Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gainesville earns a D, 504th among Florida's 634 graded towns, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 92% of U.S. towns, with 1,085 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2024. In its favor, it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Gainesville, against 11% in Florida’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Maj. James B. Bailey House and Thomas Hall. Only 4 of Florida’s 327 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Gainesville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Maj. James B. Bailey House
Its 44 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Florida towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,790 in 1890, 141,085 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 4 maps from 1890 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Gainesville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 8%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gainesville. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaBen Hill Griffin Stadium
in town MuseumFlorida Museum of Natural History200K visitors a year
24 mi Park & preserveGinnie Springs
7 mi State parkPaynes Prairie
in town TheatreHippodrome State Theatre
21 mi Ancient siteDevil's DenBen Hill Griffin Stadium: The original uploader was Hughs at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Florida Museum of Natural History: WillMcC, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ginnie Springs: (WT-de) Mistoffeles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paynes Prairie: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hippodrome State Theatre: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5 · Devil's Den: Eric Beach, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gainesville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Gainesville.
Gainesville is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Jacksonville and beyond, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Florida rate.
Its public schools are run by the Alachua school district. Three of its 40 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 854 | B− |
| Gainesville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,825 | B |
| Boulware Springs CharterTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 171 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
62 miles of trail in 61 parks and preserves. The trail density in Gainesville is 1.0 miles per square mile. Four Creeks Preserve, at 704 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Morningside Nature Center | 5.1 mi | 406 |
| 2. Sweetwater Wetlands Park | 3.7 mi | 257 |
| 3. Split Rock Conservation Area | 3.1 mi | 239 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
92,423 jobs are based in Gainesville, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.8 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
53% of Gainesville’s working residents work right in town. Gainesville’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Gainesville has added 10,508 jobs, to 92,423 in 2023.
| Gainesville | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 7.4 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Florida rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 27 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Florida rate, most of it theft.
Only 8 of the 111 Florida towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Gainesville. Gainesville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
| Gainesville | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 27 per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,411 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gainesville’s, it is healthier than 97%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of Gainesville adults have high blood pressure. Only 7 of the 636 Florida towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Gainesville. 8.8% of Gainesville adults have diabetes.
| Gainesville | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Gainesville | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.5% | 7.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.4% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
38% of households own their home in Gainesville. The typical Gainesville home is worth about $292,000, down 1.3% in a year, 22% below the Florida typical home. 68% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Gainesville.
| Gainesville | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 72% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 68% | 59% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,296 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Gainesville Rgnl Ap weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 277 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 87% of Florida places with climate records. January nights average 43.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of Florida places with climate records; July afternoons average 91.7°.
Gainesville has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Gainesville | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1988, 57 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gainesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Gainesville
College town 35 of every 100 Gainesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
3 colleges in town.
44 places in Gainesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Gainesville.
City in Florida, United States
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous city in North Central Florida with a population of 141,085 at the 2020 census, while the Gainesville metropolitan area has an estimated 360,000 residents. Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, the third-largest public university campus by enrollment in the United States as of the 2023–2024 academic year. The university is represented by the Florida Gators sports teams in NCAA competitions.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Gainesville.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville | #504 | D | C− | D | C+ | B+ |
| Alachua | #354 | C | C− | — | C+ | A− |
Alachua reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gainesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gainesville grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #504 of 634 in Florida. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
47 notable people were born here, including Tom Petty and Maya Rudolph.
