© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
Living in
Gainesville.
About
Life in Gainesville
This is a small North Texas town that actually works as a place to settle down, not just pass through. With about 17,400 people, Gainesville functions as the county seat and serves as an important agricultural and manufacturing hub—the biggest employer being Safran Seats USA, which designs and builds commercial airline seats for Boeing and Airbus, providing solid, stable jobs for about 1,500 people. Cost of living here is genuinely affordable: median home values hover around $177,000, median rent sits at $1,038 a month, and the median household income is $58,809, so your paycheck actually stretches further than it would in Dallas or Fort Worth, which are about 65-70 miles south.
Gainesville at a Glance
Population, income, housing and more
Median Age
36.5 yrs
Poverty Rate
19.1%
Foreign-Born
10.4%
Broadband Internet
85.1%
of households
Population Growth
+6.7%
recent change · Census Bureau
Median household income
Demographics10.4% foreign-born, most often from Mexico
Who lives in Gainesville: race and ethnicity, ages, households, languages and countries of origin
In Gainesville, the largest foreign-born group is from Mexico (80.8%), and 20.3% of residents speak Spanish at home.
Under 18
24.4%
of residents
65 and Older
16.6%
of residents
Households with Kids
37.4%
anyone under 18
Living Alone
30.3%
of households
Married Couples
44.2%
of households
Avg Household Size
2.49
people
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino of any race; other groups are non-Hispanic
Top countries of origin (foreign-born)
Languages Spoken at Home
Cost of Livingrent 26% below TX average
Rent, home values, and income in Gainesville
In Gainesville, rent runs 26% below the TX average, and home values are 38% below the TX average.
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
Rent Burdened
41.6%
spending 30%+ of income on rent
Severely Rent Burdened
18.1%
spending 50%+
Median Property Tax
$2,382
per year, owner-occupied homes
Homeowners
57.6%
of occupied homes are owned
Typical Home Built
1971
median year built
Vacant Homes
6.6%
of housing units
Home Value Trend
Latest: $243,038 (September 2026)
Jobs & Economyunemployment 0.5 pts below TX average
Unemployment in Gainesville
Unemployment in Cooke County, which includes Gainesville, is 0.5 percentage points lower than the TX average.
Unemployment rate
Gainesville: Cooke County rate (county-wide) · BLS annual average
Unemployment Rate — 10 Year Trend
Cooke County (county-wide) · Annual averages
What Gainesville Residents Do for Work · share of employed residents by industry
City residents, wherever they work
Commute22.2 min avg
How Gainesville residents get to work, and the nearest airports
In Gainesville, most residents drive alone to work (79%), and 70% get there in under 30 minutes.
How People Get to Work
Commute Time Distribution
Nearest airports · with airline service
- 51 mi
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Major hub41.3M passengers boarded in 2025
Straight-line distance. Size is the FAA’s hub category, based on passenger traffic: regional airports may have only a few flights a day.
Safetyviolent crime 36% below national average
Crime rates for 2025
Violent crime in Gainesville runs 36% below the national average.
Violent Crime Rate
210.6
per 100,000 residents
Below average (329 national, 2025)
Property Crime Rate
1,176.9
per 100,000 residents
Below average (1,552 national, 2025)
Gainesville Police Department
Natural DisastersHeat most common — 25 events in 2025
Natural hazard risk, storms and earthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index
Relatively Low
73.3 / 100
Compares expected losses from natural hazards, social vulnerability and community resilience against every US county (higher = more risk).
Cooke County, county-wide · FEMA NRI December 2025
In Cooke County, which includes Gainesville, the most common type is heat, with 25 recorded events in 2025.
Most common events:
Storm events by year
| Year | Events | Top Type | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | Thunderstorm Wind | $282,000 |
| 2024 | 27 | Heat | $15.5M |
| 2023 | 27 | Excessive Heat | $370,000 |
| 2022 | 22 | Drought | $92,500 |
| 2021 | 13 | Hail | $185,000 |
| 2020 | 15 | Thunderstorm Wind | $77,000 |
| 2019 | 12 | Heat | $528,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | Drought | None reported |
Property damage is the National Weather Service's estimate filed with each event. “None reported” means the events were logged with $0 damage; “Not estimated” means no estimate was filed. Storms covering several counties aren't counted here, since NOAA doesn't split their damage by county.
15 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5+ within 100 miles in the past year
Cooke County, county-wide
Air Quality44 median AQI — Good
Days by air quality category (2025)
Air quality in Love County, OK (the nearest EPA-monitored county, about 23 miles from Gainesville) is typically good — 203 good-air days per year.
