Alachua County, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alachua County, FL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Florida
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D
Income Well below average
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A
Education Above averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in Florida
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 285,474 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 294.8 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.34% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.9 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 116,778 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alachua County grew by 19.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 285,474 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alachua County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 33.8% of residents. That is 14.4 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 96,633 33.8% +14.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 56,292 19.7% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 45,241 15.8% -4.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 40,590 14.2% -5.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Florida, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.6% of the people living in Alachua County and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% Florida 51.0%
- Men 48.4% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alachua County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alachua County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,563 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.30% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alachua County is about 16% lower than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $163,632 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,338 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.1% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alachua County is about 10.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,338 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alachua County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,303 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.1% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,324 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,528 | 3,068 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Florida:
Taylor County (13.8 min), Monroe County (16.1 min), Franklin County (16.6 min).
Slowest:
Washington County (32.8 min), Osceola County (32.3 min), Liberty County (32.1 min).
The average commute time in Alachua County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Florida.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Alachua County has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39.0% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.4), Leon County (0.4), Alachua County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hamilton County (0.1), Hendry County (0.1), Hardee County (0.1).
Health
Alachua County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Alachua County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.0% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.2% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.8), Seminole County (0.8), Alachua County (0.8).
Lowest:
Glades County (0.8), Putnam County (0.8), Hendry County (0.8).
Alachua County, FL Compared With Nearby Counties
Alachua County, FL is the 2nd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 285,474 residents against a local median of 225,443. Alachua County, FL's median home price, at $163,632, runs 42% below the $279,761 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.5 min against a local median of 27.9 min, 26% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 26% below the local median it puts Alachua County, FL at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $61,116 on median home price, so Alachua County, FL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Alachua County, FL has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua County, FL | 285,474 | $62,563 #3/4 | $163,632 #4/4 | 20.5 min #1/4 |
| Bradford County, FL | 27,885 | $62,931 | $280,178 | 27.9 min |
| Marion County, FL | 400,073 | $61,094 | $219,062 | 23.3 min |
| Clay County, FL | 225,443 | $88,122 | $279,761 | 31.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alachua County, Florida.
What is the population of Alachua County, Florida?
About 285,474 people live in Alachua County, Florida, in 116,778 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 33.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Alachua County, Florida mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alachua County, Florida has 295 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alachua County, Florida?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($163,632 against $62,563), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,338 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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