Winston County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Winston 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 average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 74% of counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,682 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 37.5 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.17% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.7 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,420 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Winston County declined by 2.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,682 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Winston County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.6% of residents. That is 2.7 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,337 18.3% -3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,296 18.1% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,364 22.6% +2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,207 22.0% +4.0 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 50.3% of the people living in Winston County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 49.7% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Winston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Winston County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,650 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.15% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Winston County is about 11% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $13,275 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $802 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.8% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Winston County is about 1.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $802 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Winston County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 188 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.5 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.1 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 188 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,821 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,430 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 486 | 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 Winston 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
Winston County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.7% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
Winston County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Winston County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.0 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.2% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.7% | 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).
Winston County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
Winston County, AL is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 23,682 residents against a local median of 33,276. The measure that sets Winston County, AL apart most is median home price: $13,275, 89% below the local median of $124,863.
The counties themselves sit within $51,767 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Winston County, AL, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Winston County, AL has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston County, AL | 23,682 | $57,650 #3/6 | $13,275 #6/6 | 22.5 min #4/6 |
| Walker County, AL | 64,822 | $56,232 | $161,951 | 26.4 min |
| Lawrence County, AL | 33,276 | $66,085 | $110,326 | 30.4 min |
| Cullman County, AL | 90,566 | $62,709 | $147,187 | 21.5 min |
| Marion County, AL | 29,184 | $50,086 | $110,185 | 18.8 min |
| Franklin County, AL | 31,966 | $53,041 | $124,863 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Winston County, Alabama.
How many people live in Winston County, Alabama?
About 23,682 people live in Winston County, Alabama, in 9,420 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 45.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
How densely populated is Winston County, Alabama?
Averaged over its land area, Winston County, Alabama has 38 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 43% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Winston County, Alabama?
The median home costs 0.2 times the median household income ($13,275 against $57,650), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $802 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Winston County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Winston County, Alabama is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Winston County, Alabama?
12.7% of adults in Winston County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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