Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Tuscaloosa 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 averageHealthier than 89% of counties in Alabama
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D
Income Well below averageWealthier than 79% of counties in Alabama
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 237,556 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 175.9 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.04% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.6 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 90,058 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Tuscaloosa County grew by 32.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 237,556 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Tuscaloosa County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 29.6% of residents. That is 8.1 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 70,275 29.6% +8.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 48,183 20.3% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 42,320 17.8% -2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,994 13.9% -4.1 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 51.7% of the people living in Tuscaloosa County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.3% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Tuscaloosa County
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Economy
Tuscaloosa County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,681 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.00% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Tuscaloosa County is about 2% higher than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $247,448 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,037 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.4% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Tuscaloosa County is about 19.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,037 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Tuscaloosa County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 170 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.4 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.8 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 170 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,268 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,048 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,519 | 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 Tuscaloosa County is 20 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 County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.0% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 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
Tuscaloosa County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Tuscaloosa County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.0 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.9% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.4% | 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).
Tuscaloosa County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
How Tuscaloosa County, AL compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 237,556 | $65,681 #1/3 | $247,448 #1/3 | 20.4 min #1/3 |
| Bibb County, AL | 22,130 | $52,304 | $134,375 | 31.6 min |
| Walker County, AL | 64,822 | $56,232 | $161,951 | 26.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
What is the population of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama?
About 237,556 people live in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, in 90,058 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 30.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Tuscaloosa County, Alabama urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has 176 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama?
The median home costs 3.8 times the median household income ($247,448 against $65,681), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,037 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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