Sarasota County, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sarasota County, FL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Florida
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 89% of counties in Florida
-
B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Florida
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 459,530 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 471.2 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.76% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 58.2 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 212,196 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sarasota County grew by 19.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 459,530 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sarasota County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 31.7% of residents. That is 12.0 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 63,461 13.8% -5.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 66,604 14.5% -6.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 90,820 19.8% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 145,474 31.7% +12.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Florida, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.2% of the people living in Sarasota County and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% Florida 51.0%
- Men 47.8% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sarasota County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sarasota County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $83,523 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.77% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sarasota County is about 12% higher than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $414,479 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,818 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.6% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sarasota County is about 19.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,818 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sarasota County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.2 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.3 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 185 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,725 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.6% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,757 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,985 | 3,068 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Florida:
Taylor County (13.8 min), Monroe County (16.1 min), Franklin County (16.6 min).
Slowest:
Washington County (32.8 min), Osceola County (32.3 min), Liberty County (32.1 min).
The average commute time in Sarasota County is 22 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Florida.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Sarasota County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.1% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.11 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.4), Leon County (0.4), Alachua County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hamilton County (0.1), Hendry County (0.1), Hardee County (0.1).
Health
Sarasota County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sarasota County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.6% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.4% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.8), Seminole County (0.8), Alachua County (0.8).
Lowest:
Glades County (0.8), Putnam County (0.8), Hendry County (0.8).
Sarasota County, FL Compared With Nearby Counties
Sarasota County, FL is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 459,530 residents against a local median of 201,064. Sarasota County, FL's median home price, at $414,479, runs 56% above the $265,501 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $83,523 against a local median of $69,727, 20% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 20% above the local median it puts Sarasota County, FL at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $306,301 on median home price, so Sarasota County, FL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sarasota County, FL has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota County, FL | 459,530 | $83,523 #1/6 | $414,479 #1/6 | 22.2 min #3/6 |
| Manatee County, FL | 429,651 | $78,967 | $344,563 | 23.7 min |
| Charlotte County, FL | 201,064 | $69,727 | $265,501 | 21.6 min |
| DeSoto County, FL | 35,386 | $53,666 | $220,318 | 23.0 min |
| Hardee County, FL | 25,673 | $61,052 | $38,262 | 21.9 min |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 1,519,188 | $79,532 | $343,045 | 26.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sarasota County, Florida.
How big is Sarasota County, Florida by population?
About 459,530 people live in Sarasota County, Florida, in 212,196 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 58.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 21 years.
How densely populated is Sarasota County, Florida?
Averaged over its land area, Sarasota County, Florida has 471 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sarasota County, Florida?
The median home costs 5.0 times the median household income ($414,479 against $83,523), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,818 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Sarasota County, Florida?
Unemployment in Sarasota County, Florida is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →