Is Lake Sarasota a good place to live?
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its strongest is schools: its public schools beat 84% of Florida towns on state tests and graduation. Overall, Lake Sarasota earns a B+: better than nearly two thirds of U.S. towns, and 60th of 634 in Florida. Health is a strength too — it is healthier than just over three quarters of U.S. towns. The catch is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $381K, 4.7 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. It lags on hazard risk as well — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. The town’s January low is 51°F, close to Florida’s towns (51°F) and above U.S. towns (22°F). Lake Sarasota’s midpoint rent is $1,986 a month, against $1,647 a month in Florida’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
How Lake Sarasota grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Lake Sarasota is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Lake Sarasota stand out
Where Lake Sarasota beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lake Sarasota has shrunk 15% from 2010 to 2020
4,679 counted in 2010 and 3,979 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Sarasota.
Lake Sarasota has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, has less food insecurity than most of Florida and sends most of its workers to Sarasota and beyond.
Lake Sarasota faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
FEMA puts 65% of Lake Sarasota’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 26% to inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lake Sarasota ranks healthier than 76% of the country’s towns
Its widest gap with Florida is food insecurity: 10.9% of its 3,130 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.8% statewide.
31% of Lake Sarasota adults have obesity. The town beats the Florida average on 13 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. Only 4 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Lake Sarasota. Two figures for adults here: 9.6% have diabetes, 31% have high blood pressure.
| Lake Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lake Sarasota | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.9% | 16.8% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 12.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.6% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Lake Sarasota
Lake Sarasota has 197 jobs for its 1,866 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Lake Sarasota’s median household income comes in at $92,000. Commuting out is the norm here: 3% of working residents work locally. Employers in Lake Sarasota added 113 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 197. The top destinations are Sarasota (18%), Fruitville (7%) and Lakewood Ranch (4%).
| Lake Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lake Sarasota has mild winters and hot summers
The Myakka Rvr Sp weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 141 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 50.7°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.7°.
The typical July afternoon high locally is 92°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
| Lake Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 51°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Conserved land covers 3.5% of Lake Sarasota
One park or preserve covers 15 acres in Lake Sarasota.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakeview Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median home in Lake Sarasota sells for about $410K
The share of households in Lake Sarasota who are owner-occupiers: 71%.
| Lake Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,986 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Lake Sarasota
Tropicana Field and 34 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Sarasota. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
23 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
10 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
35 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí Museum
8 mi BeachSiesta Beach
29 mi Park & preserveFort De Soto ParkPhoto credits
Tropicana Field: EaglesFanInTampa, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Anna Maria Island: Bfpage at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Salvador Dalí Museum: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Siesta Beach: 4net, CC BY 3.0 · Fort De Soto Park: Christopher Hollis, Public domain
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Moving to Lake Sarasota: who provides what
Lake Sarasota is unincorporated, so Sarasota County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
97% of working residents leave Lake Sarasota for work
Where Lake Sarasota’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Sarasota
About 4 of every 100 Lake Sarasota residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Lake Sarasota
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Lake Sarasota is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,979 at the 2020 census, down from 4,679 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- Area code
- 941
Questions about Lake Sarasota
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Sarasota, FL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Lake Sarasota grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #60 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Lake Sarasota, FL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $381,000, 1% above the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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