Living in Bushnell, Florida: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.6% below the U.S. average in the Wildwood-The Villages metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Bushnell to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Bushnell itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byHCA Florida Citrus Hospital in Inverness, about 16 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityOrlando is about 51 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Bushnell meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 1.5%Sumter County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $52,717U.S.: $80,734
Homes built before 1940: 5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 11%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 12%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.4U.S. average = 100 (the Wildwood-The Villages metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 1.5% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Wildwood-The Villages metro area, not Bushnell alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 3,1572020: 3,159
Median age: 48 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 24%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 12%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 16%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (18%); professional and business services (17%); schools, health care and social services (17%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 28 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 13%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: HCA Florida Citrus Hospital, Inverness, FL, about 16 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Bushnell, run by Sumter.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Florida's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 56%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 82%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 43°F
July average high: 91°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 102 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 8 a year
Rain and melted snow: 52.4 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 60 feet

Weather stations: Bushnell 1 E (2 miles away) and Inverness 3 SE (14 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

HCA Florida Citrus HospitalEmergency room16

Clermont, FLCity of 53,00027

Orlando, FLMetro of 3 million51

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: HCA Florida Citrus Hospital, Clermont, Orlando.

Sumter County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Bushnell's history on Wikipedia.

Know Bushnell?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Lake Panasoffkee, FL4,800 people, 7 miles
Center Hill, FL1,100 people, 8 miles
Wildwood, FL19,400 people, 10 miles
Floral City, FL5,400 people, 12 miles
Leesburg, FL39,000 people, 13 miles
Mascotte, FL10,200 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Webster, FL989 people, 7 miles
Coleman, FL803 people, 8 miles
Nobleton, FL (unincorporated)386 people, 9 miles
Istachatta, FL (unincorporated)115 people, 10 miles
Okahumpka, FL (unincorporated)449 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.