Gilchrist County, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Gilchrist 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 76% of counties in Florida
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 19,040 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 53.6 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.42% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.1 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,151 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Gilchrist County grew by 13.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19,040 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Gilchrist County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.9% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,174 21.9% +2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,398 17.8% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,065 21.4% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,852 20.2% +0.6 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 48.1% of the people living in Gilchrist County and men 51.9%.
- Women 48.1% Florida 51.0%
- Men 51.9% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Gilchrist County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Gilchrist County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,044 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.94% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Gilchrist County is about 13% lower than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $35,000 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $926 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 85.7% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Gilchrist County is about 3.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $926 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Gilchrist County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 253 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.4 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.7 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 253 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,845 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,170 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 598 | 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 Gilchrist County is 30 minutes, longer 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
Gilchrist County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 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
Gilchrist County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Gilchrist County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.4% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.6% | 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).
Gilchrist County, FL Compared With Nearby Counties
Gilchrist County, FL is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 19,040 residents against a local median of 45,384. Where Gilchrist County, FL breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 85% below the local median of $236,240 at $35,000.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.4 min against a local median of 23.2 min, 31% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 31% above the local median it puts Gilchrist County, FL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $112,491 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Gilchrist County, FL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Gilchrist County, FL has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilchrist County, FL | 19,040 | $65,044 #1/4 | $35,000 #4/4 | 30.4 min #3/4 |
| Alachua County, FL | 285,474 | $62,563 | $163,632 | 20.5 min |
| Levy County, FL | 45,384 | $57,834 | $276,123 | 30.4 min |
| Suwannee County, FL | 45,342 | $56,397 | $236,240 | 23.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Gilchrist County, Florida.
What is the population of Gilchrist County, Florida?
About 19,040 people live in Gilchrist County, Florida, in 7,151 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Gilchrist County, Florida urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Gilchrist County, Florida has 54 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 62% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Gilchrist County, Florida?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($35,000 against $65,044), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $926 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Gilchrist County, Florida?
Unemployment in Gilchrist County, Florida is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Gilchrist County, Florida?
13.5% of adults in Gilchrist County, Florida hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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