Sarasota, FL

The affordability dashboard for Sarasota, FL aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 13 ZIP codes covering 232,625 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (55/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $83,913, median home value of $473,483, median rent of $1,917 per month, and 42.5% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,958 per month (studio $1,418, 1BR $1,686, 3BR $2,537, 4BR $3,027). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,920 per year, consuming 13% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Sarasota, FL include education. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 3.3% and poverty 9.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.