Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety55#419/924
Economy76#227/925
Housing58#387/925
Health55#419/925
Healthcare2#908/923
Environment30#645/917
Education34#609/925
Infrastructure26#682/925
Community26#686/925
Leisure & amenities8#852/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Gainesville, TX micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low19.5%
96/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
95/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · high$73,921
81/100Texas $71,940United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Property crime rate · low754 /100k
80/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,245
80/100Texas $1,499United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
New business applications · high14.3 /1k
75/100Texas 17.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

High ozone days · high8 days
4/100Texas 7 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · low28 /100k
5/100Texas 61 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · low70 /100k
5/100Texas 181 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high19.8%
5/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Traffic deaths · high30.2 /100k
6/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Hot days · high89 days
12/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
41,751 (2020) → 44,461 (2025)
+6.5%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
42.3% (2010 & 2021) → 62.4% (2022 & 2024)
+20 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
7.5 /1k (2020) → 14.3 /1k (2025)
+91%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.2 /10k (2020) → 0.4 /10k (2025)
+88%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Property crime rateImproving
1,674 /100k (2020) → 754 /100k (2025)
−55%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.2% (2015-2019) → 86.0% (2020-2024)
+9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Gainesville, TX micropolitan area improved on 13 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 9 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Gyms+88%0.2 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Weekly wage+34%$928 → $1,245
New businesses+91%7.5 /1k → 14.3 /1k
Suicides−24%24.0 /100k → 18.3 /100k
Grocery stores+17%1.0 /10k → 1.1 /10k

Declined5

Overdose deaths+39%10.5 /100k → 14.6 /100k
Libraries−7.4%0.5 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Traffic deaths+28%23.5 /100k → 30.2 /100k
Price / income+0.6×2.7× → 3.3×
Pharmacies−6.1%1.0 /10k → 0.9 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Gainesville, TX micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.2 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+4.3%	Little change	39%
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	25.7 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Average weekly wage	$9282020	$1,2452025	+34%	Improved	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.9%2015-2019	23.7%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Broadband subscriptions	76.2%2015-2019	86.0%2020-2024	+9.7 points	Improved	59%
Child poverty rate	24.6%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Distance to an airport	50 mi2020	50 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	10.5 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+39%	Declined	11%
Effective property tax rate	1.40%2015-2019	1.06%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	93%
Firearm deaths	26.3 /100k2020	18.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−31%	Improved	92%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+17%	Improved	87%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.2 /10k2020	0.4 /10k2025	+88%	Improved	94%
High school diploma or higher	86.1%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	35%
Homicide rate	7.2 /100k2020	3.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−49%	Improved	76%
Income adjusted for local prices	$58,1272019	$73,9212024	+27%	Improved	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.4502020-2024	+0.014	Within the margin of error	22%
Median household income	$60,2022015-2019	$73,9322020-2024	+23%	Improved	27%
New business applications	7.5 /1k2020	14.3 /1k2025	+91%	Improved	92%
Pharmacies	1.0 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−6.1%	Declined	55%
Poverty rate	12.8%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Property crime rate	1,674 /100k2020	754 /100k2025	−55%	Improved	91%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−7.4%	Declined	16%
Rent as share of income	27.1%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Rent-burdened households	42.1%2015-2019	43.1%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Restaurants and bars	7.2 /10k2020	7.2 /10k2025	+0.2%	Little change	46%
Suicide rate	24.0 /100k2020	18.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−24%	Improved	89%
Traffic deaths	23.5 /100k2015-2019	30.2 /100k2020-2024	+28%	Declined	19%
Unemployment rate	7.0%2020	3.7%2025	−3.3 points	Improved	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.5%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Violent crime rate	275 /100k2020	179 /100k2025	−35%	Improved	81%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Gainesville, TX micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Gainesville, TX micropolitan area 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, Gainesville, TX micropolitan area itself moved +1.9 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

43,046 residents

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: Under 10 men (−1.4 points).

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

43,046 residents

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

White71%30,678
Black3.2%1,378
Hispanic or Latino21%8,999

Education

29,120 residents (±206)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

No high school diploma11%3,334
High school or GED30%8,836
Some college26%7,600

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

16,528 households (±353)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k14%2,232
$25k–50k19%3,070
$50k–75k19%3,062
$75k–100k13%2,221
$100k–150k16%2,605
$150k–200k9.7%1,611
$200k or more10%1,727

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−8.1 points).

