Biden]] was the first Democratic presidential nominee to win over 40% of the county's vote since [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976. Growth in the Pensacola suburbs as well as the sizable black population has made Escambia County the least Republican-leaning of the Western Panhandle counties. In the [[2025 Florida's 1st congressional district special election|2025 1st district special election]] [[Gay Valimont]] won it by 3 points.

{{PresHead|place=Escambia County, Florida|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|0|2,616|127|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|233|1,285|150|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|432|1,435|394|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|497|1,573|89|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|718|1,887|751|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|72|1,593|401|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|416|2,183|166|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,227|3,485|633|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,274|2,290|778|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,443|3,772|118|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,658|6,182|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,567|9,138|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|2,249|16,201|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|3,191|16,240|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|3,267|13,982|4,907|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|12,176|20,495|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|13,227|22,320|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|17,925|28,288|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|32,414|25,371|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|15,089|16,281|37,000|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|56,071|14,078|315|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|41,471|38,279|965|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|51,794|33,513|3,252|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|66,715|26,812|22|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|64,959|29,977|524|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|52,868|32,045|20,308|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|60,997|37,838|9,090|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|73,171|40,990|2,695|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|93,566|48,329|1,383|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|91,411|61,572|1,891|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|88,711|58,185|2,071|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|88,808|57,461|7,903|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|96,674|70,929|3,253|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|96,407|64,601|2,496|Florida}}
{{PresFoot}}

{| class="wikitable"  style="float:left; font-size:95%;"
|+ '''Gubernatorial Election Results'''
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third Party (United States)|Third parties]]
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2022|2022]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''64.46%''' ''74,608''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|34.63% ''40,076''
| style="text-align:center;"|0.91% ''1,053''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2018|2018]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''57.76%''' ''74,719''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|40.84% ''52,835''
| style="text-align:center;"|1.40% ''1,812''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2014|2014]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''61.99%''' ''60,719''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|34.13% ''33,434''
| style="text-align:center;"|3.88% ''3,798''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2010|2010]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''56.93%''' ''54,607''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|38.44% ''36,873''
| style="text-align:center;"|4.63% ''4,436''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2006|2006]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''59.09%''' ''51,195''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|38.98% ''33,777''
| style="text-align:center;"|1.93% ''1,674''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 2002|2002]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''64.92%''' ''60,095''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|34.40% ''31,844''
| style="text-align:center;"|0.68% ''633''
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 1998|1998]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''66.83%''' ''50,325''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|33.14% ''24,956''
| style="text-align:center;"|0.03% ''23''      
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Florida gubernatorial election, 1994|1994]]
|  style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''57.68%''' ''45,261''
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|42.32% ''33,210''
| style="text-align:center;"|0.00% ''1''    
|}
{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Escambia County, Florida]]
* [[Florida Panhandle]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Butler, J. Michael. ''Beyond Integration: The Black Freedom Struggle in Escambia County, Florida, 1960 -1980'' (University of North Carolina Press, 2016). xx, 326 pp.

==Sources incorporated into this article==
{{Include-USGov
|agency=United States Department of Justice
|article=Justice Department Finds Unconstitutional Conditions of Confinement at Escambia County, Fla.
|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/May/13-crt-590.html}}

{{Include-USGov
|agency=United States Department of Justice
|article=Findings Letter of Investigation of Escambia County Jail
|url=https://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/7492013522113545964446.pdf}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Escambia County, Florida}}
* [http://www.myescambia.com/ Escambia County]
* [https://www.escambiaschools.org/ Escambia County School District]
* Historic issues of the [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00075911/01491/allvolumes2?search=pensacola+%3djournal Pensacola Journal] (1905–1904) at [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ndnp/newspapers Florida and Puerto Rico Digital Newspaper Project]

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Escambia County, Florida
|North     = [[Escambia County, Alabama]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Santa Rosa County, Florida|Santa Rosa County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Gulf of Mexico]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Baldwin County, Alabama]]
|Northwest =
}}

{{Pensacola metropolitan area}}
{{Escambia County, Florida}}
{{Geography of Florida}}
{{North Florida}}

{{coord|30.61|-87.33|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-FL_source:UScensus1990}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Escambia County, Florida| ]]
[[Category:Pensacola metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Florida placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:World War II Heritage Cities]]
[[Category:1821 establishments in Florida Territory]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1821]]
[[Category:Florida counties]]
[[Category:North Florida]]