Sarasota Senior AdvisorSarasota County had about 479,958 residents on July 1, 2025, and 38.8% of them were 65 or older, one of the highest shares of any county in the country, with a median age of 57.8. The county runs from Longboat Key and Sarasota in the north through Osprey, Nokomis and Venice to North Port and Englewood in the south.
Sarasota County's Area Agency on Aging is the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, which also serves six counties to the south. The county has the larger share of the region's licensed ALFs, nursing homes and life plan communities.
How many seniors and licensed care options are in Sarasota County, Florida?
Sarasota County had about 186,055 residents 65 and older (38.8% of 479,958) and 26,141 aged 85 and older on July 1, 2025, and AHCA lists 86 licensed assisted living facilities and 29 nursing homes there.
| Available in Sarasota County | Not available in Sarasota County | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed here (AHCA records) | Assisted living facilities: 86, Nursing homes: 29, Home health agencies: 86, Hospices: 2, Adult day care centers: 5, Adult family care homes: 4 | — |
| Not licensed here | — | Every category is represented |
| ALFs listing memory care | 42 | — |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025).
How fast is Sarasota County's older population growing?
Census estimates put Sarasota County's 65-and-older population at 162,394 in April 2020 and 186,055 in July 2025, an increase of 23,661 (15%), while the county's total population grew 11%.
There were about 97,340 residents aged 75 and older in 2025. Licensed assisted living beds in the county total 6,187, roughly one for every 15 residents aged 75 or older.
Where is licensed senior care located within Sarasota County?
By mailing address, Sarasota County's licensed facilities are concentrated in Sarasota, Venice, North Port; the table breaks them down.
| City or community | Licensed ALFs | ALF beds | Nursing homes | Home health / hospice offices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota | 55 | 3680 | 22 | 67 |
| Venice | 20 | 1763 | 6 | 15 |
| Lakewood Ranch | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| North Port | 5 | 381 | 1 | 1 |
| Englewood | 4 | 286 | 0 | 1 |
| Nokomis | 2 | 77 | 0 | 1 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Which specialty licenses do Sarasota County ALFs hold?
21 Sarasota County ALFs hold a limited nursing services license, 10 extended congregate care and 2 limited mental health, and 42 list a memory care program on their AHCA profiles.
8 report beds set aside for Optional State Supplementation residents, and 32 list Medicaid services.
Which life plan communities are in Sarasota County?
Florida OIR's October 2025 map lists 6 continuing care retirement communities in Sarasota County: Bay Village of Sarasota (Sarasota), The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch (Sarasota), Lakehouse West (Sarasota), Plymouth Harbor (Sarasota), Village on the Isle (Venice), Convivial Jacaranda Trace (Venice).
OIR regulates their contracts and finances; AHCA licenses their assisted living and nursing units.
Which agency serves older adults in Sarasota County?
Sarasota County's Aging and Disability Resource Center is Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (Planning and Service Area 8), at (239) 652-6900 or toll-free 1-866-413-5337; it handles Medicaid long-term care screening, the home and community-based services wait list, and referrals to local meals, transportation and caregiver programs.
2830 Winkler Ave, Ste. 112, Fort Myers, FL 33916. Florida's Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337, also routes to it. Stratum PACE's service area includes the county, though AHCA's August 2026 report shows no Sarasota participants that month.
Which hospitals serve Sarasota County?
CMS's hospital data lists 4 acute-care hospitals in Sarasota County: Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota (CMS rating 5 of 5); HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital in Sarasota (CMS rating 4 of 5); HCA Florida Englewood Hospital in Englewood (CMS rating 3 of 5); Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice in North Venice (CMS rating 5 of 5).
Hospital ratings are CMS's overall hospital star ratings, which measure different things from nursing home ratings.
