The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alabama For 2025

Most Americans have never been to small town Alabama. However, as the Alabamian who live there know, small town Alabama is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Alabama has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Heart Of Dixie. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 196 of Alabama’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Alabama where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Alabama for 2025:

1. Clio
2. Fort Deposit
3. Brilliant
4. Samson
5. Bear Creek
6. Camp Hill
7. Parrish
8. Union Springs
9. Goodwater
10. Brighton

So what is the worst small town to call home in Alabama for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Clio is the worst small town to live in Alabama.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Clio home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Alabama or the worst places to live in Alabama.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alabama For 2025

1. Clio

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,393
Median Home Value: $60,400
Median Income: $29,781
Unemployment Rate: 10.7%

2. Fort Deposit

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,560
Median Home Value: $66,300
Median Income: $20,156
Unemployment Rate: 20.5%

3. Brilliant

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,078
Median Home Value: $55,200
Median Income: $47,877
Unemployment Rate: 9.9%

4. Samson

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,477
Median Home Value: $77,700
Median Income: $31,964
Unemployment Rate: 14.6%

5. Bear Creek

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,317
Median Home Value: $95,300
Median Income: $36,250
Unemployment Rate: 10.6%

6. Camp Hill

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,098
Median Home Value: $95,000
Median Income: $30,000
Unemployment Rate: 11.8%

7. Parrish

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,093
Median Home Value: $49,900
Median Income: $25,769
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

8. Union Springs

Source: Wikipedia User Rivers Langley; SaveRivers | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,287
Median Home Value: $77,300
Median Income: $25,828
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

9. Goodwater

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,375
Median Home Value: $81,900
Median Income: $36,938
Unemployment Rate: 9.0%

10. Brighton

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,091
Median Home Value: $72,800
Median Income: $36,219
Unemployment Rate: 15.9%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Alabama is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Alabama, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 196 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Alabama.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Alabama

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Heart Of Dixie with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Alabama are Clio, Fort Deposit, Brilliant, Samson, Bear Creek, Camp Hill, Parrish, Union Springs, Goodwater, and Brighton.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Alabama, according to science:

