Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,456, established in 1853.
Williston grades C− overall, 451st among Florida's 634 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $288K for a typical one and 4.7 times the Gainesville metro’s $61K median household income. Williston’s January low is 44°F, below Florida’s towns (51°F) but above U.S. towns (22°F). Citizens Bank is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Williston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Williston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Williston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 184 in 1900, 2,976 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Williston. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Stadium & arenaBen Hill Griffin Stadium
in town Ancient siteDevil's Den
34 mi Park & preserveGinnie Springs
15 mi State parkPaynes Prairie
17 mi MuseumFlorida Museum of Natural History200K visitors a year
26 mi Zoo & aquariumSilver SpringsBen Hill Griffin Stadium: The original uploader was Hughs at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Devil's Den: Eric Beach, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ginnie Springs: (WT-de) Mistoffeles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paynes Prairie: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Florida Museum of Natural History: WillMcC, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silver Springs: NeilEvans, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Williston, 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 Williston.
Williston draws workers from Williston Highlands and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
2,189 jobs are based in Williston, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 1,605 in 2013 to 2,189.
The top destinations are Gainesville (21%), Bronson (7%) and Ocala (6%). Most working residents leave Williston for work: only 16% work in town. This Florida town had 2,189 jobs in 2023, up 584 from 2013. The median commute is under 20 miles.
| Williston | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Levy school district. The largest public high school is Williston Middle High School, with 1,121 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joyce M. Bullock Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 638 | – |
| Williston Middle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 1,121 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
28% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Williston. Two figures for adults here: 18% report frequent physical distress, 44% sleep under 7 hours.
| Williston | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 37% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Williston | FL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.9% | 12.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.8% | 7.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.5% | 16.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Williston, the rent at the middle of the market is $969 a month. 72% of Williston households live in a home they own.
| Williston | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $969 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Gainesville Rgnl Ap weather station, 23 miles away, records that about 90 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Gainesville Rgnl Ap weather station, 23 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 277 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 88% of Florida places with climate records.
For Williston, the midsummer high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Williston’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 55 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 12 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Expected losses in Williston break down as 50% from hurricanes and 20% from inland flooding. It has had one paid flood insurance claim since 2026.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.7 miles of trail wind through 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Williston Youth Aletic Association Sports Park, at 21 acres. The town’s concentration of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Williston | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Peggy O'Neil Basham Nature Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 2. Williston Youth Aletic Association Sports Park | — | 21 |
| 3. Heritage Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Williston; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Williston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
3 notable people were born in Williston.
City in Florida, United States
Williston is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Nature Coast. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,976, up from 2,768 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Williston.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williston | #451 | C− | C+ | — | B | D |
| East Williston | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Williston reports no FBI crime data of its own. East Williston isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Williston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Williston grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #451 of 634 in Florida. It grades D for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
Williston was established in 1853 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 notable people were born here, including Quinyon Mitchell and Joe Harding.
