Gainesville, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Gainesville, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 141,306 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2167.7 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.42% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 26.5 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 58,126 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Gainesville grew by 17.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 141,306 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Gainesville is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 48.2% of residents. That is 28.8 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 68,101 48.2% +28.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 25,344 17.9% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,393 11.6% -9.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 13,971 9.9% -9.7 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 52.2% of the people living in Gainesville and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% Florida 51.0%
- Men 47.8% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Gainesville
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Gainesville has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,202 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.42% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Gainesville is about 39% lower than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $166,041 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,283 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 36.5% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Gainesville is about 10.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,283 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Gainesville spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 144 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.3 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.6 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 144 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,468 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.6% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,387 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,094 | 3,068 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Gainesville is 17 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
Gainesville has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.9% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.14 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Health
Gainesville has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Gainesville | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.0% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.2% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Gainesville, Florida.
How many people live in Gainesville, Florida?
About 141,306 people live in Gainesville, Florida, in 58,126 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 26.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Gainesville, Florida urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Gainesville, Florida has 2,168 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 25 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Gainesville, Florida?
The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($166,041 against $45,202), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,283 a month takes about 34% of the median household's income, above the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →