Pickens County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pickens 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 79% of counties in Alabama
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,721 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 21.0 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.84% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.1 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,764 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pickens County declined by 4.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,721 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pickens County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 1.3 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,583 19.1% -2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,888 20.8% on par
- Gen X 45–60 3,981 21.3% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,772 20.2% +2.1 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 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 51.2% of the people living in Pickens County and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.8% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pickens County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pickens County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,801 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.09% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pickens County is about 27% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $277,941 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $647 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.8% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pickens County is about 35.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $647 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pickens County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 270 hours, about 11.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.5 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 64.9 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 270 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,383 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.0% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,742 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 328 | 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 Pickens County is 32 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
Pickens County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.0% | 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
Pickens County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Pickens County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.3 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.3% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.1% | 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).
Pickens County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Pickens County, AL compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County, AL | 18,721 | $46,801 #2/2 | $277,941 #1/2 | 32.5 min #2/2 |
| Lowndes County, MS | 57,838 | $53,630 | $132,386 | 18.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pickens County, Alabama.
How many people live in Pickens County, Alabama?
About 18,721 people live in Pickens County, Alabama, in 6,764 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Pickens County, Alabama urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pickens County, Alabama has 21 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 24% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Pickens County, Alabama an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 5.9 times the median household income ($277,941 against $46,801), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $647 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Pickens County, Alabama?
14.0% of adults in Pickens 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 →