Cortez is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 4,121 people and two associated neighborhoods, Cortez is the 304th largest community in Florida.

Housing costs in Cortez are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Florida.

A relatively large number of people in Cortez telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 12.10% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Cortez is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Cortez has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Cortez a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

Cortez is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Being a small town, Cortez does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

The education level of Cortez ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Cortez, 44.78% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Cortez in 2022 was $55,014, which is wealthy relative to Florida and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $220,056 for a family of four. However, Cortez contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Cortez home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cortez residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Cortez include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Cortez is English. Other important languages spoken here include French Creole and Spanish.