Russell County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Russell 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 averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in Alabama
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 58,811 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 90.9 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.04% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,938 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Russell County grew by 18.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 58,811 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Russell County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,397 21.1% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,755 21.7% +1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,777 20.0% +0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,558 16.3% -1.8 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 52.6% of the people living in Russell County and men 47.4%.
- Women 52.6% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 47.4% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Russell County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Russell County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,343 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.69% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Russell County is about 20% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $190,468 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $938 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.3% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Russell County is about 16.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $938 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Russell 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 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.3 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.5 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,010 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,534 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,256 | 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 Russell County is 23 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
Russell County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.4% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 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
Russell County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Russell County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.8 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.5% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.1% | 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).
Russell County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Russell County, AL compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | 58,811 | $51,343 #3/3 | $190,468 #2/3 | 23.3 min #3/3 |
| Lee County, AL | 181,134 | $66,795 | $274,879 | 18.7 min |
| Muscogee County, GA | 203,480 | $58,110 | $145,914 | 18.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Russell County, Alabama.
How many people live in Russell County, Alabama?
About 58,811 people live in Russell County, Alabama, in 23,938 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 35.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Russell County, Alabama mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Russell County, Alabama has 91 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 Russell County, Alabama?
The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($190,468 against $51,343), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $938 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 Russell County, Alabama?
15.4% of adults in Russell County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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