Tuscaloosa, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Tuscaloosa, 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 average
-
D
Income Well below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 99,527 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1370.7 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.08% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 27.0 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 36,857 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Tuscaloosa grew by 27.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 99,527 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Tuscaloosa is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 39.1% of residents. That is 17.6 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 38,899 39.1% +17.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 17,870 18.0% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,185 14.3% -5.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,297 12.4% -5.7 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 51.7% of the people living in Tuscaloosa and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.3% Alabama 48.5%
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Economy
Tuscaloosa has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,249 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.05% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.1% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Tuscaloosa is about 24% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $254,598 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,050 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 42.5% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Tuscaloosa is about 20.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,050 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Tuscaloosa spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 138 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.6 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.2 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 138 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,289 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,170 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,272 | 1,193 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Tuscaloosa is 17 minutes, shorter 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
Tuscaloosa has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.7% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 2.48 | 2.53 |
Health
Tuscaloosa has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.2% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
How big is Tuscaloosa, Alabama by population?
About 99,527 people live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 36,857 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 27.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Tuscaloosa, Alabama urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Tuscaloosa, Alabama has 1,371 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 16 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($254,598 against $49,249), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,050 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
Unemployment in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is 8.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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