Median AQI
44
Good Days
203
per year
Moderate Days
64
per year
Unhealthy Days
1
per year
Nearest EPA monitor county: Love County, OK (23 mi away)
Climate92°F summers, 34°F winters
30-year climate averages (1991–2020) — monthly temperatures and precipitation
Gainesville has hot summers (avg high 92°F) and mild winters (avg low 34°F).
Spring (Mar–May)
73°/51°F
avg high / low
Summer (Jun–Aug)
92°/71°F
avg high / low
Fall (Sep–Nov)
75°/54°F
avg high / low
Winter (Dec–Feb)
55°/34°F
avg high / low
Annual Precipitation
42.8"
Annual Snowfall
2.6"
Hot Days/Year
82
days above 90°F
Freeze Days/Year
50
days below 32°F
Rainy Days/Year
70
Average month
Show month-by-month table ↓Hide table ↑
| Month | High | Low | Precip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°F | 32°F | 2.21" |
| Feb | 58°F | 35°F | 2.56" |
| Mar | 66°F | 43°F | 3.65" |
| Apr | 74°F | 51°F | 3.92" |
| May | 80°F | 60°F | 5.64" |
| Jun | 89°F | 69°F | 4.64" |
| Jul | 94°F | 73°F | 2.91" |
| Aug | 94°F | 72°F | 2.83" |
| Sep | 87°F | 65°F | 3.90" |
| Oct | 76°F | 54°F | 4.36" |
| Nov | 64°F | 43°F | 3.02" |
| Dec | 55°F | 34°F | 3.11" |
Healthcare1 hospital, avg 4.0/5
Hospitals, ratings, and health insurance in Gainesville
Gainesville has 1 hospital, averaging 4.0 out of 5 on CMS's quality rating — above-average care.
Hospitals
1
within city limits
Uninsured
17.9%
of residents
Avg Hospital Rating
4.0 / 5
North Texas Medical Center
Acute Care Hospitals · ER available
Nearby hospitals · within 15 miles
Muenster Memorial Hospital
Critical Access Hospitals · ER available · 13.3 mi away · Muenster
Adult Health · vs. the typical US place
Share of adults. Modeled estimates, not counted cases. “US” = the typical US place.
Medicare-certified hospitals only. Doesn’t include clinics, urgent care, or freestanding ERs.
Education15.6:1 student/teacher ratio
Schools and degree attainment in Gainesville
Gainesville's student/teacher ratio is 15.6:1, close to the national average of 16:1, and 19.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Public Schools
6
within city limits
Private Schools
1
within city limits
College Degree Rate
19.4%
adults 25+ with bachelor's or higher
Student/Teacher Ratio
15.6:1
National avg 16:1
Schools located within city limits (2023) — school-level metrics change slowly year to year
Colleges & Universities in Gainesville
Public · 2-year · 5,863 students · in-state tuition $5,088 · 27% graduate · median earnings $49,533 (10 yrs after entry)
Degree-granting colleges with 100+ students, placed by campus location (main campuses only — branch campuses are reported under their parent school)
Parks & Recreationclosest: Chickasaw National Recreation Area, 57 mi
Nearby national parks, recreation areas and public libraries for Gainesville
Gainesville has 1 nearby national park or recreation area, closest being Chickasaw National Recreation Area (57 mi away).
Nearby National Parks & Recreation Areas
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
57 mi awayPublic Libraries in Gainesville
Cooke County Library
200 S Weaver St, Gainesville
Cities Near Gainesville
The closest cities within 60 miles
Planning a move to Gainesville?
Read our full moving guide — what it's really like to live here.
Gainesville FAQ
Is Gainesville, Texas affordable?⌄
Gainesville's median rent is $1,038/month, which is below the national average, making it relatively affordable. The median household income is $58,809/year. Median home value is $177,000.
Is Gainesville, Texas safe?⌄
Gainesville's violent crime rate was 211 per 100,000 residents in 2025, which is below the national average of 329/100k that year. Property crime rate is 1177 per 100,000. As with any city, crime rates vary by neighborhood.
What is the job market like in Gainesville, Texas?⌄
Cooke County, which includes Gainesville, has an unemployment rate of 3.7%, which is solid, slightly below the national average of 4.3%.
What is the cost of living in Gainesville, Texas?⌄
The cost of living in Gainesville is primarily driven by housing. Median rent is $1,038/month and median household income is $58,809/year. The median home value is $177,000. About 42% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
How is the commute in Gainesville, Texas?⌄
The average commute in Gainesville is 22 minutes, which is about average compared to the national average of 26 minutes.
Data from the US Census Bureau, BLS, FBI, NOAA, EPA, Zillow Research and other public sources. Where our data comes from