Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bradenton grades D overall, ranked 565th of 634 in Florida, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 234 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Only 22 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on history. Bradenton’s January low is 51°F, close to Florida’s towns (51°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
Where Bradenton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Manatee County Courthouse (Original)
Census counts: 1,886 in 1910, 55,698 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1956 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Bradenton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bradenton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
9 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaRaymond James Stadium
32 mi Stadium & arenaBenchmark International Arena
8 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
39 mi Theme parkBusch Gardens Tampa4.0M visitors a yearTropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Anna Maria Island: Bfpage at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Raymond James Stadium: NASA, Public domain · Benchmark International Arena: Miosotis Jade, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Busch Gardens Tampa: Wolle8ball, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bradenton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bradenton.
Bradenton draws workers from South Bradenton and beyond, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
35,189 jobs are based in Bradenton, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
For residents in Bradenton, the share who live below the poverty line is 15%. Employers in Bradenton added 7,036 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 35,189. The top destinations are Sarasota (7%), South Bradenton (3%) and Tampa (3%). The median household income locally is $61,000.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Manatee school district runs its public schools. Two of its 19 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public school enrollment in Bradenton: 3,071 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. D. Sugg Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,017 | C− |
| Manatee High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,998 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Walkers can cover 10 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Perico Preserve, 162 acres with 1.3 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Bradenton comes to 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. G.T. Bray Park | 2.6 mi | 144 |
| 2. Perico Preserve | 1.3 mi | 162 |
| 3. Neal Preserve | 0.5 mi | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 1,434 to 1,115 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Bradenton’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents. For Bradenton, the property crime rate is 15 per 1,000 residents.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 12.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
658 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 92 properties have flooded more than once.
Paid flood insurance claims in Bradenton since 1982: 658. FEMA puts just over two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 13% to inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 16 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bradenton 5 Ese weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 51.4°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.3°.
Bradenton’s typical July afternoon high stands at 91°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,138 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bradenton’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
In Bradenton, 15% of adults smoke cigarettes. Two figures for adults here: 14% binge drink, 40% have high blood pressure.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bradenton | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 7.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 9.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.6% | 3.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 28%, against 34% across Florida. People 65 and older are 28% of residents (21% statewide). In Bradenton, the age of the median resident is 47.8 years. Since 2020, Bradenton has grown 4.1%, to 58,014 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 47.8 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Bradenton | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.7% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $352K, is 13% below its November 2023 peak.
Bradenton’s going rate for rent comes in at $1,618 a month. Home values are down 2.3% over the year to September 2026. Among households locally, 56% own their home.
| Bradenton | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 72% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 66% | 59% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,618 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Bradenton
About 3 of every 100 Bradenton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
49,546 counted in 2010 and 55,698 in 2020; an estimated 58,014 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 places in Bradenton on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Bradenton.
City in Florida, United States
Bradenton ( BRAY-dən-tən) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 55,698 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Downtown Bradenton is along the Manatee River and includes the Bradenton Riverwalk and Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. To the south of Bradenton is Sarasota; beach communities on Anna Maria Island are to its west, and the Manatee River and Palmetto are to its north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bradenton.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; West Samoset (D) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradenton | #565 | D | C− | C− | C+ | C+ |
| South Bradenton | #387 | C | B | — | C+ | C− |
| Samoset | #530 | D | B− | — | C+ | D |
| West Bradenton | #118 | B | C | — | C+ | B+ |
| Ellenton | #164 | B− | B− | — | C+ | B |
| West Samoset | #537 | D | C+ | — | C+ | D− |
South Bradenton, Samoset, West Bradenton, Ellenton and West Samoset report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bradenton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bradenton grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #565 of 634 in Florida. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($80,859 across the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
37 notable people were born here, including Sebastian Korda and Nelly Korda.
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