South Gate RidgeFL
A town of 5,310. Public schools that outperform most of Florida.
Is South Gate Ridge a good place to live?
South Gate Ridge grades B− overall, 162nd of 634 graded towns in Florida, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $445K, 5.5 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. 29% of residents are 65 or older in South Gate Ridge, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. The biggest park or preserve is Red Bug Slough Preserve, at 49 acres.
What makes South Gate Ridge stand out
Where South Gate Ridge beats most towns.
How South Gate Ridge grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far South Gate Ridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Tropicana Field and 34 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Gate Ridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaTropicana Field
21 mi BeachAnna Maria Island
8 mi MuseumJohn and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
4 mi BeachSiesta Beach
34 mi MuseumSalvador Dalí Museum
27 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 South Gate Ridge: who provides what
South Gate Ridge 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 South Gate Ridge.
South Gate Ridge has schools in the top 5% of Florida, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
For schools, South Gate Ridge earns an A−
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 $445K.
Its public schools are run by the Sarasota school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Suncoast Polytechnical High School, with 556 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 422 | C+ |
| Suncoast Polytechnical High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 556 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Very high risk in South Gate Ridge, with hurricanes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Gate Ridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Residents of South Gate Ridge are healthier than 71% of U.S. towns
Against the 10,547 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Gate Ridge’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Florida is tooth loss: 7.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide.
South Gate Ridge beats the Florida average on 9 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 33% of South Gate Ridge adults sleep under 7 hours.
| South Gate Ridge | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | South Gate Ridge | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.7% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Fewer young adults than Florida overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 29% of residents (21% statewide). South Gate Ridge’s median age is 50.6 years. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| South Gate Ridge | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.6 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 31% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| South Gate Ridge | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.4% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.7% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.4% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.8% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.3% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.1% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
South Gate Ridge has mild winters and hot summers
The Bradenton 5 Ese weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 51.7°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.9°.
South Gate Ridge has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in South Gate Ridge is 52°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| South Gate Ridge | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 52°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
With 0.8 jobs for every working resident, most of South Gate Ridge’s workers commute out
The average commute for its 2,597 working residents takes 20.9 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
Most working residents leave South Gate Ridge for work: only 2% work in town. 7.5% of residents live below the poverty line in South Gate Ridge. The top destinations are Sarasota (17%), South Sarasota (6%) and Bee Ridge (5%).
| South Gate Ridge | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| South Gate Ridge | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Red Bug Slough Preserve | 0.8 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes in South Gate Ridge sell for about $385K
The median sale price was $385,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about South Gate Ridge
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of South Gate Ridge
About 3 of every 100 South Gate Ridge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About South Gate Ridge
Census-designated place in Florida, United States
South Gate Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,024 at the 2020 census, up from 5,688 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
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- Area code
- 941
South Gate Ridge’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with South Gate Ridge.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Gate Ridge | #162 | B− | D | — | A− | B+ |
| Ridge Wood Heights | #124 | B | C− | — | A− | B |
| Bee Ridge | #80 | B | D | — | A− | B+ |
South Gate Ridge, Ridge Wood Heights and Bee Ridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare South Gate Ridge with a neighbor →
Questions about South Gate Ridge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Gate Ridge, FL a good place to live?
South Gate Ridge grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #162 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is South Gate Ridge, FL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $445,000, 18% 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.