Siesta KeyFL
A town of 5,525.
Is Siesta Key a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Siesta Key grades B+ overall, ranked 64th of 634 in Florida. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 84% of Florida towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $829K for a typical one and 10.2 times the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. 54% of residents are 65 or older in Siesta Key, against 20% in Florida’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Siesta Key has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Out of Door School and Lamolithic Historic District.
What makes Siesta Key stand out
Where Siesta Key beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Siesta Key | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 13.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| The Out-of-Door Academy | PK–12 | 841 |
| The Out-of-Door Academy of Sarasota, Inc. | PK–12 | 841 |
Siesta Key lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 29% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
52% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
How Siesta Key grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Siesta Key is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 87% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Tropicana Field and 34 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Siesta Key. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
19 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
7 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
in town BeachSiesta Beach
34 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí Museum
26 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
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Moving to Siesta Key: who provides what
Siesta Key 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 Siesta Key.
Siesta Key has schools in the top 5% of Florida and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida.
Siesta Key stands out in Florida and nationally, with the median rent higher than most
At 10.2 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home (about $829K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $829K, is 18% below its August 2022 peak.
The share of households in Siesta Key who are owner-occupiers: 93%. Zillow values the typical Siesta Key home at about $829,000, down 0.7% in a year, more than twice the Florida typical home. On the market here: a median 52 days to sell.
| Siesta Key | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 72% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Siesta Key earns an A− for schools
That grade ranks #24 of the 638 Florida towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $829K.
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Out-of-Door Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 841 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
A smaller share of adults in Siesta Key report frequent mental distress than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Siesta Key: 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Only 10 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Siesta Key. Two figures for adults here: 86% had a checkup this year, 28% sleep under 7 hours.
| Siesta Key | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 79% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Siesta Key | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 13.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 17.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Very high risk in Siesta Key, with hurricanes at the top
FEMA puts 58% of Siesta Key’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 29% to coastal flooding. The national flood insurance program has paid 2,626 claims locally since 1979. Federal aid has come to Siesta Key households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Conserved land covers 3.1% of Siesta Key
The biggest park or preserve is Siesta Beach Park, at 44 acres. In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 2.0 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Siesta Key: 3, covering 52 acres.
| Siesta Key | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Siesta Beach Park | 0.6 mi | 44 |
| 2. Glebe Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
| 3. Boyd Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Siesta Key, expect mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 52.5°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.7°.
Snow is almost unheard of. In Siesta Key, the January low is 53°F.
| Siesta Key | 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
About one in ten working residents works right in Siesta Key
Siesta Key has about as many jobs (1,823) as working residents, but only 151 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 37.2 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
The top destinations are Sarasota (15%), Tampa (4%) and South Sarasota (3%). Jobs based in Siesta Key grew to 1,823 in 2023, 497 more than in 2013. The town’s typical journey to work is 37 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 11 miles.
| Siesta Key | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.7% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Everything we know about Siesta Key
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Siesta Key
About 1 of every 100 Siesta Key residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
Siesta Key has shrunk 17% from 2010 to 2020
6,565 counted in 2010 and 5,454 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Siesta Key’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Siesta Key.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siesta Key | #64 | B+ | D− | — | A− | A |
| Sarasota | #224 | C+ | D | C+ | A− | B |
| South Sarasota | #177 | B− | D− | — | A− | A− |
Siesta Key and South Sarasota report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Siesta Key with a neighbor →
Questions about Siesta Key
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Siesta Key, FL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Siesta Key grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #64 of 634 in Florida. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Siesta Key, FL expensive?
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−.