Census-designated place · Manatee County, Florida

Ellenton, Florida

Ellenton is a census-designated place in Manatee County, Florida, part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL metro area. It has 5,133 residents. Ellenton, Florida has a quality-of-life score of 43 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,924 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Florida it ranks #408 of 780 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), new business applications (high) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), rent-burdened households (high) and hot days (high).

43Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,924 of 15,651 cities and towns
Florida: #408 of 780 in FL
Population: 5,133 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,551.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 1220375

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety26#11,643/15,637
Economy68#5,026/15,631
Housing13#12,988/14,977
Health70#4,711/15,609
Healthcare36#9,966/15,650
Environment68#4,930/15,453
Education30#10,929/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,580/15,650
Community41#9,257/15,651
Leisure & amenities62#5,885/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ellenton, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Manatee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low8 mi
97/100Florida 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauManatee County value
New business applications · high21.8 /1k
93/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauManatee County value
Comfortable days · high32.7%
89/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationManatee County value
Depression · low19.2%
87/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Effective property tax rate · low0.51%
87/100Florida 0.78%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Florida 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteManatee County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Florida 0.2 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesManatee County value
Rent-burdened households · high48.0%
5/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Hot days · high118 days
5/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationManatee County value
Drought exposure · high92%
5/100Florida 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAManatee County value
Natural hazard risk · high92.5
7/100Florida 75.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyManatee County value
Rent as share of income · high29.7%
8/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,192 (2015-2019) → 5,133 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.8% (2015-2019) → 94.9% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.1× (2015-2019) → 3.9× (2020-2024)
+85%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
11.5% (2015-2019) → 23.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateImproving
12.8% (2015-2019) → 4.7% (2020-2024)
−8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$56,937 (2015-2019) → $71,402 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Ellenton, Florida improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+18 points76.8% → 94.9%

Declined1

Price / income+1.8×2.1× → 3.9×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Ellenton, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.6 min2015-2019	29.5 min2020-2024	−2.1 min	Within the margin of error	72%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.3%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	76.8%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	87%
High school diploma or higher	94.3%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+1.8×	Declined	5%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3892015-2019	0.3492020-2024	−0.040	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$56,9372015-2019	$71,4022020-2024	+25%	Within the margin of error	45%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	30.7%2015-2019	29.7%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	51.6%2015-2019	48.0%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.5%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	2%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Ellenton, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ellenton, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Ellenton, Florida itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,133 residents (±1,707)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,742 households (±356)

Ellenton, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k2.9%†50
$25k–50k30%†527
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,742 households (±356)

Ellenton, Florida
Florida share

Own67%1,175
Rent33%†567

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,973 workers (±686)

Ellenton, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone62%1,223
Carpool26%†504
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Manatee County, the county holding most of Ellenton's residents.

Manatee County has 11,176 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Florida's), with 121,840 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,618. The Census Bureau also counts 50,838 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 11,176; 50,838 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 121,840
Average annual pay: $50,618; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Manatee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	1,073	24.1	1.56×More than typical	7,244	$55,701	3,211
Ambulatory health care services	921	20.7	0.99×About typical	7,773	$70,600	2,499
Lessors of real estate	811	18.2	1.48×More than typical	2,516	$56,599	5,779
Restaurants and other eating places	679	15.2	0.83×About typical	14,073	$25,211	217
Services to buildings and dwellings	626	14.1	2.09×More than typical	3,863	$41,157	4,247
Real estate agents and brokers	455	10.2	2.10×More than typical	736	$77,255	2,234
Management, scientific and technical consulting	402	9	1.35×More than typical	1,012	$60,827	2,137
Building finishing contractors	365	8.2	2.16×More than typical	1,234	$46,481	1,242
Building equipment contractors	342	7.7	1.28×More than typical	3,215	$62,170	481
Full-service restaurants	327	7.3	0.96×About typical	8,071	$28,815	87
Offices of physicians	322	7.2	1.12×About typical	2,978	$96,486	427
Construction of buildings	312	7	0.93×About typical	1,487	$90,594	1,631

Rank places for an industry Open Manatee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 445,316 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $165.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ellenton, Florida: $32.17 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $165.1K; −77% vs FY2025
Per resident: $32.17; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 33%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Coast Guard$72.3K44%
Defense Logistics Agency$62.2K38%
Department of the Navy$30.4K18%
Departmental Offices$1,2570.8%
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$7580.5%
Federal Aviation Administration$4700.3%

Top recipients

VETERAN DISTRIBUTION & SUPPLY LLC$72.3K44%
ITW GSE INC.$37.1K22%
R CUBED ENGINEERING LLC$30.3K18%
DENKE LABORATORIES, INC.$24.1K15%
BKW GSE CONSULTING, INC.$3,1531.9%

Spending by fiscal year

293.1KFY2017
459.1KFY2018
321.2KFY2019
703.4KFY2020
535.3KFY2021
425.7KFY2022
909.2KFY2023
1.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel · 3312$72.3K44%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$30.3K18%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$29.4K18%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$24.1K15%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$9,4555.7%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Ellenton, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Ellenton, Florida's figures are part of those of Manatee County, FL ($30.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.5% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Ellenton is mostly in Manatee County.

See federal money in Manatee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Ellenton, Florida is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Vern BuchananR-FL-16 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 10.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Manatee County69100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL77

Other cities and towns in Manatee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1220375

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends