County outline
Where Sarasota County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 57% of Sarasota County’s measured area and water for 43%. Its combined area converts to 2,526.7 square kilometers or approximately 624,353 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 556.092 | 1,440.272 | 355,898.9 |
| Water | 419.46 | 1,086.396 | 268,454.4 |
| Total | 975.552 | 2,526.668 | 624,353.3 |
How Sarasota County compares
By original Census land area, Sarasota County ranks #52 of 67 in Florida and #1865 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.798 times the Florida county-equivalent median of 696.5 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Florida ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Sarasota County
The Census Bureau estimates that 479,958 people lived in Sarasota County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #156 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #15 of 67 in Florida. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 434,008, the population has grown by 45,950 (+10.6%), compared with +8.9% for Florida as a whole.
With 556.1 square miles of land, that is 863 people per square mile (333 per km²), placing Sarasota County #213 nationally for density and #10 in Florida. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Florida median is 209. Put another way, there are about 0.742 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 436,262 | 448,847 | 464,297 | 472,211 | 475,989 | 479,958 |
| Change | — | +12,585 | +15,450 | +7,914 | +3,778 | +3,969 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Sarasota County
4 incorporated places lie at least partly in Sarasota County. Together they are home to 190,120 people (39.6%); the other 289,838 (60.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is North Port city, with 96,551 residents in the county. The county seat, Sarasota city, has 58,458 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, North Port city grew fastest since then (+28.7%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Port city | 96,551 | +28.7% | 99.4 |
| Sarasota cityCounty seat | 58,458 | +6.6% | 14.7 |
| Venice city | 30,477 | +19.6% | 16.3 |
| Longboat Key townAlso in 1 other county | 4,634 | −2.6% | 4.078 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Sarasota County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Sarasota County is a central county of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 948,158 residents on 1,298.9 square miles of land; Sarasota County accounts for 42.8% of the land and 50.6% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #241 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #62 by population. It belongs to the North Port-Bradenton, FL Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Sarasota County | 479,958 | 556.1 |
| Manatee County | 468,200 | 742.8 |
ZIP codes
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Sarasota County; 24 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
34223342243422834229342313423234233342343423534236342373423834239342403424134242342433425134266342753428534286342873428834289342913429234293
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Sarasota County
Sarasota County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Sarasota County. The largest neighbor is Manatee County (742.8 mi²) and the smallest is DeSoto County (636.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Sarasota County forms a block of 2,616.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 21.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Sarasota | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manatee County | 742.8 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Charlotte County | 681.2 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| DeSoto County | 636.7 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
How big is Sarasota County compared with U.S. states?
Sarasota County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.9 times as much. Florida’s county land could hold about 96 areas the size of Sarasota County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.6 miles (38 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Sarasota County?
Sarasota County has more land than 1,357 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Sarasota County at #810 nationally by total area, 1,055 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 43%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 41.8 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Sarasota County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1864 | Crawford County, Michigan | 556.4 | Compare |
| #1865 | Sarasota County, Florida | 556.1 | This county |
| #1866 | Ingham County, Michigan | 556.1 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 27.223531, -82.424749. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,440,271,311 m²; AWATER: 1,086,396,800 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Sarasota County?
Sarasota County, Florida has 556.1 square miles (1,440.3 km²) of land and 419.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 975.6 square miles. It ranks #1865 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Sarasota County the largest county in Florida?
No. Sarasota County ranks #52 of 67 in Florida by land area. The largest is Collier County, with 1,997 square miles of land.
What counties border Sarasota County?
Sarasota County shares a land border with Manatee County, Charlotte County, and DeSoto County.
What is the population of Sarasota County?
The Census Bureau estimates Sarasota County had 479,958 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #156 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 863 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Sarasota County?
The county seat of Sarasota County is Sarasota.
What cities and towns are in Sarasota County?
Sarasota County has 4 incorporated places. The most populous are North Port city, Sarasota city, Venice city, and Longboat Key town; 289,838 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Sarasota County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 948,158 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Sarasota County?
28 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Sarasota County, and 24 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Sarasota County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.9 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Sarasota County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 355,899 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 624,353 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.