Sarasota is still considered one of the best places to live in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Sarasota No. 11 in its annual Best Places to Live in the U.S. list. It’s the second-highest Florida city in the report behind Naples, which took the No. 1 overall spot.
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The report considered four indexes — Quality of Life, Value, Job Market and Desirability — in its rankings. U.S. World & News Report sourced its data from the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sharecare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other internal sources.
Sarasota was one of 13 Florida cities to make the list, which also included Naples (No. 1), Pensacola (No. 31), Fort Myers (No. 37), Melbourne (No. 49), Jacksonville (No. 56), Orlando (No. 68), Tallahassee (No. 75), Ocala (No. 78), Lakeland (80), Port St. Lucie (83), Daytona Beach (96) and Miami (123) in the top 150.
Sarasota is no stranger to rankings, with a No. 5 spot in last year’s report. U.S. News & World Report lauded the city’s “vibrant arts scene, beachy atmosphere and burgeoning food culture,” in its report, which highlighted the Sarasota Opera House, Siesta Key and other local spots as standout attractions.
More: Sarasota named one of Top 10 best places to live in the U.S., No. 1 in Florida
Sarasota also ranked No. 18 in the Best Places to Retire list, the third-highest Florida city behind No. 8 Daytona Beach and No. 12 Tampa. Last year, it ranked No. 11, dropping from the top spot in the 2022 rankings that called it an “ideal retirement community.”
More: Once No. 1, Sarasota drops again on U.S. News & World Report’s best cities to retire list
The accolades come as Sarasota continues to experience skyrocketing growth, with a No. 2 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s 25 Fastest-Growing Places list. It’s the first of seven Florida cities on that list, ahead of No. 3 Fort Myers, No. 4 Lakeland, No. 5 Port St. Lucie, No. 7 Ocala, No. 8 Daytona Beach and No. 9 Naples.
Contact Herald-Tribune Growth and Development Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @hmb_1013.