Sarasota drops six spots on best cities to live list

The good news is Sarasota has surpassed Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Places to Live” rankings. The not quite-so-positive development is that Sarasota fell from No. 5 to No. 11 on the list.

But not as far as Green Bay, which slid from No. 1 last year to one spot behind Sarasota. Both cities were assessed an overall score of 6.7, but Sarasota’s sun, sand and overall lifestyle eked out the win over the “frozen tundra” in the publication’s ranking methodology.

Sarasota was ranked fifth on last years list with Green Bay at No. 1. 

“I think a common thread through all these surveys, whether we're moving up the list or down the list, is that we're making the list,” said Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Kasten. “There are many cities that aren’t making these lists year in and year out. We may slide up and down, but the bottom line is we're coming out on the top of these lists in so many different categories.”

And what keeps Sarasota appearing on such lists?

“I think it's just our quality of life in general, being able to live an active outdoor lifestyle,” Kasten said. “One of the key predictors of health is activity and being able to be outside. It does get hot here in summer, but for the better part of the year there is the ability to get out and move your body, especially in this beautiful area.”

But why the slip from fifth to No. 11 this year? Kasten said she thinks that’s primarily because of the city's ongoing affordable housing issue.

The ranking methodology backs that up. 

The overall score factors in a quality of life index (32%), value index (32%), desirability index (19%), and job market index (22%). No matter how nice a city might be to live in, it must be affordable to live there. 

Of the value index, which measures how comfortably the average resident of each city can afford to live within their means, 50% is weighted on housing costs versus median household income. 

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“Sarasota’s popularity with both the over-65 and under-65 sets means rising home prices, and many people who want to live here are priced out,” the report reads. “For a city of its size, Sarasota is not a cheap place to live. In fact, average rental prices for an apartment are even slightly higher in Sarasota than in nearby cities like St. Petersburg and Tampa.”

The overall score gap between No. 1-ranked Naples and Sarasota is only fourth-tenths of one point. Among other Florida cities, Sarasota is ranked second. 

As is typical, U.S. News & World Report cited the area’s beaches, the arts and culture scene, St. Armands and Siesta Key as main lifestyle attractions, but it also pointed out the city’s continuing skew from a retirement haven to a destination for young professionals and families.

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“There was once a time when Sarasota was dismissed as a playground for retirees, but that reputation is slowly changing as more young professionals make it their own,” the report reads. “One of the city’s up-and-coming neighborhoods is the Rosemary District, where eclectic murals decorate storefronts and modern condominiums and hotels sit near casual breakfast cafes.”

Sarasota does benefit from the continued in-migration from other states that rapidly accelerated during the pandemic.

“We know from the Florida Chamber that about 750 people a day are moving to Florida,” Kasten said. “We know that net income migration is about $4.8 million per hour, and that's based on people’s W2s moving from other states. That really doesn't even capture all the retirement money.”