Sarasota County, Florida

• Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 5.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
• Aging population: Median age of 57 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

• Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 37,834 workers (23.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $70,287.
• Economic scale: Regional GDP of $35.9B (2024).
• Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $145,574 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $35,172, a 4.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

• Top specialization: Specialty Trade Contractors concentrates at 2.05x the national norm.
• Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
• Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.

• In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.9x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
• High home ownership: 76.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
• Elevated vacancy: 20.4% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
• Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,085/mo).

• Succession risk is real: 31.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
• Low participation: 50% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
• Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 56,676 annual credentials.

Sarasota County shows emerging potential for specialty trade contractors attraction, with a 2.05x concentration and 13,328 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 31.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across specialty trade contractors, lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets, and performing arts, spectator sports, and related creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.