Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sanford grades C overall, 326th of 634 graded towns in Florida, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 82% of Florida towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns, including 363 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Only 51 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. Sanford’s violent crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents, above both Florida’s towns (2.1) and U.S. towns (1.6). Sanford is home to Seminole State College of Florida.
Where Sanford beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bentley Elementary School | PK–5 | 903 |
| Goldsboro Elementary Magnet | PK–5 | 901 |
| Pine Crest Elementary School | PK–5 | 714 |
Sanford Commercial District
Census counts: 2,016 in 1890, 61,051 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1837 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Sanford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sanford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Theme parkWalt Disney World Resort
Big draw25 mi Theme parkUniversal Studios Florida9.5M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi Theme parkUniversal Epic Universe
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaCamping World Stadium
Big draw25 mi Theme parkUniversal's Islands of Adventure9.5M visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaKia CenterWalt Disney World Resort: Anthony Quintano from Westminster, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Universal Studios Florida: Radiobroadcastcenter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Universal Epic Universe: Martin Lewison, CC BY 2.0 · Camping World Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Universal's Islands of Adventure: David Bjorgen, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Kia Center: 350z33 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sanford, 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 Sanford.
Sanford has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Florida rate.
Violent crime runs at 5.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Florida rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 2,184 to 1,709 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Sanford’s property crime rate is 19.7 per 1,000 residents. Sanford reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Seminole school district. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,385 | A− |
| Seminole High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,807 | C+ |
| Hospital Homebound ProgramTop results in townGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 28 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
The Sanford weather station records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49.1°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.3°.
Sanford has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Sanford is 49°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 13% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 26% of residents (21% statewide). Sanford has grown 10% since 2020, to 67,483 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.4, men 35.9.
| Sanford | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.3% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Most working residents leave Sanford for work: only 16% work in town. 20% of Sanford workers work from home. Jobs based in Sanford grew to 40,531 in 2023, 5,018 more than in 2013.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5.7 miles of trail in 42 parks and preserves. Boombah Sports Complex, at 106 acres with 2.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boombah Sports Complex | 2.7 mi | 106 |
| 2. Lake Jesup Conservation Area | — | 27 |
| 3. Derby Park | 0.2 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical value, about $340K, is 8% below its May 2024 peak.
The typical Sanford home is worth about $340,000, down 1.7% in a year, 9% below the Florida typical home. 52% of households own their home in Sanford.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,609 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 59% | 59% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
88 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 88 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sanford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,182 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sanford’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Sanford beats the Florida average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Sanford | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Sanford | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.1% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Sanford
About 5 of every 100 Sanford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
9 places in Sanford on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Sanford.
City in Florida, United States
Sanford is a city in and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore of Lake Monroe at the head of navigation on the St. Johns River. Native Americans first settled the area thousands of years before the city was formed. The Seminoles arrived in the area in the 18th century. During the Second Seminole War in 1836, the United States Army established Camp Monroe and built a road now known as Mellonville Avenue. Sanford is about 20 miles…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sanford.
Midway has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Midway reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Sanford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sanford grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #326 of 634 in Florida. It grades B− for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($78,533 across the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, 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−.
23 notable people were born here, including Jim Courier and Naomi.
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