Palmetto is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was listed as 12,606.^[5] It is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

A post office called Palmetto has been in operation since 1868.^[6] Samuel Sparks Lamb is considered the "Father of Palmetto," having surveyed and plotted the city at its outset and donated several plots of land.^[7] He owned a general merchandise store in town.^[8] The city received its name from the palmetto trees near the original town site.^[9] In 1897 Palmetto was incorporated and in the following years grew. In 1902 with the arrival of the railroad, the center of town moved from the waterfront to the train station.^[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km2), of which 4.3 square miles (11 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (2.92%) is water.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,606 people, 4,891 households, and 3,192 families residing in the city.^[12] The population density was 2,865 inhabitants per square mile (1,106/km2). There were 6,729 housing units at an average density of 1,529.4 per square mile (590.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.10% White, 10.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 14.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.3% of the population.^[13]

There were 4,891 total households: 3,192 (65.3%) family households and 1,699 (34.7%) non-family households. Of the 3,192 family households 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present. Within all households, 28.1% were made up of householders living alone and 14.8% had the individual living alone and was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.

In Palmetto, the age distribution among the population includes 24.8% being 19 years old and under, 5.6% from 20 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.012 males. For every 100 males age 18 and over, there were 98.86 females.

Palmetto is home to Blackburn, Palmetto, James Tillman, Virgil Mills and Palmview Elementary Schools, Lincoln and Buffalo Creek Middle Schools and Palmetto High School. Charter schools include Manatee School for the Arts (grades 6-12), Imagine School of North Manatee (grades K-8), and Palmetto Charter School (grades K-8).

The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Sarasota (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research.

The city acts as the background for the TNT drama Claws.