Best Online Nursing Programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL (2026)

Fort Walton Beach, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs, with tuition ranging from $2,348 to $9,718 per year for indexed programs. Fort Walton Beach has a population of about 20,956. Median household income is $66,556 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $215,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Nursing Schools to Fort Walton Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Fort Walton Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Walton Beach city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Fort Walton Beach. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Okaloosa Technical College

Fort Walton Beach, FL 3.1 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 46.3
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,577
Avg net price $18,819/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:Accreditor: Council on Occupational EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida nursing page.


Nursing Wages Near Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area (BLS area code 18880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse$81,260Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$83,773
Licensed Practical Nurse$59,060Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$60,887
Nurse Anesthetist$215,990Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$222,670
Nurse Midwife$127,460FL statewide$131,402
Nurse Practitioner$124,680Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$128,536
Nursing Assistant$36,970Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$38,113

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Fort Walton Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population20,956Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$66,556Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+27.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in Okaloosa County3,814 workers, 56 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Fort Walton Beach-Area Cities With Nursing Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Fort Walton Beach, FL?

Accredited schools offering nursing programs near Fort Walton Beach are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Fort Walton Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Fort Walton Beach are: Nurse Anesthetist ($215,990), Nurse Midwife ($127,460), Nurse Practitioner ($124,680). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Crestview instead of Fort Walton Beach?

Crestview, FL is 22.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Walton Beach an affordable place to study nursing?

Fort Walton Beach’s median household income of $66,556 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Walton Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Nursing Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Walton Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Walton Beach:

Data verified: July 23, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.