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

16,528 households (±353)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Own72%11,873
Rent28%4,655

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

4,248 households (±505)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Under $75022%†944
$750–1,00024%†1,018
$1,000–1,50032%1,339

Home values

11,873 homes (±494)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Under $150k26%3,063
$150k–250k27%3,239
$250k–400k22%2,610

Age of homes

17,944 homes (±65)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

2010 or later15%2,719
2000–200915%2,759
1980–199923%4,167

Size of homes

17,944 homes (±65)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Studio1.0%†174
1 bedroom7.6%1,364
2 bedrooms23%4,127

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

20,447 workers (±651)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone80%16,417
Carpool8.6%1,765
Public transit0.3%†56
Walk1.3%†257
Bike0.2%†31
Work from home7.2%1,467
Other2.2%†454

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−6.8 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

18,980 workers (±707)

Gainesville, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Under 15 min37%7,095
15–29 min24%4,598
30–44 min20%3,761

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 no occupation wages for Gainesville, TX micropolitan area.

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.

Gainesville, TX has 1,040 employer establishments, 238 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248), with 13,433 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,817. The Census Bureau also counts 4,426 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,040; 4,426 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 238; US 248
Paid employees: 13,433
Average annual pay: $52,817; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	84	19.2	1.24×About typical	487	$54,639	553
Restaurants and other eating places	81	18.5	1.01×About typical	1,885	$21,201	23
Ambulatory health care services	66	15.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	410	$49,771	133
Building equipment contractors	41	9.4	1.56×More than typical	173	$52,503	94
Full-service restaurants	35	8	1.04×About typical	615	$21,268	10
Limited-service restaurants	35	8	1.00×About typical	1,167	$21,215	6
Religious organizations	35	8	1.44×More than typical	189	$21,513	—
Lessors of real estate	32	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	66	$33,136	406
Automotive repair and maintenance	29	6.6	1.32×More than typical	173	$49,064	87
Construction of buildings	28	6.4	0.85×About typical	54	$59,815	165
Other specialty trade contractors	25	5.7	2.28×More than typical	159	$49,774	224
Gasoline stations	24	5.5	1.69×More than typical	246	$27,541	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,773 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated -$12.5M on contracts performed in Gainesville, TX micropolitan area: -$281 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$12.5M; −6,254% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$281; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Department of the Navy$33.3K0.0%
Drug Enforcement Administration$23.4K0.0%
Defense Logistics Agency$18.3K0.0%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$15K0.0%

Top recipients

TPMC-WRT LLC$112.3K0.0%
MI CASA SYSTEMS CORP$53.9K0.0%
CIRCUIT BREAKER SALES, LLC$33.3K0.0%
ANCIENT OAKS LANDSCAPE SERVICES, LLC$23.4K0.0%
TASK RESEARCH, INC.$18.3K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

577.2KFY2017
348.4KFY2018
664.1KFY2019
465.4KFY2020
988KFY2021
10.6MFY2022
29.1MFY2023
1.1MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$53.9K0.0%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$33.3K0.0%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$23.4K0.0%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$18.3K0.0%
Paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing · 3255$15K0.0%

Largest awards

MUNITIONS AND EXPLOSIVES OF CONCERN REMOVAL AND CLOSURE OF MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITES (MRS) 17, ARTILLERY RANGE, NORTHWEST MRS 18, ARTILLERY RANGE, NORTH AND MRS 21, MORTAR AND RIFLE GRENADE RANGE$16.6M
EA ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY, INC., PBC· Cooke County, TX· Facilities & utilities· Aug 30, 2023 – Nov 20, 2025· W912BV23F0127
MUNITIONS AND EXPLOSIVES OF CONCERN REMOVAL AND CLOSURE OF MRS 16, ARTILLERY RANGE SOUTHEAST, MRS 19, ARTILLERY RANGE NORTHEAST, AND MRS 20, ROCKET AND RIFLE GRENADE RANGES FORMER CAMP HOWZE, COOKE COUNTY, TEXAS - TASK ORDER$8.9M
EA ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY, INC., PBC· Cooke County, TX· Facilities & utilities· Dec 9, 2022 – Feb 11, 2026· W912BV23F0022
THIRD PARTY BLIND SEEDING AT MULTIPLE MRSS AT CAMP HOWZE. AWARD OBLIGATES BASE CLINS 0001-0011 ONLY$1.1M
TPMC-WRT LLC· Cooke County, TX· Facilities & utilities

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $301.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Gainesville, TX micropolitan area: $6,779 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $301.4M; −27% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,779; US $12,955
Loan face value: $29.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$181.5M60%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$23.4M7.8%

Counties in Gainesville, TX

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Cooke CountyCentral county3844,461

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

GainesvillePrincipal city17,883

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Areas based in Texas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M23620

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Gainesville, TX micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Gainesville, TX

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined5

Household income

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates