How Much Money are People Making in the Sarasota, Bradenton Area?

SARASOTA, FL — Residents of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region are seeing rising incomes, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The rise in the local median household income comes as the nation and most large metro areas are seeing similar increases.

New numbers in the American Community Survey include 2015 demographic information across 40 topics, including employment, health insurance, number of people in a home and more. In the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area, the median household income was $53,698 in 2015. That's up from $52,077 a year earlier.

Sarasota County’s median income was at $56,286 in 2015, up from $52,109 in the previous year. Manatee County’s median income came in at $50,835 in 2015, down from $52,031 in 2014, which is within the margin of error. Information on specific communities and smaller municipalities will be released in December.

Across Florida, the median household income in 2015 was $49,426, still below the national average of $56,516.

"The American Community Survey allows us to track incremental changes across our nation on how Americans live and work, year­-to­-year," Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson said in a statement. "It helps people, businesses and governments in all of our states and local communities better understand the needs of their populations, the markets in which they operate and the challenges and opportunities they face."

Incomes rose in 21 of the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas, while poverty decreased in 16 out of the 25. National numbers released earlier this week noted that the nation had seen an annual increase in household incomes for the first time since 2007, a year before the recession. The U.S. also saw the largest annual decrease in the poverty rate since 1999.

Median household income in the United States in 2015 was $56,516, an increase of 5.2 percent from 2014. The median household income increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia — the highest increase was Montana, with 6.8 percent. Maryland and D.C. have the highest median household incomes at $75,847 and $75,628, respectively. The lowest is Mississippi — at $40,593, it was statistically unchanged from 2014's rate.

The ACS is conducted monthly, according to a Census statement, with income data collected for the 12 months preceding the interview. Data released Thursday included states and communities with a population larger thang 65,0o0. Income, poverty and other demographic info for the rest of the country will be released in December with the 5-year survey results.

No state saw a poverty rate increase, according to Census figures, and nearly half saw poverty rates decrease between 2014 and 2015. Poverty rates in 2015 ranged from a low of 8.2 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 22.0 percent in Mississippi, according to survey numbers.

Some of the highest poverty rates were found in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Some of the lowest poverty rates were found in Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont.

Includes reporting by Patch editor Greg Hambrick

Photo via Shutterstock, Graphics via U.S. Census Bureau