Jobs, pay and daily life in Ocala, 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.
Ocala is a city in Florida with 66,584 residents. The median household earns $56,376 a year and the median rent is $1,359 a month, which is 28.9% of the median household income. It is part of the Ocala, FL metropolitan area, where BLS counts 120,980 jobs.
How Ocala compares. Among the 120 largest places in Florida, Ocala is #55 by population, #4 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #11 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #110 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Marion County, is #37 of 67 counties for average pay ($52,526).
Ocala has 66,584 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.3% of the population of Florida. It covers 48 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,387 people per square mile. The median age is 39.2, 8% younger than the state median (39.2 against 42.6).
The median gross rent is $1,359 a month (rent plus utilities), 19% below the state median ($1,359 against $1,669). Over a year that is 28.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $241,400, which is 4.3 times the median household income ($56,376). 52.1% of households own their home, 23% below the state average (52.1% against 67.6%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Ocala, FL metropolitan area has 120,980 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $43,990 a year, 14% below the national median ($43,990 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (14,210 jobs, median $40,890); sales and related (13,450 jobs, median $35,050); transportation and material moving (12,730 jobs, median $39,530). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.4 times) and sales and related (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($94,340) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($78,120). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Marion County was 5.4%. 56.5% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Marion County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 77.2% drive alone, 0.5% use public transit, 1.2% walk, 11.8% work from home. 8.0% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 56% below the state average (8.0% against 18.1%).
31.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 9% below the state share (31.2% against 34.1%). 11.3% of residents were born outside the United States, 48% below the state share (11.3% against 21.9%). The poverty rate is 21.1%, 68% above the state rate (21.1% against 12.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 81°F (27.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 56°F (13.6°C). About 1,258 mm (50 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (196 mm) and Nov the driest (48 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: The Villages (21 miles, similar rent); Gainesville (37 miles, rent 5% lower); Apopka (50 miles, rent 45% higher); Clermont (52 miles, rent 35% higher). Rent differences are against Ocala; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Florida (1,224) →State guide: FloridaCountry guideMarion 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 4,430 | 1.46 | $31,090 | $27,180 | $45,140 | -12% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,340 | 1.11 | $27,880 | $27,040 | $35,830 | -11% |
| Cashiers | 3,260 | 1.35 | $28,970 | $27,040 | $35,400 | -12% |
| Registered Nurses | 3,040 | 1.16 | $79,230 | $60,320 | $98,400 | -19% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,910 | 1.32 | $35,160 | $30,010 | $44,650 | -6% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,690 | 1.17 | $40,830 | $30,160 | $45,640 | +1% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,690 | 0.99 | $83,770 | $45,030 | $195,280 | -21% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,470 | 1.29 | $40,010 | $30,020 | $60,450 | -11% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,230 | 1.39 | $51,490 | $36,700 | $81,460 | -12% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,110 | 1.20 | $34,890 | $27,040 | $60,360 | -1% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,740 | 0.86 | $37,130 | $29,300 | $56,000 | -17% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,500 | 0.87 | $33,130 | $27,950 | $40,250 | -10% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,470 | 1.30 | $36,510 | $31,590 | $44,250 | -14% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,460 | 1.23 | $43,800 | $31,970 | $61,960 | -12% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,460 | 1.34 | $38,580 | $27,930 | $50,460 | -14% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,370 | 0.41 | $31,550 | $29,570 | $35,900 | -12% |
| Construction Laborers | 1,340 | 1.57 | $38,050 | $30,530 | $51,090 | -19% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 1,300 | 1.74 | $37,920 | $32,450 | $48,250 | -17% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,270 | 0.96 | $40,370 | $30,840 | $55,330 | -15% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,260 | 1.15 | $35,500 | $28,490 | $43,890 | -5% |
These figures are for the whole Ocala, FL metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $43,990 (US $50,980); unemployment 5.4% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.6% |
| Retail trade | 12.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.1% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.5% |
| Construction | 6.2% |
| Public administration | 5.9% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.8% |
| Manufacturing | 5.2% |
| Other services | 4.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.3% |
| Information | 1.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Ocala 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County | 400,078 | $17,641 million | $44,093 | 119,528 | 10,226 | $52,526 | +1.8% | 5.4% | 162,946 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 19,406 | 18.7% | $64,698 | 1.13 |
| Retail trade | 19,264 | 18.6% | $41,011 | 1.61 |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,016 | 11.6% | $26,092 | 1.11 |
| Construction | 9,812 | 9.5% | $59,283 | 1.56 |
| Manufacturing | 9,298 | 9.0% | $61,684 | 0.95 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,496 | 5.3% | $49,615 | 1.09 |
| Administrative and waste services | 5,130 | 5.0% | $44,570 | 0.73 |
| Wholesale trade | 4,559 | 4.4% | $72,451 | 0.97 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,186 | 4.0% | $71,233 | 0.50 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,169 | 3.1% | $40,682 | 0.88 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,797 | 2.7% | $32,639 | 1.39 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,187 | 2.1% | $78,417 | 0.45 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,936 | 1.9% | $50,708 | 1.04 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 1,560 | 1.5% | $44,602 | 1.61 |
| Educational services | 1,065 | 1.0% | $39,534 | 0.43 |
| Information | 640 | 0.6% | $83,341 | 0.29 |
| Management of companies | 480 | 0.5% | $74,675 | 0.24 |
| Utilities | 273 | 0.3% | $101,468 | 0.60 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 241 | 0.2% | $75,130 | 0.53 |
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 | 77.2% |
| Public transit | 0.5% |
| Walk | 1.2% |
| Work from home | 11.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 8.0% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,376 |
| Income per person | $32,567 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,359 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 28.9% |
| Median home value | $241,400 |
| Homeowners | 52.1% |
| Poverty rate | 21.1% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 95.2 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $43,990 |
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 | 39.2 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 91.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 31.2% |
| Born abroad | 11.3% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 56.5% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.6 | 56 | 64 |
| Feb | 15.8 | 60 | 65 |
| Mar | 18.6 | 65 | 75 |
| Apr | 22.1 | 72 | 58 |
| May | 25.5 | 78 | 93 |
| Jun | 27.1 | 81 | 196 |
| Jul | 27.4 | 81 | 184 |
| Aug | 27.3 | 81 | 190 |
| Sep | 25.9 | 79 | 154 |
| Oct | 22.7 | 73 | 70 |
| Nov | 18.4 | 65 | 48 |
| Dec | 15.8 | 60 | 61 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Villages | FL | 21 mi | 83,498 | $77,622 | $1,397 |
| Gainesville | FL | 37 mi | 145,702 | $46,195 | $1,296 |
| Apopka | FL | 50 mi | 58,232 | $96,884 | $1,969 |
| Clermont | FL | 52 mi | 46,853 | $82,306 | $1,828 |
| DeLand | FL | 53 mi | 41,611 | $71,863 | $1,355 |
| Spring Hill | FL | 53 mi | 119,983 | $68,432 | $1,440 |
| Winter Garden | FL | 55 mi | 47,872 | $106,495 | $1,963 |
| Ocoee | FL | 56 mi | 49,033 | $98,911 | $1,946 |
| Altamonte Springs | FL | 58 mi | 46,116 | $64,070 | $1,740 |
| Pine Hills | FL | 58 mi | 80,105 | $58,673 | $1,542 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
66,584 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,359 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 28.9% of the median household income.
$56,376 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
5.4% (BLS county, Marion County (latest month 2026M09)).
Florida. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.