Gainesville is the principal city of the Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area and has a population of 42,296, ranking it the 21st most populous city in the state. It is famously known as the ‘Poultry Capital of the World’ due to its extensive poultry processing plants.

In 2021, the median household income of Gainesville households was $57,258. However, 16.9% of families live in poverty. The largest racial/ethnic group is White (40.2%) followed by Hispanic (38.1%) and Black (16.0%).