Since the 1970s, the number of military families has steadily increased to the point where military children now outnumber active-duty service members by a ratio of 1.4 to 1. While that margin may seem small, it underscores just how central military children and families are to the armed forces. According to the Department of Defense, this trend is expected to continue, as active-duty members are having children earlier and more frequently—the average age of a military child today is just five years old.

Looking across the entire DoD force, family members actually outnumber service members: 54.5% compared to 45.5%. About 37% of all service members have at least one child. Of those family members, nearly two-thirds are children (62.6%), while spouses account for about one-third (37%). Among the 1,554,645 military children, more than one-third—567,938, or 36.5%—are between the ages of 0 and 5.

In Northwest Florida, there are six major military installations with over 2,000 exiting military members annually. There are approximately 2,902 active duty military personnel stationed in Bay County, Florida, with the majority located at Tyndall Air Force Base. In addition to active-duty personnel, the base community includes around 5,328 active duty military dependents. 

Most military families, approximately 75%, live off-base. This often means relying on off-base childcare, both for convenience and availability. Long waitlists for on-base Child Development Centers (CDCs) and Family Childcare (FCC) homes further drive families to seek alternatives in the surrounding community. A 2023 study conducted by Rand researchers found nearly 26% of active-duty service members experience food insecurity, with about 15% relying on food stamps or food banks to support their families. The high cost of childcare further compounds these challenges, placing an added strain on military households.

As of 2022, Bay County, Florida, had approximately; 200 childcare workers, 2,800 school district employees, 200 EMS professionals, and 275 law enforcement. The Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida has highlighted childcare as a significant concern for both first responders and teachers in Bay County, Florida, noting that the county lacks enough licensed childcare facilities to meet the needs of working families.

According to 2023 census data, 11.8% of Bay County’s approximately 190,000 residents live below the poverty line, slightly higher than the national average of 11.5%. Data from the Florida Department of Health’s CHARTS (Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set) indicates that 10.4% of families with children aged 0–4 in Bay County fall below the poverty level. Additionally, Florida ranks second nationwide in the total number of children in foster care, with 20,322 currently in the system. Bay County alone has 322 children in foster care, representing a rate of about 811.5 children per 100,000 population aged 0–17—significantly exceeding the state average of 464.9 per 100,000. This high rate places Bay County among the Florida counties with the most elevated foster care populations.