Living in Newberry, Florida: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.3% below the U.S. average in the Gainesville metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Newberry 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 town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byHCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville, about 11 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityJacksonville is about 73 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 Newberry 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.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 17% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $288,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 17%Alachua County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $89,552U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 93%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,896 a yearFlorida: $2,730
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 43%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96.7U.S. average = 100 (the Gainesville 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 17% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Gainesville metro area, not Newberry 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: 8,6182020: 7,377
Median age: 36.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 25%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 38%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%U.S.: 6%
College students: 8%share of all residents

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: Schools, health care and social services (31%); professional and business services (14%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 31 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 14%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 10%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, Gainesville, FL, about 11 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 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

4 public schools in Newberry, run by Alachua.

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: 82%U.S.: 76%

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: 92°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 101 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 20 a year
Rain and melted snow: 51.7 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 80 feet

Weather stations: Gainesville 11 WNW (7 miles away) and High Springs (13 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 North Florida HospitalEmergency room11

Gainesville, FLCity of 149,00015

Jacksonville, FLMetro of 1.8 million73

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 North Florida Hospital, Gainesville, Jacksonville.

Alachua County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Dudley Farm and the Newberry Historic District. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

Read about Newberry's history on Wikipedia.

Know Newberry?

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

Archer, FL1,200 people, 8 miles
High Springs, FL6,800 people, 11 miles
Alachua, FL10,600 people, 11 miles
East Bronson, FL2,600 people, 13 miles
Trenton, FL2,300 people, 13 miles
Bronson, FL1,300 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Spring Ridge, FL (unincorporated)555 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.