Manatee County vs Sarasota County
Two neighbouring counties in Florida, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 61 mi of border.
Manatee County
Florida
Sarasota County
Florida
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Manatee County spans about 73.0 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Manatee County | Difference | Sarasota County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 468,200 | -2.4% | 479,958 |
| Change since 2020 | 16.6% | +6.6 pp | 10.0% |
| Land area | 742.8 sq mi | +33.6% | 556.1 sq mi |
| Population density | 630 per sq mi | -27.0% | 863 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $78,457 | -5.9% | $83,416 |
| Median home value | $391,400 | -5.0% | $411,800 |
| Median age | 49.6 | -13.6% | 57.4 |
| Households | 176,747 | -16.7% | 212,204 |
| Housing units | 221,234 | -17.0% | 266,492 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Sarasota County holds slightly more than the population of Manatee County: 479,958 against 468,200.
- Manatee County covers more ground, at 742.8 square miles against 556.1.
- Sarasota County is the more crowded of the two, at 863 people per square mile against 630.
- Median household income is higher in Sarasota County, by 4,959 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Manatee County has grown by 16.6% and Sarasota County has grown by 10.0%.
- They share 61 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.