Population
56,218 residents
Census ACS 2023 — Florida
City profile · Florida · Census ACS 2023
Sarasota, FL
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Sarasota — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 56,218
- Residents
- $70,065
- Median income
- $409,700
- Median home
- $1,526
- Median rent
Data Snapshot: Sarasota, FL
Sarasota is a city in Florida with a population of 56,218 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $70,065 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 10.6%. Typical homes in Sarasota are valued around $409,700, and the median resident age is 49.3 years. About 41.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 51.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,102 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 229% from five years earlier.
On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Florida registers 103.4 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,526 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 75.7 out of 100 (High).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).
Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.
Median Household Income
$70,065 /yr
Poverty 10.6%
Cost of Living Index
103.4 (US=100)
Near Average — BEA RPP 2024
How does Sarasota compare to other US cities?
Where Sarasota sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 49% higher than other cities
Home value 78% pricier than other cities
Median rent 73% pricier than other cities
Percentiles compare Sarasota against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 41.7%
Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.6%
Census ACS S1701 — poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 51.4%
Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
56,218
Median Income
$70,065
Median Home Value
$409,700
Median Age
49.3
Poverty Rate
10.6%
Labor force participation
51.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.7%
Schools
Total Schools
41
Public schools in this city
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
1,102
housing units authorized
Single-Family
126
detached homes
Multifamily
976
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
19.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 335 |
| 2020 | 164 |
| 2021 | 805 |
| 2022 | 557 |
| 2023 | 483 |
| 2024 | 1,102 |
Permit volume increased 229% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
72.1%
Carpool
8.9%
Public Transit
1.4%
Walk
2.1%
Work from Home
12.8%
Other
2.7%
Based on 24,960 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Florida — EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$145
avg/month
Natural Gas
$25
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$55
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Florida state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Florida state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard
Cost of Living Index
103.4
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,526/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
75.7 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score
Explore More Data for Sarasota
Neighborhoods in Sarasota
123 census tracts — income, rent, home values
Crime statistics in Sarasota
FBI UCR crime rates and safety scores
Schools in Sarasota
NCES public school data and enrollment
Rent prices in Florida
HUD Fair Market Rents by metro area
Cost of living in Florida
BEA regional price parity data
Climate normals
NOAA 30-year climate data
Air quality data
EPA air quality index data
Water quality data
EPA drinking water data
Natural disaster risk
FEMA & NOAA hazard data
Similar Cities in Florida
Learn More
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Most Affordable Cities (2026)
Cities with the lowest cost of living and best value
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Top cities for remote work based on cost, connectivity, and lifestyle
Race & Ethnicity Composition
National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.
How Sarasota compares to nearby Florida cities
Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks
Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Sarasota) plus the nearest peer cities in Florida, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
FL
Sarasota
70.06% top marginal rate
FL
Apopka
65.00% top marginal rate
FL
Bradenton
65.00% top marginal rate
FL
Fountainebleau
65.00% top marginal rate
Census ACS 5-year FIPS FL NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Sarasota, FL?
What is the population of Sarasota, FL? +
Sarasota, FL has a population of 56,218 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Sarasota, FL? +
The median household income in Sarasota is $70,065 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Sarasota? +
Sarasota has a cost of living index of 103.4 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.
What is the median home value in Sarasota, FL? +
The median home value in Sarasota is $409,700, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial