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Florida›Sarasota County

The MeadowsFL

Home to 5,492 people, this town lies in Florida.

Is The Meadows a good place to live?

The Meadows’s best grade is for schools: its schools outperform 84% of the state's. Walkability is a strength too: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. What counts against it is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $382K, 4.7 years of the North Port metro’s $81K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 84% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. The overall grade comes out at B, 84th of 634 in Florida. It comes out better than 60% of U.S. towns. 70% of residents are 65 or older here, where Florida’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. The Meadows’ trail network density is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both Florida’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4).

Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.

What makes The Meadows stand out

Where The Meadows beats most towns.

A growing town

The Meadows has grown 26% from 2010 to 2020

3,994 counted in 2010 and 5,037 in 2020.

3,9942010
5,0372020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How The Meadows grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far The Meadows is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Tropicana Field and 35 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around The Meadows. Close and well known come first.

All 71 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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 · Salvador Dalí Museum: Taty2007, CC BY 3.0 · Fort De Soto Park: Christopher Hollis, Public domain · Siesta Beach: 4net, CC BY 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to The Meadows: who provides what

The Meadows is unincorporated, so Sarasota County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerFPL14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSarasota Co Special Util DistNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSarasota CountySarasota County provides services here
SchoolsSarasota County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Florida you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereSarasota Supervisor of ElectionsSarasota County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2023
ZIP code3423534235 100%Census 2020

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 The Meadows.

The Meadows is a second-home town, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.

OutdoorsC+

0.1% of The Meadows is conserved land

There are 4.6 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in The Meadows: one, of 2 acres.

#31for trails in FL
The MeadowsFlorida townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile1.8 miles per square mile0.40.4
Conserved land0.1%3%4.3%
0.1%
conserved · 2 of 1,633 acres
4.6 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Nathan Benderson Park—2

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

The Meadows has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from hurricanes

72% of The Meadows’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 20%. Flood insurance has paid out on 6 claims here since 1992.

84risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
84Very high riskLowerHigher
HurricanesInland flooding
6
paid flood claims since 1992

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+

The Meadows has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work

The Meadows: 2.8% of working residents work locally. Since 2013, The Meadows has added 87 jobs, to 556 in 2023. The average trip to work locally is 23 minutes. The median commute is under 9 miles.

3%work in town
The MeadowsFlorida townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work23 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town2.8%5%8%
Below the poverty line12%11%9.6%
Median household income$70,000$73,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In The Meadows3%
Sarasota17%
Fruitville5%
Lakewood Ranch4%
Tampa4%
9 mi
median commute distance
556
jobs based in The Meadows
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthB+

Compared with most of Florida and the rest of the country, fewer of The Meadows’ adults sleep under 7 hours

Against the 10,498 U.S. towns with household incomes like The Meadows’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.

15% of adults have diabetes in The Meadows. The town does better than the Florida average on 17 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 7. Among 636 Florida towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than The Meadows.

70%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
The MeadowsFlorida townsU.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)10%16%17%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)9.3%15%16%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)26%37%36%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)50%37%35%
31 measures vs. Florida
17 better7 too close to call7 worse
What stands outThe MeadowsFL
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity4.3%13.9%
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off2.9%8.6%
More adults who have had cancer20.2%9.1%
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
3.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
67th
percentile among FL towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

The Meadows: mild winters and hot summers

The Bradenton 5 Ese weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 51.1°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.7°.

Snowfall is close to zero. Also worth knowing: for The Meadows, the January low is 51°F.

92°summer high
The MeadowsFlorida townsU.S. towns
January low51°F51°F22°F
July high92°F91°F85°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter53–74°
Spring62–83°
Summer73–91°
Fall66–85°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade D

Homes in The Meadows sell for about $379K

The share of households in The Meadows who own their home: 79%. The rent at the middle of the market for The Meadows comes to $1,740 a month. A home in The Meadows typically sold within 65 days of listing.

$379Kmedian sale price
The MeadowsFlorida townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,740 a month$1,647 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home79%72%73%
Market temperature
BalancedA balanced marketBuyer’sSeller’s
65
days on market
94.2%
sale-to-list price
17
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about The Meadows

16pages on The Meadows
After high school

Colleges nearby

7 within 15 miles of the center of The Meadows

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave The Meadows for work

Where The Meadows’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

17% → Sarasota Sarasota 17% 5% → Fruitville Fruitville 5% 4% → Lakewood Ranch Lakewood Ranch 4% 4% → Tampa Tampa 4% 3% → Bradenton Bradenton 3% 3% → South Sarasota South Sarasota 3% The Meadows · 3% stay
556jobs based in The Meadows
3%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About The Meadows

Census-designated place in Florida, United States

The Meadows is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,037 at the 2020 census, up from 3,994 at the 2010 census. The CDP 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
2.3 sq mi
Elevation
26 ft
Area code
941

The Meadows’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with The Meadows.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownFL rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
The Meadows#84BD—A−B+
Kensington Park#4A−B—A−B
Fruitville#71BD—A−A−

The Meadows, Kensington Park and Fruitville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare The Meadows with a neighbor →

Questions about The Meadows

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is The Meadows, FL a good place to live?

For most people who can afford it, yes. The Meadows grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #84 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.

Is The Meadows, FL expensive?

Yes. The typical home is worth about $382,000, 2% 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.