ZIP 34243 vs ZIP 34234

This side-by-side compares ZIP 34243 (Sarasota, FL) and ZIP 34234 (Sarasota, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 34243 has a population of 26,115 at 577 people per square mile, while ZIP 34234 has 19,788 at 1,151 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 34243 reports a median household income of $81,219 against $57,288 in ZIP 34234, with per-capita income of $46,470 vs $33,582. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 41.1% in 34243 and 28.8% in 34234. Poverty rate reads 7.9% vs 19.2%, and unemployment 3.2% vs 6.2% — 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 $429,400 in 34243 versus $255,300 in 34234, with median rent of $2,115 and $1,456 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.5% vs 59.5%. 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.