ZIP 34236 vs ZIP 34239

This side-by-side compares ZIP 34236 (Sarasota, FL) and ZIP 34239 (Sarasota, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 34236 has a population of 12,394 at 1,357 people per square mile, while ZIP 34239 has 15,038 at 1,302 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 34236 reports a median household income of $95,881 against $80,923 in ZIP 34239, with per-capita income of $111,653 vs $59,867. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 62.8% in 34236 and 45.9% in 34239. Poverty rate reads 9.7% vs 8.3%, and unemployment 3.1% vs 2.7% — 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 $1,018,100 in 34236 versus $475,700 in 34239, with median rent of $2,129 and $1,602 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 58.3% vs 76.0%. 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.