Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety21#12,354/15,637
Economy23#11,976/15,631
Housing15#12,779/14,977
Health10#13,976/15,609
Healthcare14#13,421/15,650
Environment48#8,057/15,453
Education8#14,393/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,747/15,650
Community11#13,931/15,651
Leisure & amenities22#12,259/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Dunnellon, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marion County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Comfortable days · high33.0%
90/100Florida 32.4%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMarion County value
New business applications · high18.6 /1k
86/100Florida 27.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMarion County value
Job growth · high1.2%
81/100Florida 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMarion County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low131 min
81/100Florida 158 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMarion County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Florida 0 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarion County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.68%
72/100Florida 0.78%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Weaknesses

Injury deaths · high165 /100k
2/100Florida 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Rent-burdened households · high55.2%
5/100Florida 60.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Frequent mental distress · high22.0%
6/100Florida 18.7%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Median household income · low$40,545
6/100Florida $77,687United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Rent as share of income · high31.8%
7/100Florida 35.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Hot days · high103 days
9/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMarion County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,057 (2015-2019) → 2,216 (2020-2024)
+7.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
33.2% (2015-2019) → 13.8% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
7.1 /1k (2021) → 2.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−68%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
22.7% (2015-2019) → 11.6% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.3% (2015-2019) → 85.8% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
25.0 min (2015-2019) → 34.2 min (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Dunnellon, Florida improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Inequality−0.1080.505 → 0.397

Declined1

Bachelor's+−11 points22.7% → 11.6%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Dunnellon, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	34.2 min2020-2024	+9.2 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.7%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	−11 points	Declined	1%
Broadband subscriptions	75.3%2015-2019	85.8%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	0.83%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
High school diploma or higher	88.2%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	86%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5052015-2019	0.3972020-2024	−0.108	Improved	97%
Median household income	$33,1972015-2019	$40,5452020-2024	+22%	Within the margin of error	38%
Poverty rate	23.8%2015-2019	18.5%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	53.0%2015-2019	55.2%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.3%2015-2019	15.6%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	17%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Dunnellon, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dunnellon, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Dunnellon, Florida itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,216 residents (±379)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 women (+8.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,216 residents (±379)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

White82%1,822
Black4.3%†95
Hispanic or Latino4.7%†104
Asian0.9%†19
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.3%†6
Other or two or more races7.7%†170

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−7.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,894 residents (±319)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

No high school diploma10%†191
High school or GED32%608
Some college24%464
Associate degree22%†412
Bachelor's degree8.7%†165
Graduate degree2.9%†54

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Associate degree (+16.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,307 households (±270)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k27%†347
$25k–50k35%†462
$50k–75k17%†216
$75k–100k11%†148
$100k–150k7.8%†102
$150k–200k1.6%†21
$200k or more0.8%†11

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,307 households (±270)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Own76%988
Rent24%†319

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−11.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

290 households (±105)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Under $75047%†136
$750–1,00035%†101
$1,000–1,50012%†35

Home values

988 homes (±247)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Under $150k47%†467
$150k–250k34%†338
$250k–400k13%†128

Age of homes

1,630 homes (±278)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

2010 or later8.5%†138
2000–20099.9%†162
1980–199943%†695

Size of homes

1,630 homes (±278)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Studio3.9%†63
1 bedroom10%†171
2 bedrooms37%595

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

635 workers (±217)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone71%†448
Carpool5.8%†37
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.9%†31
Bike0.0%0
Work from home19%†119
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+17.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

516 workers (±208)

Dunnellon, Florida
Florida share

Under 15 min31%†162
15–29 min38%†195
30–44 min9.9%†51

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Ocala, FL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Marion County, the county holding most of Dunnellon's residents.

Marion County has 8,389 employer establishments, 203 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.72× Florida's), with 101,916 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,273. The Census Bureau also counts 40,715 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,389; 40,715 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 203; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 101,916
Average annual pay: $47,273; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Marion County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	795	19.3	0.93×About typical	8,610	$67,873	2,156
Specialty trade contractors	768	18.6	1.20×About typical	5,253	$51,567	2,903
Lessors of real estate	508	12.3	1.00×About typical	1,416	$43,810	3,807
Restaurants and other eating places	469	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	9,519	$22,061	160
Services to buildings and dwellings	441	10.7	1.59×More than typical	3,566	$39,900	3,886
Offices of physicians	291	7.1	1.09×About typical	3,810	$84,152	294
Construction of buildings	276	6.7	0.89×About typical	1,447	$64,610	1,288
Real estate agents and brokers	273	6.6	1.36×More than typical	509	$46,436	1,500
Building equipment contractors	250	6.1	1.01×About typical	2,227	$53,027	372
Landscaping services	247	6	1.71×More than typical	2,408	$41,356	1,372
Building finishing contractors	243	5.9	1.55×More than typical	894	$41,235	1,092
Offices of other health practitioners	243	5.9	0.97×About typical	1,293	$50,159	683

Rank places for an industry Open Marion County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 412,300 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $365 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dunnellon, Florida: $0.16 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $365; +10,820% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.16; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$468100%

Top recipients

FLEX TRADE ENTERPRISE LLC$468100%
PARALLAX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.-$1040.0%

Spending by fiscal year

3.8KFY2017
1.8KFY2021
-934.9FY2022
929.2FY2024
3.3FY2025
364.7FY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$468100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$468100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Dunnellon, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Dunnellon, Florida's figures are part of those of Marion County, FL ($12.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Dunnellon is mostly in Marion County.

See federal money in Marion County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Dunnellon, Florida is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).