Sanibel is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Florida. With a population of 6,482 people and three associated neighborhoods, Sanibel is the 258th largest community in Florida.

Sanibel home prices are not only among the most expensive in Florida, but Sanibel real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Of important note, Sanibel is also a city of artists. Sanibel has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Sanibel’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Sanibel telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 31.87% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another notable thing is that Sanibel is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the city’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

The city is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Sanibel has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Sanibel a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

Sanibel is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

If knowledge is power, Sanibel is a pretty powerful place. 59.16% of the adults in Sanibel have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Sanibel in 2022 was $114,484, which is wealthy relative to Florida and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $457,936 for a family of four. However, Sanibel contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Sanibel home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Sanibel residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Sanibel include Irish, German, English, Italian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Sanibel is English. Other important languages spoken here include German/Yiddish and Spanish.