Fayette County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fayette 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 average
-
D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 85% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,053 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 25.5 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.55% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,255 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fayette County declined by 9.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,053 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fayette County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,137 19.5% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,951 18.4% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,481 21.7% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,308 20.6% +2.6 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 51.5% of the people living in Fayette County and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.5% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Fayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Fayette County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,680 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.97% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.4% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fayette County is about 23% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $97,142 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $667 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.4% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fayette County is about 12.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $667 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fayette County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 197 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.6 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.2 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 197 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,098 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 2.9% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,030 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 283 | 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 Fayette County is 24 minutes, longer 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
Fayette County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.6% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.52 | 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
Fayette County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.4 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.4% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.4% | 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).
Fayette County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, AL is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 16,053 residents against a local median of 64,822. Fayette County, AL's median home price, at $97,142, runs 40% below the $161,951 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.6 min against a local median of 20.4 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Fayette County, AL at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $137,263 on median home price, so Fayette County, AL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fayette County, AL has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, AL | 16,053 | $49,680 #4/4 | $97,142 #4/4 | 23.6 min #3/4 |
| Marion County, AL | 29,184 | $50,086 | $110,185 | 18.8 min |
| Walker County, AL | 64,822 | $56,232 | $161,951 | 26.4 min |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 237,556 | $65,681 | $247,448 | 20.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fayette County, Alabama.
What is the population of Fayette County, Alabama?
About 16,053 people live in Fayette County, Alabama, in 6,255 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Fayette County, Alabama mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Fayette County, Alabama has 26 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 30% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Fayette County, Alabama?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($97,142 against $49,680), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $667 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Fayette County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Fayette County, Alabama is 8.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Fayette County, Alabama?
11.6% of adults in Fayette County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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