2026 Compare Cities People:
Gainesville, FL vs Sarasota, FL

Change Cities
Highlights
- Sarasota is 0% more densely populated than Gainesville.
- People are 63.2% more likely to be married in Sarasota.
- The Median Age is 22.2 years older in Sarasota.
 Gainesville, FLSarasota, FLUnited States
 Population  Unlock53,786329,725,481
 Female Population52.2%  Unlock50.5%
 Male Population47.8%  Unlock49.5%
 Median Age  Unlock4938.4
 space3
 Population - 2010124,675  Unlock309,327,143
 Population - 2000  Unlock52,715285,036,114
 Population - 199084,770  Unlock251,960,433
 Pop. 2000 to Now  Unlock11.7%15.6%
 Pop. 1990 to Now59.3%  Unlock30.8%
 space4
 Population Density  Unlock3,653.093.4
 Land Area63.0  Unlock3,531,905.4
 Water Area  Unlock9.4264,836.8
 space
 Est. Total Population By Age
 Gainesville, FLSarasota, FLUnited States
 Age 0 to 44.2%  Unlock5.9%
 Age 5 to 9  Unlock4.1%6.1%
 Age 10 to 143.5%  Unlock6.6%
 Age 15 to 17  Unlock2.7%3.9%
 Age 18 to 2015.0%  Unlock4.0%
 Age 21 to 24  Unlock4.5%5.2%
 Age 25 to 3418.0%  Unlock13.8%
 Age 35 to 44  Unlock10.0%12.9%
 Age 45 to 547.0%  Unlock12.6%
 Age 55 to 59  Unlock6.6%6.7%
 Age 60 to 643.8%  Unlock6.3%
 Age 65 to 74  Unlock14.5%9.6%
 Age 75 to 842.8%  Unlock4.5%
 Age 85 and over  Unlock5.2%1.9%
 space1
 Race
 Gainesville, FLSarasota, FLUnited States
 White55.9%  Unlock59.4%
 Black  Unlock14.9%12.2%
 Asian6.1%  Unlock5.6%
 Native American  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Hawaiian, Pacific Islander0.1%  Unlock0.2%
 Other  Unlock0.2%0.4%
 Two or More Races3.9%  Unlock3.2%
 Hispanic  Unlock15.5%18.4%
 space2
 Marriage & Family
 Gainesville, FLSarasota, FLUnited States
 Married Population25.5%  Unlock49.8%
     Currently Married  Unlock40.1%48.0%
 Married but Separated1.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Single Population  Unlock58.3%50.2%
 Never Married62.5%  Unlock33.8%
 Divorced  Unlock16.8%10.8%
 Widowed3.0%  Unlock5.6%
 space5
 Household Size  Unlock2.102.60
 Households53,503  Unlock124,010,992
 Family Households  Unlock12,14380,755,759
     Married couple, w/children23.3%  Unlock30.5%
     Married couple, no children  Unlock52.2%42.9%
 Non Family Households33,273  Unlock43,255,233
     Single householder, w/children  Unlock16.3%15.8%
     Single householder, no children15.4%  Unlock10.8%
Reviews for Gainesville    60 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

I've lived here most of my life. It's changed a lot, and a lot of the locals don't like it. Because it's home to one of the largest universities in the country, we see a  More

   |    Reply

Lovely diverse city! People is nice and there is always something to do. Outdoors activities are awesome! The springs are beautiful and there are plenty of hiking  More

   |    Reply

Gainesville has the highest taxes and electrical rates in the state. The city is run by a bunch of liberals who have no idea what they are doing. Crime and homelessness  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Gainesville

Reviews for Sarasota    105 Reviews

Sarasota is my home from birth but those of us who have lived here long enough to have seen the devolution of what was once an easy to navigate, clean, low crime beach  More

   |    Reply

Starting to love Sarasota: Wife and I moved to Osprey- a small suburb between Sarasota and Venice. We're about 13 miles to downtown Sarasota, so not "city dwellers".   More

   |    Reply

As always, anyone considering moving to anyplace new, including Sarasota, needs to come down and spend a month or two before actually moving here. The city is overrun  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Sarasota


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.