Sarasota, FL has a D safety grade (31/100) with a violent crime rate of 549 per 100,000, 56% above the national average.

FBI UCR 2024 Per-capita rates FBI UCR + NIBRS

Sarasota, FL Crime Rate & Safety

Violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents, drawn directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Compare against state and national averages.

PlainCrime home → About this data
D
Safety grade
Below Average
549.4
Violent / 100K
1615.6
Property / 100K
58K
Population
+56%
vs U.S. avg

The verdict

Sarasota earns a D safety grade: violent crime runs 56% above the U.S. average, placing it among the highest-crime cities in the country.

D
PlainCrime safety grade
+56%
violent crime vs. U.S. average
10th
percentile of 8,986 U.S. cities
1,615.6
property crimes per 100K

Crime data sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program, covering violent crime, property crime, and individual offense categories. Safety grades reflect a composite analysis of violent and property crime rates benchmarked against national averages. For context on how crime statistics are collected and what they mean for community safety, read our guide to understanding FBI crime data.

Is Sarasota, FL safe? Sarasota has a violent crime rate of 549.4 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data, 56% higher than the national average and 161% above the Florida average. The city receives a safety grade of D (Below Average). Property crime rate: 1615.6/100K. Population: 58,432.

FBI UCR Data Snapshot: Sarasota, FL

Sarasota, FL, reporting population 58,432 in 2024, recorded 321 violent crimes and 944 property crimes in the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Table 8 city-level submissions. The city's violent crime rate works out to 549.4 per 100,000 residents, while the property crime rate reaches 1615.6 per 100,000. Combining those two rates against national benchmarks yields a composite safety grade of D (Below Average), scoring 31 out of 100.

Within the violent crime count, aggravated assault accounted for 241 incidents, robbery 50, murder 7, and rape 23 in 2024. Property crime splits into larceny-theft (794), burglary (144), motor vehicle theft (6), and arson (0). Larceny-theft and other property offenses typically dominate city crime counts, and larceny-theft leads Sarasota's mix at 62.8% of all Part I offenses.

Against the national violent crime average, Sarasota runs 56% above the US benchmark, and 161% above the Florida statewide rate. Translated to per-capita risk, the 2024 figures imply roughly a 1 in 46 statistical chance of being named in a crime report that year, narrowing to 1 in 182 for a violent offense. UCR figures reflect offenses reported to and submitted by local law enforcement and may undercount unreported crime.

These figures come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which compiles offenses voluntarily submitted by local law enforcement agencies. Rates are expressed per 100,000 residents so a small town and a large city sit on the same scale, 50 burglaries mean something very different in a town of 2,000 than in a city of 500,000. Two caveats matter when reading any city's numbers. First, a year with missing or partial agency reporting can understate true crime, so a sudden drop sometimes reflects a reporting gap rather than a real safety gain. Second, UCR counts reported offenses, not convictions, and many crimes are never reported at all. Treat a grade as one input among several, not a final verdict on a place.

Is Sarasota, FL Safe? Safety Assessment

Based on 2024 FBI crime data, Sarasota, FL receives a safety grade of D (Below Average) with a composite safety score of 31/100. Violent crime is 56% above the national average, indicating substantially higher risk than most US cities.

Your statistical chance of being a crime victim in Sarasota is approximately 1 in 46 , with a 1 in 182 chance of being a violent crime victim. The most common crime type is larceny-theft, accounting for 63% of all reported offenses.

Safety assessments are based on FBI UCR reported crime statistics. Actual safety varies by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances. Crime reporting rates differ across jurisdictions.

Safety Overview

D 31/100
Below Average
Composite safety score
based on FBI UCR data
Violent Crime Rate
549.4/100K
violent crimes per 100K residents
+56% vs US
Property Crime Rate
1615.6/100K
property crimes per 100K residents
-6% vs US
Total Crimes
1,265
reported in 2024
Population
58,432
2024 Census-based estimate

Crime Rate Breakdown, How Each Offense Compares

Each offense category's rate per 100,000 residents, benchmarked against the national average. Bars show the rate relative to the highest-rate offense in this city.

Murder 12.0/100K
Rape 39.4/100K
Robbery 85.6/100K
Aggravated Assault 412.4/100K
Burglary 246.4/100K
Larceny-Theft 1358.8/100K
Motor Vehicle Theft 10.3/100K
Arson 0.0/100K

How this works: Each bar shows the offense rate per 100,000 residents relative to the most frequent offense in this city. ▲▼ indicators compare against the FBI UCR national rate for that offense category. A longer bar means a higher per-capita rate, it does not imply the city is dangerous; use it to understand the mix of crime types. Full methodology →

Crime Breakdown (2024)

Category Count Rate /100K
Violent Crime 321 549.4
Murder 7 12
Rape 23 39.4
Robbery 50 85.6
Aggravated Assault 241 412.4
Property Crime 944 1615.6
Burglary 144 246.4
Larceny-Theft 794 1358.8
Motor Vehicle Theft 6 10.3
Arson 0 0

Per-Capita Risk Assessment

Overall Crime Risk
1 in 46
Statistical chance of being a crime victim based on 2024 data
Violent Crime Risk
1 in 182
Statistical chance of being a violent crime victim

These are statistical averages based on reported crimes. Actual risk varies significantly by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances.

