Sarasota, FL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Florida·Sarasota

Sarasota County · North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton · population 57,764

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Sarasota, FL
Image: Wikipedia · Sarasota, Florida
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
45
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Sarasota stands

Home values down 6.4% in the last year.

Median home $413,424
1-year -6.4%
5-yr CAGR +4.7%
vs 5-yr peak -14.2%
Population +1.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-08$413k$227k$319k$410k$501k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
84/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,239/mo$1,606$2,055$2,503202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent126131100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.4
Lean buy

At a 15.4 price-to-rent ratio, Sarasota is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
19 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
63 · w22%
Distance from peak
32 · w18%
Population growth
70 · w16%
Rent YoY
30 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Sarasota has held up across the cycle: home values at $413,424 with +4.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Sarasota is down 6.4% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About Sarasota

Sarasota is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, with an estimated population of 57,764. It anchors the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area. The population grew 1.3% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Sarasota is $413,424 as of 2026-04, down 6.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.7% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 14% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Sarasota average $2,239 per month, down 3.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 45 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

●Net positive migration: population up 1.3% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
○The data is the data: Sarasota has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Prices actively falling: down 6.4% in the last 12 months — buyer sentiment has flipped. Sellers competing on price.
●14% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About Sarasota (Wikipedia)

Sarasota is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida on Sarasota Bay, a lagoon on the Gulf Coast. The population was 54,842 at the 2020 census. The two-county Sarasota metropolitan area has an estimated 935,000 residents, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Florida and 61st-largest in the United States.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorDebbie Trice
Area24.08 sq mi
Elevation20 ft
Density3731.51/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Sarasota County right now.

NWS active alerts (FL)Florida Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Sarasota County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Sarasota

70 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Harbor Acres$4,680,841-4.1%
2Lido Shores$4,016,155-2.1%
3Bird Key$3,519,378+1.8%
4Cherokee Park$3,011,174+4.2%
5Bay Isle-Siesta$2,581,442-1.2%
6Golden Gate Point$2,126,662+1.6%
7McClellan Park$2,053,223-2.3%
8St. Armands$1,992,708-14.7%
9Hudson Bayou$1,410,970-1.8%
10South Poinsettia$1,252,261+1.8%
11Saddle Creek$1,237,038-1.8%
125 Points$1,192,438-2.1%
13Downtown$954,021-4.4%
14Serenoa$913,405-3.6%
15Lido Key$902,581-10.6%
16Hammocks$891,504-9.7%
17Laurel Park$879,630+1.8%
18Proctor Road$870,876-7.4%
19Mockingbird Parish$859,337-10.1%
20Miakka$843,384-2.9%
21Myakka Valley Ranches$843,276-2.3%
22Granada$670,574-5.4%
23Rosemary District$646,791-0.1%
24Ravenwood$606,789-2.3%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Sarasota

Bradenton, FL46 · CoolingDeerfield Beach, FL50 · StableTamarac, FL49 · StableDania Beach, FL49 · Stable

Run the numbers for Sarasota

ToolCan I afford Sarasota?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Sarasota rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Sarasota to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolSarasota cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
70° / 51°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
90° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
233
~64% of year
Annual precip
54″ rain
0″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very high
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Sarasota listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
76%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$67,900
Florida state median
Top industries (state-level)
TourismHealthcareConstruction

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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