The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) 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.[2]:65 At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716.[3] The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 891,411 in 2022.[4]

Quick Facts Country, State(s) ...
Sarasota metropolitan area
North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota
metropolitan statistical area
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  •   North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA
  •   Punta Gorda MSA
  •   Arcadia, FL μSA
CountryUnited States
State(s)Florida
Core citySarasota
Largest cityNorth Port
Other cities
Area
  Total1,295.8 sq mi (3,356 km2)
Population
 (2020)
  Total833,716
  Rank65th in the U.S.
  Density542.0/sq mi (209.3/km2)
GDP
  MSA$43.369 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Telephone numbering plan239, 863, 941
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The North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA is a component of the larger North Port–Bradenton Combined Statistical Area, a combined statistical area (CSA) consisting of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA, the Punta Gorda, Florida MSA (Charlotte County), and the Arcadia, Florida, micropolitan statistical area (DeSoto County).[2]:140 At the 2020 census, the CSA had a population of 1,054,539.[3] The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 1,129,384 in 2022.[4]

History of the metropolitan area designations

The Sarasota standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) 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.[5] 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.[6] In 2013, the MSA was renamed North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area.[7] In July 2023, the MSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA,[2]:65 and the CSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton CSA.[2]:140 Lakewood Ranch was also added as a principal city within the MSA.

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1960146,063
1970217,52848.9%
1980350,69361.2%
1990489,48339.6%
2000589,95920.5%
2010702,28119.0%
2020833,71618.7%
2022 (est.)891,411[4]6.9%
[8][9][10]
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Counties

More information County, 2010 population ...
County 2010
population
2020
population
2022
estimate
 % change
(2020 to 2022)
Sarasota County379,448434,006462,286+6.52%
Manatee County322,833399,710429,125+7.36%
Charlotte County159,978186,847202,661+8.46%
DeSoto County34,86233,97635,312+3.93%
Metropolitan statistical area[lower-alpha 1] 833,716891,411+6.92%
Combined statistical area[lower-alpha 2] 1,054,5391,129,384+7.10%
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  1. Population of Sarasota and Manatee counties combined.
  2. Population of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties combined.
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Sarasota
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Bradenton

Cities

Largest cities

The following is a list of the five largest cities in the Sarasota metropolitan area as ranked by population.[11][12][13]

More information Rank, City ...
Rank City County 2000
Population
2010
Population
2020
Population
 % change
(2010 to 2020)
1 North PortSarasota22,79757,35774,793+30.40%
2 BradentonManatee49,50449,54655,698+12.42%
3 SarasotaSarasota52,71551,91754,842+5.63%
4 VeniceSarasota17,76420,74825,463+22.73%
5 PalmettoManatee12,57112,60613,323+5.69%
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Other cities and towns

More information Rank, City ...
Rank City County 2000
Population
2010
Population
2020
Population
% change
(2010 to 2020)
1 Longboat KeySarasota
Manatee
7,6036,8887,505+8.96%
2 Holmes BeachManatee4,9663,8364,304+12.20%
3 Anna MariaManatee1,8141,5031,775+18.10%
4 Bradenton BeachManatee1,4821,1711,273+8.71%
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Census designated places

The following is a list of census-designated places (CDPs) ranked by population. CDPs in the combined statistical area are included.[14]

More information Rank, CDP ...
Rank CDP County 2010
Population
2017
Estimated
(2010 to 2017)
1 Port Charlotte Charlotte 54,392 59,654
2 South Bradenton Manatee 22,178 24,935
3 Bayshore Gardens Manatee 16,323 20,047
4 Sarasota Springs Sarasota 14,395 16,386
5 Englewood Sarasota

Charlotte

14,863 15,159
6 South Venice Sarasota 13,949 14,535
7 Fruitville Sarasota 13,224 13,541
8 Gulf Gate Estates Sarasota 10,911 10,650
9 Bee Ridge Sarasota 9,598 9,772
10 Laurel Sarasota 8,171 9,283
11 Rotonda West Charlotte 8,759 8,981
12 Memphis Manatee 7,848 8,926
13 North Sarasota Sarasota 6,982 8,728
14 Venice Gardens Sarasota 7,104 7,904
15 Southeast Arcadia Desoto 6,554 7,653
16 Southgate Sarasota 7,173 7,539
17 Osprey Sarasota 6,100 6,734
18 Siesta Key Sarasota 6,565 5,850
19 Warm Mineral Springs Sarasota 5,061 5,305
20 South Sarasota Sarasota 4,950 5,265
21 Plantation Sarasota 4,919 4,790
22 Lake Sarasota Sarasota 4,679 4,718
23 The Meadows Sarasota 3,994 4,383
24 Kensington Park Sarasota 3,901 4,351
25 Vamo Sarasota 4,727 4,345
26 Cortez Manatee 4,241 4,332
27 West Bradenton Manatee 4,192 4,213
28 Samoset Manatee 3,854 3,922
29 Ridge Wood Heights Sarasota 4,795 3,878
30 Desoto Lakes Sarasota 3,646 3,590
31 Ellenton Manatee 4,275 3,423
32 Harbour Heights Charlotte 2,987 3,401
33 Nokomis Sarasota 3,167 3,376
34 Cleveland Charlotte 2,990 3,317
35 Whitfield Manatee 2,882 3,215
36 Charlotte Park Charlotte 2,325 2,058
37 Grove City Charlotte 1,804 2,042
38 Solana Charlotte 742 706
39 Gardner Hardee 463 228
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Climate

The Sarasota metropolitan area, like most of Florida, is located in the humid subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa),[15] 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

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Approach to the Green Bridge in Bradenton which carries US 41 across the Manatee River.

U.S. highways

State roads

County roads

Ports

Airports

Public airports

Public transportation

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An SCAT bus at Venice Beach.

Both Sarasota and Manatee counties have their own transit networks, SCAT and MCAT, which runs bus services in the area.[16][17] Amtrak does operate an Amtrak Thruway route going through the area starting in St. Petersburg-Clearwater and ending in Fort Myers, with Sarasota and Ellenton operating as stops along the route.[18]

Media

Newspapers

Magazines

  • Sarasota Magazine[26]
  • SRQ Magazine[27]
  • Venice: Gulf Coast Living Magazine[25]

Television

Radio

Education

Public education is provided by Manatee County School District and Sarasota County Public Schools.[28][29]

Colleges and universities

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

Economy

The Sarasota Metropolitan Area has a gross metropolitan product of $36.45 billion as of 2021.[30]

Recreation and culture

Parks/nature reserves

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Entrance to the De Soto National Memorial.

Federally owned

DeSoto National Memorial

State owned

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John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, also known as The Ringling.

Museums

Theatres

See also

References

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