Sarasota jumped to the No. 5 position on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. list for 2023-2024—and it retained its No. 1 ranking for best place to live in Florida, too. The annual U.S. News & World Report list evaluates metro areas based on quality of life, job market, value and desirability. In 2022, the Sarasota area ranked No. 9 on the annual list and No. 1 in Florida. 

According to the report, “people who choose Sarasota as their home are generally called by its unique charm. As Americans in the workforce seek cities for the quality of life and not just job opportunities, Sarasota is becoming increasingly popular.”

Sarasota also landed on two other top 10 lists from U.S. News & World Report: it ranked No. 2 among Fastest-Growing Places in the U.S and No. 7 on the list of Safest Places to Live in the U.S. It was also ranked No. 11 on U.S. News' list of Best Places to Retire.

The criteria factored into the rankings were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of people throughout the United States to find out what qualities they consider most important in a place to live.

The complete list can be viewed online here.