1. Indian Springs Village (Pop. 2,637)
2. Argo (Pop. 4,456)
3. Lake View (Pop. 4,238)

For more Alabama reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Alabama

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Clio	1,393	10.7%	$60,400	$29,781
2	Fort Deposit	1,560	20.5%	$66,300	$20,156
3	Brilliant	1,078	9.9%	$55,200	$47,877
4	Samson	1,477	14.6%	$77,700	$31,964
5	Bear Creek	1,317	10.6%	$95,300	$36,250
6	Camp Hill	1,098	11.8%	$95,000	$30,000
7	Parrish	1,093	9.1%	$49,900	$25,769
8	Union Springs	3,287	8.3%	$77,300	$25,828
9	Goodwater	1,375	9.0%	$81,900	$36,938
10	Brighton	3,091	15.9%	$72,800	$36,219
11	Bridgeport	2,377	8.9%	$86,400	$31,723
12	Evergreen	3,442	18.4%	$106,300	$38,098
13	Hackleburg	1,642	6.6%	$97,300	$43,854
14	West Blocton	1,320	10.5%	$107,400	$37,537
15	Brundidge	2,170	6.5%	$87,100	$37,555
16	Lookout Mountain	1,074	0.0%	$95,500	$43,472
17	Elmore	1,482	3.1%	$97,000	$33,958
18	Ragland	1,601	11.7%	$110,800	$37,679
19	Carbon Hill	1,440	2.7%	$78,200	$22,283
20	Double Springs	1,188	11.5%	$125,000	$32,250
21	Slocomb	1,995	7.2%	$96,000	$38,988
22	Flomaton	1,675	7.7%	$100,000	$36,250
23	Henagar	2,554	8.8%	$118,100	$44,922
24	Skyline	1,011	5.2%	$113,000	$40,721
25	Frisco City	1,657	20.7%	$89,800	$35,602
26	East Brewton	3,325	24.8%	$87,300	$43,070
27	Unio	1,655	32.7%	$69,300	$31,071
28	Egypt	1,039	8.6%	$184,900	$37,153
29	Lipscomb	2,407	5.8%	$93,900	$45,792
30	Malvern	1,836	2.3%	$98,300	$52,500
31	Florala	1,841	2.3%	$81,000	$34,857
32	La Fayette	2,665	4.2%	$101,300	$32,999
33	Bayou La Batre	1,977	2.9%	$87,500	$40,667
34	Collinsville	1,835	2.4%	$1,000	$31,411
35	Elba	3,459	6.5%	$105,000	$41,310
36	Altoona	1,211	6.9%	$137,500	$36,694
37	Camden	2,056	16.4%	$110,100	$38,864
38	Brookside	1,200	5.2%	$108,700	$43,750
39	Vincent	1,870	10.4%	$141,600	$42,632
40	Autaugaville	1,119	6.0%	$131,700	$47,652
41	Aliceville	2,338	19.4%	$104,300	$33,125
42	Cottonwood	1,091	1.8%	$110,300	$35,417
43	Berry	1,063	5.6%	$103,900	$48,819
44	Reform	1,636	6.2%	$92,200	$33,958
45	Abbeville	2,470	7.6%	$98,000	$32,778
46	Eutaw	2,864	2.2%	$98,300	$31,583
47	Haleyville	4,283	5.7%	$96,300	$40,538
48	Munford	1,694	7.7%	$77,300	$39,125
49	Cordova	1,723	4.0%	$62,800	$38,190
50	Crossville	2,296	4.3%	$123,600	$48,464
51	Dadeville	3,034	17.4%	$163,500	$57,240
52	Geneva	4,227	7.9%	$106,500	$48,798
53	West End-Cobb Town	3,705	14.4%	$84,600	$55,603
54	Carlisle-Rockledge	1,791	7.9%	$152,000	$59,246
55	Holt	3,540	11.6%	$109,300	$46,379
56	Luverne	2,713	8.7%	$124,700	$51,537
57	Fayette	4,221	16.7%	$122,100	$38,009
58	York	2,849	4.7%	$57,500	$37,009
59	Selmont-West Selmont	2,121	7.7%	$52,200	$32,365
60	Brent	2,862	9.5%	$143,300	$24,041
61	Linden	1,879	8.6%	$94,700	$30,313
62	Notasulga	1,074	3.3%	$119,900	$63,333
63	Georgiana	1,432	1.3%	$57,900	$25,469
64	Lineville	2,636	7.5%	$146,300	$37,396
65	Guin	2,469	19.1%	$111,400	$47,358
66	Ladonia	3,987	4.0%	$102,900	$52,045
67	Underwood-Petersville	3,049	6.0%	$118,900	$43,000
68	Vernon	1,819	12.7%	$112,500	$27,174
69	Dora	2,617	5.9%	$150,100	$61,276
70	Steele	1,293	7.8%	$101,700	$70,000
71	Marion	2,994	14.7%	$108,300	$38,221
72	Kinsey	2,175	3.0%	$114,800	$51,042
73	Moulton	3,397	6.6%	$116,100	$40,792
74	Clayton	2,271	2.3%	$82,100	$32,625
75	Gallant	1,215	4.8%	$99,000	$53,698
76	Citronelle	3,918	7.0%	$164,800	$48,926
77	Susan Moore	1,323	3.2%	$117,600	$81,875
78	Childersburg	4,694	9.1%	$131,300	$49,178
79	Cottondale	2,850	6.0%	$118,600	$44,250
80	Town Creek	1,015	7.5%	$111,800	$40,993
81	Livingston	3,243	15.8%	$163,300	$24,491
82	Fyffe	1,250	4.4%	$110,600	$32,407
83	Midland City	1,803	0.6%	$153,400	$35,638
84	Jackson	4,654	21.4%	$121,000	$46,250
85	Eclectic	1,201	10.8%	$157,500	$49,250
86	Creola	2,489	9.0%	$187,500	$68,594
87	Mount Vernon	1,339	2.4%	$114,400	$41,250
88	Snead	1,490	1.6%	$169,400	$46,075
89	Taylor	2,916	5.2%	$128,600	$62,596
90	Stevenson	1,947	8.6%	$150,200	$48,214
91	Blountsville	1,757	3.8%	$120,300	$46,555
92	Sulligent	1,440	0.0%	$132,400	$30,625
93	Red Bay	3,213	1.8%	$105,500	$35,587
94	Newton	1,431	3.1%	$90,000	$59,915
95	Sylvania	2,005	5.7%	$129,400	$53,973
96	Daleville	4,891	6.6%	$114,400	$45,522
97	Greensboro	2,390	0.0%	$126,100	$31,207
98	Warrior	3,204	6.1%	$152,100	$56,133
99	Webb	1,398	1.2%	$109,000	$48,102
100	Grove Hill	1,940	10.5%	$151,400	$49,223