Hale County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Hale 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.
-
D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 83% of counties in Alabama
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Alabama
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,829 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 22.6 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.27% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,642 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Hale County declined by 17.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,829 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Hale County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.4% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,013 20.3% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,741 18.5% -2.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,030 20.4% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,752 18.6% +0.5 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 52.2% of the people living in Hale County and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 47.8% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Hale County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Hale County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,591 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.58% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Hale County is about 39% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $15,227 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $715 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.4% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Hale County is about 1.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $715 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Hale County spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 238 hours, about 9.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.5 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 57.1 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 238 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,370 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 2.2% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,223 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 319 | 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 Hale County is 29 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
Hale County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.5% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 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
Hale County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Hale County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 27.4% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 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).
Hale County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Hale County, AL compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hale County, AL | 14,829 | $39,591 #3/3 | $15,227 #3/3 | 28.5 min #2/3 |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 237,556 | $65,681 | $247,448 | 20.4 min |
| Bibb County, AL | 22,130 | $52,304 | $134,375 | 31.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Hale County, Alabama.
How many people live in Hale County, Alabama?
About 14,829 people live in Hale County, Alabama, in 5,642 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Hale County, Alabama mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Hale County, Alabama has 23 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 26% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Hale County, Alabama an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($15,227 against $39,591), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $715 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Hale County, Alabama?
14.5% of adults in Hale County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →