Despite consistently being ranked among the best places to live and visit in Florida — while also boasting a world-famous beach — not a single community in Sarasota County, or neighboring Manatee County, made a recent list of the top spots to live in the Sunshine State.
U.S. News & World Report recently published its “2026-2027 Best Places to Live rankings,” evaluating U.S. cities, with 22 Florida communities appearing on the list.
Sarasota County has routinely ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in recent years, strengthening its reputation as one of the top places to live in the United States. From the 2021–2022 through 2024–2025 rankings, Sarasota earned a spot on the list every year — frequently landing in the top 10 best cities to live and even being named the No. 1 place to live in Florida multiple times.
Last month, Sarasota’s most famous attraction — Siesta Beach — was ranked the No. 1 beach in the country by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026 Best Beaches rankings, while Anna Maria Island in Manatee County ranked No. 3.
However, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live rankings failed to include a single city from Sarasota or Manatee.
“As prices of everyday goods continue to rise, consumers are considering affordability as a top priority when choosing a place to live,” Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report. “While U.S. News’ consumer survey indicated that quality of life and affordability were close in importance, cost-of-living concerns resulted in many Americans putting what they can afford above their aspirations.”
The ranking was determined by a methodology that measures the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability. These measures were weighted via a public survey of thousands of U.S. individuals who shared what they consider important in a place to live.
Officials noted that the methodology also factors in data from U.S. News’ internal resources, Applied Geographic Solutions, and U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
What is the best city to live in Florida? See this South Florida city
The top city in Florida on the list was Parkland. The Broward County city ranked 14th out of 250, a significant gain from last year’s 59th place.
According to its USN profile, Parkland has about 36,938 residents, with a median age of 39.9. The median household income in Parkland is $223,200, and the average commute time is about 30.2 minutes. The unemployment rate here is 2.53%.
If you want to buy a house in Parkland, the median home value is $896,250, according to the report. If you’re a renter, you can expect the median rent here to be $2,795.
See Parkland, Florida, on the map
Parkland is located in Broward County, roughly 50 miles north of Miami and 111 miles east of Naples.
Where are the best places to live in Florida? 22 cites in the ranking
Of the 250 cities on the list, 22 were from Florida. See the cities and where they ranked in the U.S.:
What is the best place to live in the entire US?
Carmel, Indiana, was crowned the best place to live in the country, up from 2nd place last year.
“Carmel, Indiana, ranks No. 1 this year due to its high scores across all categories we consider, including desirability, job market and quality of life,” Giovanetti said in the report. “Among more than 850 cities analyzed, Carmel ranks in the top 1% for quality of life, which includes factors such as college readiness, access to health care and air quality.”
Carmel is located roughly 16 miles north of Indianapolis. About 103,768 people live in Carmel, with a median age of 39.7.
Additionally, for the first time in the ranking’s history, two neighboring suburbs secured the top two spots. Carmel’s neighbor, Fishers, placed second and scored high in affordability and quality of life.
Top 10 ‘Best Places to Live’ ranking, by U.S. News & World Report
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota snubbed in new Florida best places rankings
Reporting by Francesca Abarca and Samantha Neely, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
