The population of Sarasota County, Florida<\/a>, has grown 12.4% over the five years leading up to April 2025, according to Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR).<\/p>\n Midwesterners have flocked to the community for a permanent move as they approach or begin retirement, following the path taken by many of the region’s snowbirds who relocate to the warmer climate during cold Midwest winters.<\/p>\n “The surge of Midwesterners into Sarasota reflects a confluence of factors that have been building for decades, including the natural I-75 corridor, the Gulf’s calmer and more accessible beaches and a cultural tempo that feels closer to the Midwest than Miami’s intensity does,” Realtor.com<\/a> senior economist Hannah Jones told FOX Business.<\/p>\n SILICON VALLEY ELITE SHIFT RECORD WEALTH TO BUILD FLORIDA’S NEW ‘TECH CAPITAL’<\/a><\/p>\n Sarasota County, Fla., has seen a large influx of new residents over the last decade, with many relocating from the Midwest. (iStock)<\/p>\n While the uptick in Midwesterners to the region began before the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic helped accelerate the trend as remote work made it easier for those still in the workforce to relocate.<\/p>\n “What accelerated that long-standing pattern was the pandemic, which untethered buyers from their offices and gave them both the means and the motivation to make a move they might have otherwise saved for retirement,” Jones said.<\/p>\n Data from the Census Bureau showed that about 1,585 people from Michigan relocated to Sarasota County<\/a> from 2018 to 2022, while other Midwestern states weren’t far behind. Illinois contributed 1,399 transplants, and Ohio added another 1,282.<\/p>\n HOUSING AFFORDABILITY UNLIKELY TO RETURN TO MORE AFFORDABLE LEVELS OF THE PAST, ECONOMIST SAYS<\/a><\/p>\n Sarasota remains in demand despite lower home prices in areas like Cape Coral and Tampa. (Octavio Jones\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Florida’s BEBR data showed a net influx of 72,493 residents to Sarasota from 2020 to 2025. IRS data showing county-to-county flows from 2022-23 showed about 5,300 Midwesterners relocated to the area and accounted for about 17.5% of incoming residents, making the region the second-largest source of new residents behind the Northeast.<\/p>\n The influx of new residents initially overwhelmed Sarasota’s housing market<\/a>, and Jones noted that the “resulting demand wave hit Sarasota hard: Inventory cratered, prices spiked and the market briefly rewarded anyone willing to waive contingencies and close quickly.”<\/p>\n INCOME NEEDED TO AFFORD A MEDIAN-PRICED HOME HAS NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE 2020, REPORT FINDS<\/a><\/p>\n Florida’s population surge intensified during the COVID pandemic when its economy remained relatively open compared with other states. (Zak Bennnett\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Over time, the market adjusted and home prices in the areas have stabilized such that Sarasota remains in demand despite having a higher median listing price<\/a> of $487,000 in May 2026, compared with nearby cities like Tampa ($400,000) and Cape Coral ($399,000).<\/p>\n “The supply response came partly through new construction, but the condo market in particular outran the post-pandemic appetite, leaving that segment softer even as single-family inventory has since tightened back up,” Jones said.<\/p>\n![\"Sarasota,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sarasota-Florida-iStock.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/florida-homes-property-tax.jpg\")
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