Sarasota metropolitan area


The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The principal cities listed by the OMB for the MSA are North Port, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 910,108 in 2023.
The North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA is a component of the larger North Port–Bradenton Combined Statistical Area, a combined statistical area consisting of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA, the Punta Gorda, Florida MSA, and the Arcadia, Florida, micropolitan statistical area. At the 2020 census, the CSA had a population of 1,054,539. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 1,152,221 in 2023.

History of the metropolitan area designations

The Sarasota standard metropolitan statistical area was first defined in 1973, and included only Sarasota County. The Bradenton SMSA was defined after the 1980 United States census, and included only Manatee County. The two MSAs were combined in 1993 as the Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. Venice was added as a principal city after the 2000 census. In 2007, the MSA was renamed the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice MSA because Bradenton's population then exceeded that of Sarasota. In 2009, the area was designated the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA after North Port qualified as a "principal city" under the metropolitan statistical area definition and was determined to be the largest of the area's three principal cities. In 2013, the MSA was renamed North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. In July 2023, the MSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA, and the CSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton CSA. Lakewood Ranch was also added as a principal city within the MSA.

Demographics

Cities

Largest cities

The following is a list of the five largest cities in the Sarasota metropolitan area as ranked by population.
RankCityCounty2010
population		2020
population		2023
estimate		% change
1North PortSarasota57,357--
2BradentonManatee49,546--
3SarasotaSarasota51,917--
4VeniceSarasota20,748--
5PalmettoManatee12,606--

Census designated places

The following is a list of census-designated places ranked by population. CDPs in the combined statistical area are included.
RankCDPCounty2010
population		2017
estimated
1Port CharlotteCharlotte54,39259,654
2South BradentonManatee22,17824,935
3Bayshore GardensManatee16,32320,047
4Sarasota SpringsSarasota14,39516,386
5EnglewoodSarasota
Charlotte		14,86315,159
6South VeniceSarasota13,94914,535
7FruitvilleSarasota13,22413,541
8Gulf Gate EstatesSarasota10,91110,650
9Bee RidgeSarasota9,5989,772
10LaurelSarasota8,1719,283
11Rotonda WestCharlotte8,7598,981
12MemphisManatee7,8488,926
13North SarasotaSarasota6,9828,728
14Venice GardensSarasota7,1047,904
15Southeast ArcadiaDesoto6,5547,653
16SouthgateSarasota7,1737,539
17OspreySarasota6,1006,734
18Siesta KeySarasota6,5655,850
19Warm Mineral SpringsSarasota5,0615,305
20South SarasotaSarasota4,9505,265
21PlantationSarasota4,9194,790
22Lake SarasotaSarasota4,6794,718
23The MeadowsSarasota3,9944,383
24Kensington ParkSarasota3,9014,351
25VamoSarasota4,7274,345
26CortezManatee4,2414,332
27West BradentonManatee4,1924,213
28SamosetManatee3,8543,922
29Ridge Wood HeightsSarasota4,7953,878
30Desoto LakesSarasota3,6463,590
31EllentonManatee4,2753,423
32Harbour HeightsCharlotte2,9873,401
33NokomisSarasota3,1673,376
34ClevelandCharlotte2,9903,317
35WhitfieldManatee2,8823,215
36Charlotte ParkCharlotte2,3252,058
37Grove CityCharlotte1,8042,042
38SolanaCharlotte742706
39GardnerHardee463228

Climate

The Sarasota metropolitan area, like most of Florida, is located in the humid subtropical zone, closely bordering on a tropical climate like Southern Florida, characterized by hot, humid summers with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and relatively drier and mild winters.

Transportation

Roads

Freeways

U.S. highways

State roads

County roads

Ports

Airports

Public airports

Public transportation

Sarasota and Manatee counties have transit networks, Breeze Transit and Manatee County Area Transit, which run bus services in the area. Amtrak operates an Amtrak Thruway route through the area starting in St. Petersburg-Clearwater and ending in Fort Myers, with Sarasota and Ellenton operating as stops along the route.

Media

Newspapers

Anna Maria Island SunBradenton HeraldBusiness Observer, a business newspaper published in Sarasota, serves several other regions of Florida.East County ObserverLongboat ObserverThe Bradenton Times, an online newspaper.The IslanderSarasota Herald-TribuneSiesta Key ObserverSarasota Observer
  • Tempo News
  • ''Venice Gondolier Sun''

Magazines

Sarasota MagazineSRQ Magazine

Television

Radio

Education

Public education is provided by Manatee County School District and Sarasota County Public Schools.

Colleges and universities

The following college/university campuses exist in the metropolitan area.

Economy

The Sarasota Metropolitan Area has a gross metropolitan product of $45.41 billion as of 2023.

Recreation and culture

Parks/nature reserves

Federally owned

DeSoto National Memorial

State owned

Museums

Theatres