Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sarasota grades C+ overall, 224th among Florida's 634 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 84% of Florida towns and it is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $411K, 5.1 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. 26% of working residents work locally in Sarasota, against 5% in Florida’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District and Seagate. Only 20 of Florida’s 327 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Sarasota beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Seagate
Its founding year, 1763, comes before those of 99% of the Florida towns we grade with a known year. Its 70 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Florida towns with a listing.
Census counts: 840 in 1910, 54,842 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1944 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Sarasota is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sarasota. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
16 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
in town MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
30 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí Museum
5 mi BeachSiesta Beach
23 mi Park & preserveFort De Soto ParkTropicana 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sarasota, 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 Sarasota.
Sarasota has schools in the top 5% of Florida and draws workers from North Port and beyond, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
48,872 jobs are based in Sarasota, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.7 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
About one in 4 of Sarasota’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Sarasota is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Sarasota grew to 48,872 in 2023, 4,720 more than in 2013.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
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 $411K.
Its public schools are run by the Sarasota school district. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota School of Arts/SciencesLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 747 | A |
| Sarasota High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,359 | B+ |
| Southside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 696 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
14 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. South Lido County Park, at 98 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Payne Park | 1.7 mi | 38 |
| 2. South Lido County Park | 1.5 mi | 98 |
| 3. Ken Thompson Park | 0.9 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1,545 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 231 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,545 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sarasota.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 52.3°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.5°.
Sarasota has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Sarasota’s January low is 52°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 52°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 29% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (38% statewide). 16% of Sarasota residents are under 18. Sarasota has grown 6.6% since 2020, to 58,458 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 48.2 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 31% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.2 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 49.2, men 47.2.
| Sarasota | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.3% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.5% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 14% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Sarasota beats the Florida average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 18% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Sarasota.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Sarasota | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.3% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.2% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes rose from 0 to 1,045 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 22.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 54% of Florida’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $411K, is 14% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Sarasota home is worth about $411,000, down 1.5% in a year, 9% above the Florida typical home.
| Sarasota | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 72% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 62% | 59% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,684 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Sarasota
About 6 of every 100 Sarasota residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
3 colleges in town.
70 places in Sarasota on the National Register of Historic Places.
53 notable people were born in Sarasota.
City in Florida, United States
Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida on Sarasota Bay, a lagoon on the Gulf Coast. The population was 54,842 at the 2020 census. The two-county Sarasota metropolitan area has an estimated 935,000 residents, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Florida and 61st-largest in the United States. The Sarasota area was explored by the Spanish in the 16th century, and was settled by American William Henry Whitaker in the mid-19th century. Sarasota's development accelerated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly with the influence of Bertha Honore Palmer and the Ringling family as the ho…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Sarasota.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; South Sarasota (B−) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota | #224 | C+ | D | C+ | A− | B |
| North Sarasota | #134 | B− | C | — | A− | C |
| South Sarasota | #177 | B− | D− | — | A− | A− |
| Southgate | #44 | B+ | D | — | A− | A− |
| Siesta Key | #64 | B+ | D− | — | A− | A |
| Fruitville | #71 | B | D | — | A− | A− |
North Sarasota, South Sarasota, Southgate, Siesta Key and Fruitville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sarasota with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sarasota grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #224 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
53 notable people were born here, including Carla Gugino and Stephen Root.
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