Sarasota County, Florida

Sarasota County is a county in Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast about 55 miles south of Tampa. It had a population of 434,006 at the 2020 census, an estimated 479,958 by 2025, and covers 556 square miles (1,440 km2) of land centred near 27°11′N 82°22′W.

Sarasota is the county seat; its postal code is 34236. The county holds 3 cities, 1 incorporated town and 6 census-designated places across no civil townships — Florida counties do not use the township system — and it runs on Eastern time. Its FIPS code is 12115.

Towns & Villages in Sarasota County

Ten named places make up the county: three cities, one town and six unincorporated CDPs. North Port is the largest city by population; Sarasota is the seat. CDPs have no municipal government of their own and are administered directly by the county.

Two places straddle a county line. Longboat Key runs the length of a barrier island and crosses into Manatee County at its north end — roughly the top third of the town, including the Bay Isles and part of the Longbeach neighborhoods, carries a Manatee County address even though the town government is unified. Englewood is a single Census-designated place split between Sarasota and Charlotte counties; its population figure of 20,800 covers both sides, and its ZIP codes split the same way (34223 on the Sarasota side, 34224 on the Charlotte side).

ZIP Codes

• 34236 — downtown Sarasota (also serves the barrier islands closest to the mainland)
• 34286–34291, 34293 — North Port, split across its grid of platted subdivisions
• 34285 — Venice (also serves South Venice)
• 34228 — Longboat Key (shared with the Manatee County stretch of the island)
• 34232 — Fruitville
• 34223 — Englewood, Sarasota County side
• 34231 — Gulf Gate Estates
• 34229 — Osprey
• 34274–34275 — Nokomis

North Sarasota has no ZIP code of its own; mail there uses the surrounding city-of-Sarasota codes (34234 and 34237), since the CDP is an unincorporated enclave inside the city’s ZIP footprint rather than a separate delivery area.

Geography

Sarasota County sits on Florida’s Gulf Coast, low and flat, with barrier islands — Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key and Casey Key — separating Sarasota Bay and Roberts Bay from the open Gulf of Mexico. Of the county’s 725 square miles total area, 169 square miles (23.4%) is water. The Myakka River, protected within Myakka River State Park in the county’s eastern half, is the largest inland waterway; it widens into Upper and Lower Myakka Lake before draining south toward Charlotte Harbor.

Manatee County borders Sarasota County to the north, DeSoto County borders it to the east, and Charlotte County borders it to the south. The Gulf of Mexico forms the entire western edge, so the county has no neighbor in that direction. A live directory page exists for Manatee County and for Charlotte County; DeSoto County does not yet have its own Florida page on this site.

Demographics

Sarasota County had 434,006 residents at the 2020 census, up from 379,448 in 2010, and the county’s own estimate put the 2025 figure at 479,958 — a density of 781 people per square mile of land. North Port is the largest community at 74,793 residents, followed by the city of Sarasota at 54,842. The county’s median household income was $64,644 (2016–2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimate), above the Florida statewide median of roughly $57,700 over the same period. The population skews older than the state average: the median age was 57.6, and 37.6% of residents were 65 or older at the 2020 count.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and education anchor the county’s largest employers: Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and the Sarasota County school district each employ several thousand people. Manufacturing has a real presence too — PGT Innovations, a hurricane-impact window and door maker, is headquartered in the North Port/Nokomis area and is one of the county’s biggest private employers. Sarasota itself is home to FCCI Insurance Group and Sun Hydraulics, both founded locally. Tourism drives much of the coastal economy: Siesta Key’s quartz-sand beach draws national “best beach” rankings, and the barrier islands’ hotels and restaurants are the county’s largest seasonal employer. The Sarasota Film Festival, held every April, is the county’s biggest annual cultural event, alongside the Ringling International Arts Festival at the Ringling Museum complex.

History

The Sarasota area has been inhabited for roughly 10,000 years; the name itself predates verified record, appearing on Spanish-era maps as “Zarazote” as early as 1763. The Armed Occupation Act of 1842 brought the first American settlers, and the land that is now Sarasota County passed through St. Johns, Alachua, Hillsborough and Manatee counties as Florida’s county map was redrawn around it. Sarasota County was created in 1921 from the southern part of Manatee County, driven by residents who wanted their own courthouse rather than the long trip north to Bradenton. The defining event of the county’s early growth came in 1927, when circus owners John and Charles Ringling moved the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’s winter headquarters to Sarasota from Bridgeport, Connecticut, bringing performers, artisans and northern money that shaped the city’s cultural identity for a century afterward.

Getting There

Interstate 75 runs north–south through the county’s eastern half, with US Highway 41 (the Tamiami Trail) tracing the coast through every major city. Neither interstate touches the barrier islands, which are reached by causeway bridges only.

• Tampa — 55 miles north
• Fort Myers — 50 miles south
• Bradenton — 15 miles north
• Punta Gorda — 30 miles south

Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), just north of downtown Sarasota, is the county’s commercial airport. The county has no Amtrak station of its own; the nearest is Tampa Union Station, about 60 miles north, reachable from Sarasota by Amtrak Thruway motorcoach connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sarasota County?
It is on Florida’s Gulf Coast, bordered by Manatee County to the north, DeSoto County to the east, Charlotte County to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.

What is the population of Sarasota County?
434,006 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate of 479,958.

How big is Sarasota County?
725 square miles total, of which 556 square miles is land and 169 square miles is water.

What is the county seat of Sarasota County?
The city of Sarasota, population 54,842.

How many towns are in Sarasota County?
Ten named places: three cities (Sarasota, North Port, Venice), one town (Longboat Key), and six CDPs (Fruitville, Englewood, Gulf Gate Estates, Osprey, Nokomis, North Sarasota).

What ZIP codes cover Sarasota County?
Primary codes include 34236 (Sarasota), 34285 (Venice), 34228 (Longboat Key) and the 34286–34293 range across North Port; a full list by place is above.

Does Sarasota County have any civil townships?
No. Florida counties, like the rest of the South and West, do not use the New England-style civil township system — the county government administers unincorporated CDPs directly.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Florida.