ZIP 34234 vs ZIP 34243

This side-by-side compares ZIP 34234 (Sarasota, FL) and ZIP 34243 (Sarasota, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 34234 has a population of 19,788 at 1,151 people per square mile, while ZIP 34243 has 26,115 at 577 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 34234 reports a median household income of $57,288 against $81,219 in ZIP 34243, with per-capita income of $33,582 vs $46,470. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.8% in 34234 and 41.1% in 34243. Poverty rate reads 19.2% vs 7.9%, and unemployment 6.2% vs 3.2% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $255,300 in 34234 versus $429,400 in 34243, with median rent of $1,456 and $2,115 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.5% vs 71.5%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.