The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The principal cities listed by the OMB for the MSA are North Port, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. At the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 833,716. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 948,158 in 2025.
The North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA is a component of the larger North Port–Bradenton Combined Statistical Area, a combined statistical area (CSA) consisting of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA, the Punta Gorda, Florida MSA (Charlotte County), and the Arcadia, Florida, micropolitan statistical area (DeSoto County). At the 2020 census, the CSA had a population of 1,054,539. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 1,202,448 in 2025.
History of the metropolitan area designations The Sarasota standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) was first defined in 1973, and included only Sarasota County. The Bradenton SMSA was defined after the 1980 United States census, and included only Manatee County. The two MSAs were combined in 1993 as the Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. Venice was added as a principal city after the 2000 census. In 2007, the MSA was renamed the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice MSA because Bradenton's population then exceeded that of Sarasota. In 2009, the area was designated the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA after North Port qualified as a "principal city" under the metropolitan statistical area definition and was determined to be the largest of the area's three principal cities. In 2013, the MSA was renamed North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. In July 2023, the MSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota MSA, and the CSA was renamed to the North Port–Bradenton CSA. Lakewood Ranch was also added as a principal city within the MSA.
Demographics
Counties Metropolitan Statistical Area CountySeat2025 estimate2020 CensusChangeLand AreaDensitySarasotaSarasotaManateeBradentonTotal
Combined Statistical Area Statistical Area2025 estimate2020 CensusChangeLand AreaDensityNorth Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, FL Metropolitan Statistical AreaPunta Gorda, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area (Charlotte County)Arcadia, FL Micropolitan Statistical Area (DeSoto County)Total
Cities
Largest cities The following is a list of the five largest cities in the Sarasota metropolitan area as ranked by population. RankCityCounty2010population2020population2023estimate % change(2020 to 2023)1North Port Sarasota 57,357 2Bradenton Manatee 49,546 3Sarasota Sarasota 51,917 4Venice Sarasota 20,748 5Palmetto Manatee 12,606
Other cities and towns RankCityCounty2010population2020population2023estimate% change(2020 to 2023)1Longboat Key SarasotaManatee 6,888 2Holmes Beach Manatee 3,836 3Anna Maria Manatee 1,503 4Bradenton Beach Manatee 1,171
Census designated places
The following is a list of census-designated places (CDPs) ranked by population. CDPs in the combined statistical area are included. RankCDPCounty2010population2017estimated(2010 to 2017)1Port CharlotteCharlotte54,39259,6542South BradentonManatee22,17824,9353Bayshore GardensManatee16,32320,0474Sarasota SpringsSarasota14,39516,3865EnglewoodSarasota Charlotte14,86315,1596South VeniceSarasota13,94914,5357FruitvilleSarasota13,22413,5418Gulf Gate EstatesSarasota10,91110,6509Bee RidgeSarasota9,5989,77210LaurelSarasota8,1719,28311Rotonda West Charlotte8,7598,98112MemphisManatee7,8488,92613North SarasotaSarasota6,9828,72814Venice GardensSarasota7,1047,90415Southeast ArcadiaDesoto6,5547,65316SouthgateSarasota7,1737,53917OspreySarasota6,1006,73418Siesta KeySarasota6,5655,85019Warm Mineral SpringsSarasota5,0615,30520South SarasotaSarasota4,9505,26521PlantationSarasota4,9194,79022Lake SarasotaSarasota4,6794,71823The MeadowsSarasota3,9944,38324Kensington ParkSarasota3,9014,35125VamoSarasota4,7274,34526CortezManatee4,2414,33227West BradentonManatee4,1924,21328SamosetManatee3,8543,92229Ridge Wood HeightsSarasota4,7953,87830Desoto LakesSarasota3,6463,59031EllentonManatee4,2753,42332Harbour HeightsCharlotte2,9873,40133NokomisSarasota3,1673,37634ClevelandCharlotte2,9903,31735WhitfieldManatee2,8823,21536Charlotte ParkCharlotte2,3252,05837Grove CityCharlotte1,8042,04238SolanaCharlotte74270639GardnerHardee463228
Climate The Sarasota metropolitan area, like most of Florida, is located in the humid subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification: Cfa), closely bordering on a tropical climate like Southern Florida, characterized by hot, humid summers with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and relatively drier and mild winters.
Transportation
Roads
Freeways
Interstate 75 Interstate 275
U.S. highways
U.S. Route 19 U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 301
State roads
State Road 37 State Road 62 State Road 64 State Road 70 State Road 72 State Road 681 State Road 684 State Road 758 State Road 776 State Road 777 State Road 780 State Road 789
County roads List of county roads in Charlotte County, Florida List of county roads in DeSoto County, Florida List of county roads in Manatee County, Florida List of county roads in Sarasota County, Florida
Ports
SeaPort Manatee
Airports
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Public airports
Buchan Airport Venice Municipal Airport
Public transportation Sarasota and Manatee counties have transit networks, Breeze Transit (formerly Sarasota County Area Transit, SCAT) and Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT), which run bus services in the area. Amtrak operates an Amtrak Thruway route through the area starting in St. Petersburg-Clearwater and ending in Fort Myers, with Sarasota and Ellenton operating as stops along the route.
Media Newspapers Anna Maria Island Sun Bradenton Herald Business Observer, a business newspaper published in Sarasota, serves several other regions of Florida. East County Observer Longboat Observer The Bradenton Times, an online newspaper. The Islander Sarasota Herald-Tribune Siesta Key Observer Sarasota Observer Tempo News Venice Gondolier Sun
Magazines
Sarasota Magazine SRQ Magazine Venice: Gulf Coast Living Magazine
Television ABC 7 WSNN (SNN)
Radio
WBRD WCTQ WDIZ (AM) WHPT WJIS WKES WLSS WWNP-LP WRUB (FM) WSDV WSLR-LP WSMR (FM) WSRQ (AM) WTMY WWPR (AM)
Education Public education is provided by Manatee County School District and Sarasota County Public Schools.
Colleges and universities The following college/university campuses exist in the metropolitan area.
Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training East West College of Natural Medicine Everglades University Florida State University College of Medicine Keiser University LECOM Ringling College of Art and Design New College of Florida State College of Florida Sarasota-Manatee USF Sarasota-Manatee
Economy The Sarasota Metropolitan Area has a gross metropolitan product of $45.41 billion as of 2023.
Recreation and culture
Parks/nature reserves
Federally owned DeSoto National Memorial
State-owned
Lake Manatee State Park Myakka River State Park Oscar Scherer State Park Terra Ceia Preserve
Museums
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature Florida Maritime Museum Florida Railroad Museum John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Palmetto Historical Park
Theatres
Florida Studio Theatre Sarasota Opera House Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
See also Florida census statistical areas
References
External links Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area definitions