Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alabama Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below averageAmong the 3 least healthy states in the US
-
C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 88% of states in the US
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of states in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alabama grew by 10.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,083,438 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alabama is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.5% of residents. That is about the same share as the US.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,092,255 21.5% on par
- Millennials 29–44 1,053,812 20.7% -1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,012,844 19.9% on par
- Boomers 61–79 915,797 18.0% +1.1 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 the US, 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 Alabama and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% the US 50.5%
- Men 48.5% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alabama
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alabama has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alabama is about 20% lower than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alabama is about 13.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,007 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alabama spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Alabama is about the same as in US.
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
Alabama has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
Alabama has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Alabama | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
Alabama Compared With Nearby States
Alabama is typical in size for this group, 5,083,438 residents against a local median of 4,610,276, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Alabama sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these states turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 6% below the local median at $160,474 against $170,446. Alabama has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5,083,438 | $64,544 #3/6 | $160,474 #4/6 | 22.1 min #4/6 |
| Mississippi | 2,946,497 | $56,669 | $130,069 | 21.5 min |
| Tennessee | 7,058,506 | $69,901 | $255,786 | 22.4 min |
| Georgia | 10,939,918 | $77,523 | $256,986 | 23.6 min |
| Kentucky | 4,533,530 | $64,312 | $118,017 | 20.8 min |
| Louisiana | 4,610,276 | $60,934 | $170,446 | 21.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alabama.
What is the population of Alabama?
About 5,083,438 people live in Alabama, in 1,996,169 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Alabama urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alabama has 97 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alabama?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($160,474 against $64,544), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,007 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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 →