Jobs, pay and daily life in Gainesville, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Gainesville is a city in Florida with 145,702 residents. The median household earns $46,195 a year and the median rent is $1,296 a month, which is 33.7% of the median household income. It is part of the Gainesville, FL metropolitan area, where BLS counts 152,670 jobs.
How Gainesville compares. Among the 120 largest places in Florida, Gainesville is #13 by population, #119 for household income (#1 = highest), #3 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #117 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Alachua County, is #12 of 67 counties for average pay ($63,829).
Gainesville has 145,702 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.6% of the population of Florida. It covers 64 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,276 people per square mile. The median age is 26.5, 38% younger than the state median (26.5 against 42.6).
The median gross rent is $1,296 a month (rent plus utilities), 22% below the state median ($1,296 against $1,669). Over a year that is 33.7% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so rent here is above that line for the typical household. The median home value is $247,500, which is 5.4 times the median household income ($46,195); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 37.7% of households own their home, 44% below the state average (37.7% against 67.6%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Gainesville, FL metropolitan area has 152,670 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,020 a year, 8% below the national median ($47,020 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (19,380 jobs, median $40,730); healthcare practitioners and technical (17,370 jobs, median $78,930); food preparation and serving related (14,830 jobs, median $32,520). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.8 times) and educational instruction and library (1.5 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($95,780) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($78,930). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Alachua County was 4.9%. 57.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Alachua County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 60.9% drive alone, 4.8% use public transit, 4.1% walk, 14.7% work from home. 5.8% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 68% below the state average (5.8% against 18.1%).
53.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 57% above the state share (53.7% against 34.1%). 12.4% of residents were born outside the United States, 44% below the state share (12.4% against 21.9%). The poverty rate is 30.8%, 145% above the state rate (30.8% against 12.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 81°F (27.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 54°F (12.2°C). About 1,316 mm (52 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Aug is the wettest month (208 mm) and Nov the driest (52 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Ocala (37 miles, rent 5% higher); Fruit Cove (52 miles, rent 80% higher); The Villages (58 miles, rent 8% higher); Jacksonville (61 miles, rent 13% higher). Rent differences are against Gainesville; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Florida (1,224) →State guide: FloridaCountry guideAlachua CountyFlorida rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,224 federal postings open in Florida (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Florida →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 7,470 | 2.25 | $81,870 | $65,720 | $102,710 | -16% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,780 | 1.26 | $28,280 | $27,150 | $36,790 | -9% |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,220 | 1.10 | $31,830 | $27,520 | $43,920 | -10% |
| Cashiers | 3,090 | 1.02 | $29,710 | $27,040 | $36,240 | -10% |
| Nursing Assistants | 2,890 | 2.03 | $36,990 | $34,810 | $43,330 | -12% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,780 | 1.15 | $44,950 | $30,640 | $61,800 | -0% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,570 | 0.92 | $35,920 | $29,700 | $49,340 | -4% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,540 | 1.14 | $35,400 | $27,090 | $60,390 | +0% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,440 | 0.71 | $93,220 | $46,130 | $210,280 | -12% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,030 | 0.80 | $38,550 | $30,850 | $55,460 | -14% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,800 | 0.83 | $35,500 | $28,210 | $43,080 | -4% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,740 | 1.16 | $46,560 | $33,760 | $69,160 | -6% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 1,650 | 1.75 | $45,960 | $35,700 | $55,760 | +0% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,630 | 0.56 | $38,980 | $30,020 | $49,410 | -3% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,540 | 0.92 | $40,440 | $32,130 | $57,970 | -15% |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | 1,540 | 4.45 | $47,600 | $39,560 | $54,640 | -26% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,440 | 1.20 | $40,040 | $29,980 | $61,490 | -9% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,430 | 0.34 | $33,320 | $29,570 | $36,160 | -7% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,370 | 0.67 | $48,930 | $35,960 | $65,930 | -17% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,370 | 1.01 | $56,430 | $48,920 | $76,840 | -12% |
These figures are for the whole Gainesville, FL metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,020 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 39.9% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.1% |
| Retail trade | 11.4% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.2% |
| Public administration | 5.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.5% |
| Manufacturing | 3.9% |
| Other services | 3.4% |
| Construction | 3.1% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.7% |
| Information | 1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Gainesville lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua County | 285,492 | $20,939 million | $73,343 | 139,023 | 8,212 | $63,829 | +0.3% | 4.9% | 143,983 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 28,565 | 28.1% | $66,140 | 1.43 |
| Retail trade | 13,956 | 13.7% | $35,247 | 1.01 |
| Accommodation and food services | 13,469 | 13.3% | $25,586 | 1.07 |
| Professional and technical services | 7,037 | 6.9% | $86,914 | 0.73 |
| Administrative and waste services | 6,503 | 6.4% | $43,043 | 0.79 |
| Construction | 5,704 | 5.6% | $61,600 | 0.78 |
| Manufacturing | 4,149 | 4.1% | $72,055 | 0.36 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,744 | 3.7% | $54,623 | 0.64 |
| Finance and insurance | 3,302 | 3.3% | $92,901 | 0.59 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,192 | 3.1% | $44,510 | 0.76 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,787 | 2.7% | $98,580 | 0.51 |
| Real estate and rental | 2,383 | 2.3% | $56,681 | 1.10 |
| Educational services | 2,121 | 2.1% | $44,854 | 0.74 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,068 | 2.0% | $49,183 | 0.88 |
| Information | 1,530 | 1.5% | $119,147 | 0.59 |
| Management of companies | 730 | 0.7% | $90,454 | 0.31 |
| Utilities | 313 | 0.3% | $119,276 | 0.59 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 60.9% |
| Public transit | 4.8% |
| Walk | 4.1% |
| Work from home | 14.7% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.8% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,195 |
| Income per person | $30,051 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,296 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 33.7% |
| Median home value | $247,500 |
| Homeowners | 37.7% |
| Poverty rate | 30.8% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 96.7 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $47,020 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 26.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 53.7% |
| Born abroad | 12.4% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 57.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.2 | 54 | 74 |
| Feb | 14.4 | 58 | 77 |
| Mar | 17.4 | 63 | 83 |
| Apr | 21.2 | 70 | 66 |
| May | 25.0 | 77 | 85 |
| Jun | 27.0 | 81 | 194 |
| Jul | 27.4 | 81 | 193 |
| Aug | 27.3 | 81 | 208 |
| Sep | 25.6 | 78 | 146 |
| Oct | 21.9 | 71 | 62 |
| Nov | 17.2 | 63 | 52 |
| Dec | 14.3 | 58 | 76 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala | FL | 37 mi | 66,584 | $56,376 | $1,359 |
| Fruit Cove | FL | 52 mi | 35,877 | $141,863 | $2,336 |
| The Villages | FL | 58 mi | 83,498 | $77,622 | $1,397 |
| Jacksonville | FL | 61 mi | 977,670 | $69,872 | $1,465 |
| Palm Coast | FL | 67 mi | 98,258 | $77,350 | $1,782 |
| DeLand | FL | 78 mi | 41,611 | $71,863 | $1,355 |
| Ormond Beach | FL | 80 mi | 43,976 | $69,177 | $1,411 |
| Daytona Beach | FL | 82 mi | 78,992 | $52,058 | $1,328 |
| Apopka | FL | 84 mi | 58,232 | $96,884 | $1,969 |
| Spring Hill | FL | 84 mi | 119,983 | $68,432 | $1,440 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
145,702 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,296 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 33.7% of the median household income.
$46,195 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.9% (BLS county, Alachua County (latest month 2026M09)).
Florida. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.