Fayette County, Alabama Income Statistics
Fayette County Wealth Score
The wealth index reflects the overall economic prosperity and financial well-being of a county's residents based on income levels, employment rates, and income inequality metrics.
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D
Fayette County Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Income Statistics Overview
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $49,680 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Median Personal Income | $47,393 | $52,756 | $60,758 |
| Average Yearly Income Growth | 4.0% | 4.7% | 4.8% |
| Six-Figure Earners | 5.7% | 9.6% | 13.9% |
| $200k+ Households | 3.8% | 7.8% | 13.2% |
The median household income in Fayette County is about 23% lower than in Alabama. Income has been growing slower in Fayette County (4.0%/yr) than in Alabama (4.7%/yr).
About 6% of adults in Fayette County earn six figures ($100,000 or more) a year, lower than the Alabama average of 10%.
Median Household Income 2009–2024 Trend
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income in Fayette County, Alabama grew by 39.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching $49,680 in 2024. That's an average of about 4.0% per year.
Income Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap in Fayette County
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gini Coefficient | 0.562 | 0.560 | 0.552 |
| Male Median Income | $57,574 | $62,840 | $69,667 |
| Female Median Income | $39,435 | $47,036 | $56,850 |
| Gender Pay Gap | 31.5% | 25.1% | 18.4% |
The Gini coefficient measures how evenly income is shared between richer and poorer households, from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns nearly everything). The lower the number, the more equally income is distributed. In Fayette County, it is 0.562, about the same as Alabama's 0.560, so income here is about as evenly distributed as there, and higher than the US's 0.552, so income is less evenly distributed here than there.
Men's income is about 46% more than women's income in Fayette County, Alabama. Over a 35-year career, a 46% wage gap accumulates to roughly $634,865 in unearned income for female workers in the area.
Income by Sex Over Time
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Fayette County, Alabama has widened from about 13% to 32% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 35% in 2013. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $13,658 since 2009.
Sharply against the trend: the pay gap in Fayette County widened by 18.4 points while Alabama's narrowed by 1.8 points.
Employment
| Metric | Fayette County | Alabama Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate | 8.4% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Working from Home | 2.9% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Commute time (minutes) | 23 | 22 | 22 |
Approximately 576 people are unemployed in Fayette County, Alabama.
The average commute time in Fayette County is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Alabama.
Unemployment Rate Over Time
Since 2011, the unemployment rate in Fayette County, Alabama has risen from 7.0% to 8.4% in 2024. Over that period the rate peaked at 11.3% in 2014 and fell as low as 6.3% in 2019.
Fayette County, AL Wealth Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, AL is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 16,053 residents against a local median of 29,184. Fayette County, AL's unemployment, at 8.4%, runs 68% above the 5.0% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Income growth tells the same story from another angle: 4.0%/yr against a local median of 5.0%/yr, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Fayette County, AL reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 1.1% of each other on unemployment, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Fayette County, AL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Fayette County, AL has the 6th lowest unemployment of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Income growthAverage yearly change in median household income since 2016. Each year is measured in its own dollars, so this is growth before inflation. | Unemployment | Income inequalityGini coefficient: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 that a single household earns everything. The lower the number, the more equally income is shared here. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, AL | 16,053 | $49,680 #5/6 | 4.0%/yr #6/6 | 8.4% #6/6 | 0.562 #4/6 |
| Lamar County, AL | 13,693 | $50,000 | 4.9%/yr | 5.5% | 0.558 |
| Marion County, AL | 29,184 | $50,086 | 5.0%/yr | 5.0% | 0.536 |
| Walker County, AL | 64,822 | $56,232 | 5.3%/yr | 4.9% | 0.552 |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 237,556 | $65,681 | 4.0%/yr | 5.8% | 0.569 |
| Pickens County, AL | 18,721 | $46,801 | 5.1%/yr | 4.7% | 0.579 |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Fayette County, Alabama has an overall wealth index grade of D, making it somewhat worse than Alabama, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about income and wealth in Fayette County, Alabama.
How Rich Is Fayette County, Alabama?
Fayette County has a wealth index grade of D. The wealth index grades areas from A+ (best) to F- by combining income levels, employment rates, and income inequality; a D grade means residents are somewhat worse off than the U.S. average. The median household income is $49,680, about 23% lower than the Alabama average of $64,544.
How has median household income changed in Fayette County, Alabama?
Between 2009 and 2024, the median household income in Fayette County, Alabama rose 40%, from $35,531 to $49,680. Over the same years, income here lagged behind Alabama as a whole: +40% against +56%.
What was the median household income in Fayette County in 2023?
In 2023, the median household income in Fayette County, Alabama was $50,944, up 11% from $45,913 in 2022. The Alabama median that year was $62,326.
What was the median household income in Fayette County in 2020?
In 2020, the median household income in Fayette County, Alabama was $42,406. By 2024 it had risen 17% to $49,680.
How strong is the job market in Fayette County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Fayette County, Alabama is 8.4%, well above the Alabama rate of 4.7%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What is the Gini coefficient in Fayette County, Alabama?
The Gini coefficient in Fayette County is 0.562. It measures income inequality on a scale from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns everything). That is higher than the US average of 0.552, so income is distributed less equally than in the country overall.
How has the income gap between men and women changed in Fayette County, Alabama?
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Fayette County, Alabama has widened from about 13% to 32% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 35% in 2013. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $13,658 since 2009.
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