Crime Type Distribution (2024)

Larceny-Theft 794 (62.8%)
Aggravated Assault 241 (19.1%)
Burglary 144 (11.4%)
Robbery 50 (4.0%)
Rape 23 (1.8%)
Murder 7 (0.6%)
Motor Vehicle Theft 6 (0.5%)

Sarasota vs Florida vs National Average

Sarasota
Violent549.4/100K
Property1615.6/100K
GradeD
Florida
Violent210.3/100K
Property1030/100K
National Average
Violent352/100K
Property1711/100K

How Sarasota ranks nationally

Sarasota vs. every U.S. city

Violent crime per 100,000 residents, FBI UCR 2024. Lower is safer.

549 10th percentile lower than 10% of 8,986 U.S. cities

0–100: 3,427 U.S. cities (38%). Below this entry. 100–200: 2,003 U.S. cities (22%). Below this entry. 200–300: 1,232 U.S. cities (14%). Below this entry. 300–400: 742 U.S. cities (8%). Below this entry. 400–500: 511 U.S. cities (6%). Below this entry. 500–600: 325 U.S. cities (4%). This entry sits in this band. 600–700: 199 U.S. cities (2%). Above this entry. 700–800: 134 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 800–900: 94 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 900–1,000: 77 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,100: 59 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 1,100–1,200: 38 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,300: 27 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,300–1,400: 24 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,400–1,500: 12 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,600: 16 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,600–1,700: 10 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,700–1,800: 12 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,900: 11 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,900–2,000: 4 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 2,000+: 29 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. Sarasota 0 2,000+ every reporting city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band of values; taller bars hold more U.S. cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · 2024

Sarasota vs. nearby cities — violent vs. property crime. X axis violent crime per 100K, Y axis property crime per 100K, split by the national averages. 9 cities; the anchor city is ringed. Sarasota vs. nearby cities — violent vs. property crime SAFEST HIGHEST CRIME 123 797 Violent crime per 100K → 916 3,235 Property crime per 100K → Sarasota: 549 violent · 1,616 property per 100K · grade D Sarasota Miami: 473 violent · 2,995 property per 100K · grade D Tampa: 445 violent · 1,465 property per 100K · grade C St. Petersburg: 620 violent · 2,459 property per 100K · grade F Gainesville: 738 violent · 2,704 property per 100K · grade F Palm Bay: 347 violent · 1,018 property per 100K · grade C Coral Springs: 137 violent · 1,094 property per 100K · grade A West Palm Beach: 576 violent · 2,138 property per 100K · grade F Miami Gardens: 415 violent · 2,430 property per 100K · grade D Safety grade A / B C D / F
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · split lines are the U.S. national averages

Nearby Cities in Florida

Compare Sarasota against neighboring cities in the same state, or use our side-by-side compare tool to benchmark two cities directly.

Miami
D
Pop: 460,392
Violent: 473.3/100K
Property: 2995.1/100K
Tampa
C
Pop: 408,646
Violent: 444.6/100K
Property: 1465.3/100K
St. Petersburg
F
Pop: 264,999
Violent: 619.6/100K
Property: 2458.9/100K
Gainesville
F
Pop: 147,022
Violent: 738/100K
Property: 2703.7/100K
Palm Bay
C
Pop: 141,137
Violent: 347.2/100K
Property: 1017.5/100K

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the crime rate in Sarasota, FL? ▼
Sarasota has a violent crime rate of 549.4 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1615.6 per 100,000, based on 2024 FBI UCR data.
Is Sarasota, FL safe? ▼
Sarasota receives a safety grade of D (Below Average), with a safety score of 31/100. The violent crime rate is 56% above the national average and 161% above the Florida average.
What is the population of Sarasota, FL? ▼
The reporting population for Sarasota is 58,432 as of 2024.
How many crimes were reported in Sarasota? ▼
In 2024, Sarasota reported 321 violent crimes and 944 property crimes, for a total of 1,265 reported offenses.
What are the odds of being a crime victim in Sarasota? ▼
Based on 2024 data, the statistical chance of being a crime victim in Sarasota is approximately 1 in 46, with a 1 in 182 chance of being a violent crime victim. These are statistical averages and actual risk varies by neighborhood and circumstance.
What is the most common crime in Sarasota? ▼
The most common crime type in Sarasota is larceny-theft, accounting for 62.8% of all reported crimes (794 incidents in 2024).

Understanding Crime Data

►
Understanding Crime Rates
How per-capita rates are calculated and what they mean
 ►
Violent vs Property Crime
Key differences between crime categories
 ►
FBI Crime Stats Explained
How the FBI collects and reports UCR data
 ►
Crime, Housing & Schools
How safety connects to housing costs and school quality

Data as of 2024. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

Crime rates are calculated per 100,000 population. Not all agencies report complete data. FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures referenced from U.S. Census Bureau estimates where noted; state-level comparisons cross-check against state UCR programs. Verify with FBI.gov UCR, Census.gov QuickFacts, and HUD.gov fair-market rents.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

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