Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gainesville grades D overall, ranked 472nd of 640 in Texas, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $59K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 83% of the country. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $243K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Gainesville area’s $74K median household income. 28% of working residents work locally in Gainesville, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Gainesville is home to North Central Texas College.
Where Gainesville beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| North Central Texas College | 4,809 |
Cloud-Stark House
Jake RobertsEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Gainesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,667 in 1880, 17,394 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Gainesville.
Gainesville has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
21% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Gainesville. Gainesville beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 26% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Gainesville.
| Gainesville | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| What stands out | Gainesville | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 5.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.2% | 12.5% |
| More smokers | 16.4% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Gainesville ISD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gainesville H S, with 876 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W E Chalmers ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–4 | Grades 2–4 | 703 | C |
| Gainesville H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 876 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
July afternoons average 94.8°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.4°. The Gainesville 5 Ene weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 82 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 91% of Texas places with climate records.
Gainesville has mild winters and hot summers. Gainesville’s July high is 95°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Gainesville | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
58% of Gainesville households own their home. The typical Gainesville home is worth about $243,000, down 2.3% in a year, 18% below the Texas typical home. The median rent in Gainesville is $1,038 a month.
| Gainesville | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,038 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 382 to 255 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 12,359 in 2013 to 9,281.
About one in 4 of Gainesville’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Gainesville has lost 3,078 jobs, to 9,281 in 2023. The top destinations are Denton (6%), Dallas (6%) and Fort Worth (2%).
| Gainesville | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.5 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Keneteso Park, at 76 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keneteso Park | — | 76 |
| 2. Jaycee Park | — | 28 |
| 3. Edison Park | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
274 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 38 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 274 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gainesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gainesville
About 3 of every 100 Gainesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
5 places in Gainesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Gainesville.
City in Texas, United States
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK combined statistical area. Its population was 17,394 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Texoma region and is an important Agri-business center.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Gainesville.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville | #472 | D | B | C+ | C+ | C− |
| Lindsay | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A− |
Lindsay has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lindsay 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 12% of U.S. towns and #472 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
19 notable people were born here, including Jake Roberts and Charley Paddock.
