HomeFloridaLee CountySanibel
Sanibel, Florida: commercial real estate data.
Sanibel is a Census city of 6,418 people across 16.18 square miles of land, in Lee County. Median household income is $108,644, 89.9 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 7 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $5.3 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Sanibel
What Sanibel is
- Census place typecity
- Land area16.18 sq mi
- Water area17.02 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land397
- County holding the largest share of its areaLee County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sanibel
How many people live in Sanibel
- Population6,418
- Median age67.3
- Population under 18341 plus or minus 95
- Share under 185.3 percent plus or minus 1.5
- Population 65 and over3,522
- Share 65 and over54.9 percent
- Households3,170
- Family households2,334
- Share of households that are families73.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sanibel
Income and work in Sanibel
- Median household income$108,644 plus or minus $30,153
- Per capita income$112,881
- Civilian labor force2,088
- Employed1,969 plus or minus 412
- Unemployed119 plus or minus 56
- Unemployment rate5.7 percent plus or minus 2.4
- Adults 25 and over5,872
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher99.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher61.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree28.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sanibel
Housing in Sanibel
- Housing units8,564
- Occupied units3,170
- Vacant units5,394
- Vacancy rate63.0 percent
- Owner occupied2,851
- Renter occupied319 plus or minus 231
- Ownership rate89.9 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$957,300
- Median gross rent, monthly$811
- Annual rent as a share of median income9.0 percent plus or minus 2.8
- Single family units4,850
- Share single family56.6 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more3,387
- Share in buildings of two or more39.5 percent
- Mobile homes313 plus or minus 203
- Median year structure built1983
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sanibel
How Sanibel gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute1,343 plus or minus 375
- Commuting under 15 minutes543 plus or minus 267
- Share commuting under 15 minutes40.4 percent plus or minus 16.3
- Commuting 30 minutes or more399 plus or minus 149
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more29.7 percent plus or minus 7.4
- Drove alone50.4 percent
- Carpooled8.0 percent plus or minus 5.4
- Public transport0.3 percent plus or minus 0.7
- Walked7.4 percent plus or minus 10.0
- Worked from home31.1 percent plus or minus 9.6
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Sanibel
SBA loans in Sanibel (7(a))
- Approvals7
- Gross approval$5,259,600
- Average approval$751,371
- Median approval$200,000
- Largest approval$2,975,000
- Jobs supported123
- Jobs per approval17.6
- Loans with a final outcome5
- Paid in full3
- Charged off2
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more14.3 percent
- Share to franchises0.0 percent
- Distinct lenders5
- Distinct industries by NAICS7
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sanibel, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 5 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sanibel
SBA loans in Sanibel (504)
- Approvals5
- Gross approval$9,218,000
- Average approval$1,843,600
- Median approval$1,732,000
- Largest approval$3,144,000
- Jobs supported43
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Charged off0
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sanibel, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Sanibel
Flood risk in Sanibel
- NFIP communityCity of Sanibel
- NFIP community number120402
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classClass 5
- Currently effective map date11/17/22
The City of Sanibel participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 120402 and carries Community Rating System class 5, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Lee County, not Sanibel
Lee County context, not Sanibel figures
- Establishments in Lee County22,756
- Covered employment, Lee County299,283
- Average annual pay, Lee County$61,578
- Housing units permitted, Lee County15,411
Every figure in this section is published for Lee County as a whole and is not a measurement of Sanibel.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Sanibel questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sanibel, Florida?
6,418, in 3,170 households. Sanibel city covers 16.18 square miles of land, which is 397 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Sanibel in?
Lee County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Sanibel?
$108,644. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $957,300. Median gross rent is $811 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Sanibel businesses?
7 7(a) approvals totaling $5.3 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, median approval $200,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $9.2 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Sanibel, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Sanibel borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Sanibel. Only 5 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Sanibel in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Sanibel appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Sanibel, city of, community 120402, carrying Community Rating System class 5, which is a premium discount for exceeding the program minimum. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Sanibel figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Lee County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Sanibel.
Is zoning published for Sanibel?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.