The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alabama For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in Alabama.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: November 3, 2023

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 200 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:

These are the worst small towns in Alabama for 2023:

  1. Clio
  2. Brilliant
  3. Camp Hill
  4. Bear Creek
  5. Dadeville
  6. Elmore
  7. Steele
  8. Frisco City
  9. Hackleburg
  10. Samson

So what is the worst small town to call home in Alabama for 2023? 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.

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

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alabama For 2023

1. Clio

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,195
Median Home Value: $51,700 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (103rd worst)

2. Brilliant

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,173
Median Home Value: $74,300 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.3% (30th worst)

3. Camp Hill

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,324
Median Home Value: $75,800 (28th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.2% (9th worst)

4. Bear Creek

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,574
Median Home Value: $64,100 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.1% (2worst)

5. Dadeville

Dadeville, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,051
Median Home Value: $101,100 (79th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 27.4% (2nd worst)

6. Elmore

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,572
Median Home Value: $70,000 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (78th worst)

7. Steele

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,299
Median Home Value: $86,600 (45th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.3% (70th worst)

8. Frisco City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,668
Median Home Value: $74,500 (25th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 26.0% (3rd worst)

9. Hackleburg

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,463
Median Home Value: $82,300 (37th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (48th worst)

10. Samson

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,567
Median Home Value: $65,900 (13th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (32nd worst)

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 2017-2021 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 – 200 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 2023, 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.

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

  1. Magnolia Springs (Pop. 1,443)
  2. Kimberly (Pop. 3,792)
  3. Indian Springs Village (Pop. 2,563)

For more Alabama reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Alabama

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Clio 1,195 4.8% $51,700
2 Brilliant 1,173 12.3% $74,300
3 Camp Hill 1,324 20.2% $75,800
4 Bear Creek 1,574 13.1% $64,100
5 Dadeville 3,051 27.4% $101,100
6 Elmore 1,572 6.0% $70,000
7 Steele 1,299 7.3% $86,600
8 Frisco City 1,668 26.0% $74,500
9 Hackleburg 1,463 9.2% $82,300
10 Samson 1,567 11.8% $65,900
11 Fort Deposit 1,899 21.5% $62,100
12 Unio 2,045 27.8% $60,900
13 Cottonwood 1,155 3.4% $84,900
14 Brundidge 2,293 8.9% $72,200
15 Vincent 1,807 12.5% $108,200
16 Parrish 1,294 21.2% $46,100
17 Bayou La Batre 2,520 1.7% $76,900
18 Slocomb 1,816 5.9% $76,200
19 Carbon Hill 1,522 4.6% $71,000
20 Aliceville 2,244 22.8% $94,500
21 Goodwater 1,172 4.7% $75,600
22 Bridgeport 2,316 10.3% $68,100
23 Hayneville 1,027 12.7% $76,800
24 Brighton 2,904 13.8% $58,400
25 Red Bay 3,187 5.7% $75,100
26 Ashland 1,741 8.6% $129,100
27 Union Springs 3,389 5.0% $64,900
28 Ragland 1,784 17.5% $115,500
29 West Blocton 1,361 11.4% $101,300
30 Skyline 1,078 5.3% $87,400
31 Adamsville 4,381 11.5% $107,100
32 Georgiana 1,374 7.3% $59,700
33 Elba 3,449 10.0% $81,700
34 Florala 1,779 2.9% $90,700
35 Cordova 1,709 5.0% $62,200
36 West End-Cobb Town 3,065 15.9% $53,000
37 Ashville 2,096 5.7% $123,800
38 Brent 3,214 13.6% $107,900
39 Collinsville 2,044 1.2% $68,800
40 York 2,371 8.8% $33,100
41 Midland City 1,901 5.0% $99,600
42 Flomaton 1,728 11.5% $88,400
43 Double Springs 1,753 7.7% $91,600
44 Lipscomb 2,113 8.0% $76,700
45 Marion 3,273 21.7% $82,800
46 Abbeville 2,231 7.6% $88,000
47 Carlisle-Rockledge 2,472 6.5% $137,100
48 Webb 1,378 4.6% $70,000
49 Lookout Mountain 1,427 5.8% $78,500
50 Greensboro 2,484 7.5% $83,100
51 Clayton 2,512 3.1% $67,900
52 Munford 1,582 11.3% $71,800
53 Carrollton 1,100 13.1% $123,300
54 Holt 4,793 10.8% $89,800
55 Fayette 4,271 17.5% $95,300
56 East Brewton 3,131 22.5% $70,000
57 Susan Moore 1,254 4.6% $107,500
58 Crossville 1,920 2.0% $116,700
59 Mount Vernon 1,567 5.2% $95,800
60 Malvern 1,711 2.4% $103,200
61 Henagar 2,436 6.1% $108,600
62 Cleveland 1,291 7.0% $98,700
63 Guin 2,490 12.5% $95,200
64 Reform 1,929 1.8% $84,600
65 New Market 1,006 8.2% $109,500
66 Altoona 1,444 2.1% $92,200
67 Brookside 1,252 10.7% $88,700
68 Notasulga 1,082 0.9% $87,000
69 Warrior 3,211 12.3% $141,100
70 Childersburg 4,768 10.0% $104,900
71 Eutaw 2,890 0.0% $96,500
72 Creola 2,764 8.7% $137,300
73 Powell 1,029 2.1% $87,000
74 Geneva 4,208 4.3% $110,800
75 Selmont-West Selmont 1,995 3.3% $46,000
76 Centre 3,497 11.3% $153,900
77 Sulligent 1,611 1.3% $70,300
78 Cottondale 3,793 5.6% $106,000
79 Woodstock 1,232 15.0% $120,600
80 Linden 1,981 12.7% $86,000
81 Baileyton 1,114 3.8% $80,000
82 Camden 2,128 12.9% $90,800
83 Haleyville 4,343 5.6% $106,800
84 Oak Grove 1,123 8.0% $88,600
85 Hanceville 3,174 12.9% $118,200
86 Elberta 2,302 5.2% $151,100
87 Town Creek 1,006 4.3% $91,100
88 Graysville 2,723 10.9% $97,100
89 Fyffe 1,327 3.1% $104,400
90 Livingston 3,227 4.5% $132,500
91 Eclectic 1,274 8.4% $132,000
92 Dora 2,725 8.7% $127,100
93 New Brockton 1,210 3.3% $154,100
94 Taylor 2,581 3.8% $98,900
95 Piedmont 4,837 8.3% $87,100
96 Cedar Bluff 1,700 5.8% $116,200
97 Evergreen 3,504 7.6% $85,800
98 La Fayette 2,666 3.6% $110,700
99 Kinsey 2,364 4.4% $96,300
100 Minor 1,052 12.0% $84,500
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

 Worst

6 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alabama For 2023”

  1. This is what happens when your State Football team is The Top Dawg every year. Roll Tide and who asked you to even say anything about any town in our state. We are Alabama nuff said. Stick it where the Sun don’t shine…..

    Reply

  3. These all include people who live in the town limits. Many small towns have populations that use said town that live outside the town limits.

    Reply

  4. Beaverton doesn’t actually have a gas station. There’s a post office and the convenience store in the picture.

    Reply

  5. This is a bunch of dog poop you talking. Stick your statistics where the sun don’t shine because I’m from one of these towns and everything you said is not true. You even got the population wrong!!!!!

    Reply

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