Palmer RanchFL
Public schools that outperform most of Florida. The town was established in 1984 and has 16,867 residents today.
Is Palmer Ranch a good place to live?
Overall, Palmer Ranch earns a B, which places it 117th of 634 in Florida. That leaves it better than 56% of U.S. towns. Incomes are its strong suit: the median household earns $103K. The catch is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $593K, 7.3 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. It also trails on hazard risk (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On history, just 37 of Florida’s 779 towns do worse. 50% of residents are 65 or older locally, above both the Florida town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). The biggest park or preserve is Culverhouse Nature Park, at 81 acres.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Palmer Ranch stand out
Where Palmer Ranch beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
97% of working residents leave Palmer Ranch for work
Where Palmer Ranch’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Palmer Ranch grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Palmer Ranch is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Tropicana Field and 33 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palmer Ranch. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
25 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
12 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
6 mi BeachSiesta Beach
38 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí Museum
31 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 · Siesta Beach: 4net, CC BY 3.0 · Salvador Dalí Museum: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Fort De Soto Park: Christopher Hollis, Public domain
.jpg){kind=link}
Moving to Palmer Ranch: who provides what
Palmer Ranch 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Palmer Ranch.
Palmer Ranch has schools in the top 5% of Florida and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
On state tests, Palmer Ranch’s schools beat 84% of Florida districts
Its A− ranks #24 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools. Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $593K.
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Christian Academy of Sarasota PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 33 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Palmer Ranch has set aside 3.2% of its land for conservation
For Palmer Ranch, the concentration of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile. Across 2 parks and preserves: 8.8 miles of trail.
| Palmer Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Potter Park | 0.5 mi | 31 |
| 2. Culverhouse Nature Park | — | 81 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards: very high risk in Palmer Ranch, mostly hurricanes
70% of Palmer Ranch’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 25%. Since 2020, Palmer Ranch has seen 9 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Residents of Palmer Ranch are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns
For adults in Palmer Ranch, the share who had a checkup this year is 86%. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Palmer Ranch is ahead of Florida on 19 and behind on 6.
| Palmer Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 79% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Palmer Ranch | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.2% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 17.3% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Palmer Ranch
Palmer Ranch has 1,477 jobs for its 5,133 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 24.4% of workers work from home, against 15.7% across Florida.
Employers in Palmer Ranch added 311 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,477. 6.9% of Palmer Ranch residents live below the poverty line. The median commute is under 10 miles. The top destinations are Sarasota (18%), South Sarasota (5%) and Venice (3%).
| Palmer Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $103,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The climate in Palmer Ranch brings mild winters and hot summers
The Myakka Rvr Sp weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 141 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 52.6°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.8°.
The January low for Palmer Ranch comes to 53°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
| Palmer Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 53°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in Palmer Ranch sells for about $499K
At 7.3 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 85% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,363, against $2,730 across Florida, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Palmer Ranch’s midpoint rent is $1,794 a month. Homes sold in Palmer Ranch spent a median 73 days on the market. In Palmer Ranch, the typical sale closed at 96.2% of the list price.
| Palmer Ranch | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,794 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Palmer Ranch
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Palmer Ranch
About 2 of every 100 Palmer Ranch residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Palmer Ranch
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
Palmer Ranch is a census-designated place and planned community in Sarasota County, Florida between the cities of Sarasota and Osprey. The population was 14,966 at the 2020 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palmer Ranch encompasses approximately 6,733 acres (2,725 ha), bounded by Clark Road to the north, U.S. Route 41 to the west, Interstate 75 to the east, and approximately where State Road 681 and the Legacy Trail meet to the south. The area was part of the original 80,000 acres (320 km2) of Florida land purchased by Bertha Palmer, wife of Chicago businessman Potter Palmer.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Palmer Ranch’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Palmer Ranch.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Ranch | #117 | B | D | — | A− | A− |
| Osprey | #67 | B | D− | — | A− | A− |
Palmer Ranch and Osprey report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Palmer Ranch with a neighbor →
Questions about Palmer Ranch
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Palmer Ranch, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Palmer Ranch grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #117 of 634 in Florida. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Palmer Ranch, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $593,000, 58% 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 D.