Clarke County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clarke County, AL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 71% of counties in Alabama
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Alabama
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,543 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 18.0 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.21% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,423 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clarke County declined by 14.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22,543 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clarke County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 1.5 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,523 20.1% -1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,073 18.1% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,839 21.5% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,333 19.2% +1.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Alabama, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.0% of the people living in Clarke County and men 48.0%.
- Women 52.0% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.0% Alabama 48.5%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clarke County
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Economy
Clarke County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,885 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.98% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.2% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clarke County is about 24% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $55,384 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $781 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.8% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clarke County is about 5.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $781 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clarke County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.5 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,364 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.0% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,946 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 353 | 1,193 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Alabama:
Pike County (16.4 min), Houston County (18.3 min), Escambia County (18.5 min).
Slowest:
Blount County (33.2 min), Pickens County (32.5 min), Lowndes County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Clarke County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Alabama.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Clarke County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.0% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.63 | 2.48 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Alabama:
Madison County (0.4), Shelby County (0.3), Lee County (0.3).
Lowest:
Bibb County (0.2), Barbour County (0.2), Wilcox County (0.2).
Health
Clarke County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Clarke County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.8% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.7% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Alabama:
Shelby County (0.8), Lee County (0.8), Baldwin County (0.8).
Lowest:
Greene County (0.7), Wilcox County (0.7), Perry County (0.7).
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clarke County, Alabama.
What is the population of Clarke County, Alabama?
About 22,543 people live in Clarke County, Alabama, in 8,423 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Clarke County, Alabama?
Averaged over its land area, Clarke County, Alabama has 18 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 21% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Clarke County, Alabama an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.1 times the median household income ($55,384 against $48,885), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $781 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Clarke County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Clarke County, Alabama is 9.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Clarke County, Alabama have a college degree?
13.0% of adults in Clarke County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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