Average Salaries in Gainesville, FL
Explore salaries across 353 occupations in Gainesville, FL. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $62.5K, -5.0% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 353 occupations and 135,770 total jobs in Gainesville, FL.
How the metro compares
Wages in Gainesville, FL track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Gainesville, FL is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Psychiatrists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Gainesville, FL
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Gainesville, FL
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrists | $404.2K | N/A |
| Physicians, All Other | $291.2K | 440 |
| Chief Executives | $238.2K | 330 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $225.3K | 80 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $222.8K | 100 |
| Dentists, General | $184.2K | 140 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $179K | 40 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $146.1K | 440 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $138.9K | 90 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $134.3K | 410 |
Largest occupations in Gainesville, FL
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 7,470 | $81.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 4,780 | $28.3K |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,220 | $31.8K |
| Office And Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 3,530 | $31.8K |
| Cashiers | 3,090 | $29.7K |
| Nursing Assistants | 2,890 | $37K |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,780 | $45K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 2,570 | $35.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 2,540 | $35.4K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,440 | $93.2K |
What Gainesville, FL specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Gainesville, FL than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Gainesville, FL
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Office And Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 18.70 | $31.8K |
| Medical Appliance Technicians | 10.14 | $35.2K |
| Zoologists And Wildlife Biologists | 6.01 | $55.8K |
| Educational, Guidance, And Career Counselors And Advisors | 4.45 | $47.6K |
| Coaches And Scouts | 4.33 | N/A |
| Medical Transcriptionists | 4.00 | $47.4K |
| Social Workers, All Other | 3.63 | $72K |
| Librarians And Media Collections Specialists | 3.48 | $67.1K |
| Library Technicians | 3.37 | $38.6K |
| Foresters | 3.08 | $51.5K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Gainesville, FL
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.