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.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Gainesville ranks

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#51Closest to a top hospital in TX #22Rent easiest to afford in TX #217Shortest commute in TX All TX rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code76240, 76241

Area code940

Living in Gainesville

Housing in Gainesville

$247K▼ 2.3% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Gainesville home is worth about $247,000, down 2.3% in a year, 18% below the Texas typical home.

A buyer's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market59

Sale-to-list93.3%

Sold in May20

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Gainesville

C⁺

Safety Grade C+

Gainesville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 62% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Gainesville 2.1

Texas 3.5

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Gainesville 11.7

Texas 18.1

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Work & commute in Gainesville

Full picture →

About one in 4 of Gainesville’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Denton (6%), Dallas (6%) and Fort Worth (2%). Half commute less than 30 miles.

Denton

Dallas

Fort Worth

Plano

28%Work in townlive and work in Gainesville 30 miWhere do people commute?the commute map 9,281Jobs based herebalanced

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSWork & commute in Gainesville →

Health in Gainesville

C⁻

Health Grade C−

Healthier than 18% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates.

Compared with Texas

12worse than TX

of 26 measures CDC estimates. The other 14 are too close to call.

Conditions 6▼ 6 close Habits 1▼ 3 close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind 3▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

8.5%More adults with COPDTX 5.7% · worse 18.2%More older adults who have lost all their teethTX 12.5% · worse 16.4%More smokersTX 12.5% · worse

Care nearby

North Texas Medical CenterGainesville · 2.3 mi · ER

Hsnt Denton Medical Center 4304Denton · 28 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Gainesville · CMS · HRSAHealth in Gainesville →

Natural hazards in Gainesville

Moderate

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.

🌊 Inland flooding🌪️ Tornadoes🧊 Hail

274Does Gainesville flood?paid flood claims since 1981 6Disasters that paid out herefederal disasters sent FEMA money to Gainesville

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025 · OpenFEMANatural hazards in Gainesville →

Climate in Gainesville

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Gainesville has mild winters and hot summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

56° / 34°Winter

74° / 52°Spring

93° / 72°Summer

76° / 54°Fall

How much snow does Gainesville get?About 3 inches a winter.Rain & snow →When is the first frost?Around Nov 14, with the last in spring around Mar 19.Frost dates →Is it warmer than it used to be?+0.4° vs. the 20th century.Then & now →

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Climate in Gainesville →

Schools in Gainesville

All Gainesville schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Gainesville’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 59% of Texas’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how Gainesville’s schools compare in TX →

DistrictGAINESVILLE ISDSchools7

W E Chalmers El CElementary · Grades 2–4 · 703 students Edison ElElementary · Grades PK–1 · 630 students St. Mary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 147 students Gainesville Int C+Middle · Grades 5–6 · 480 students Gainesville J H B-Middle · Grades 7–8 · 422 students Gainesville H S C+High · Grades 9–12 · 876 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within TX. Ratings are from neighbors.