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Gainesville.

All Gainesville data Compare Gainesville

45,032people live here $66,974median household income▼ 17% below US $1,299median rent per monthNear US average $382,200median home value▲ 15% above US

What it's like to live in Gainesville

Gainesville is a small city in Georgia with rent below the national average, unemployment below the national average, a population that has grown fast since 2020, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Gainesville deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a poverty rate above the national average.

The good

Rent below the national average
Low unemployment
Fast-growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Crime above national average
Air quality concerns
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters
Above-average rainfall

How Gainesville compares

Median household income

Gainesville$66,974

Georgia avg$77,353

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Gainesville$1,299

Georgia avg$1,393

US$1,413

Median home value

Gainesville$382,200

Georgia avg$303,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Gainesville

Based on Gainesville's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,598

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,960 a year
57% of Gainesville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$76,440

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $38,220
Homes cost 5.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,299/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,299 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $382,200. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $382,200 · 57% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 28% below US

3.1% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.1%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▲ 23% above US

404 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 1677/100k · Gainesville Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

24 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

68%

Carpool

14%

Work from home

8.8%

Public transit

3.3%

Other

3.1%

Walk

2.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▼ 25% below US

27% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

13 public schools inside the boundary

There are 13 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (33 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Gainesville's strongest points are rent below the national average and unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,299/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers.

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