Like all states, Alabama has certain places that are going on hard times. These Alabama places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Alabama.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 104 cities in Alabama with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What’s the poorest city in Alabama? According to the facts, Atmore is the poorest place in Alabama for 2023.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Alabama reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Alabama
- Cheapest Places To Live In Alabama
- Most Dangerous Cities In Alabama
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Cities In Alabama For 2023
1. Atmore
/10
Population: 8,734
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $29,104 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 36.9% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,220
More on Atmore: Data | Cost Of Living
Atmore, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Alabama thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 8,734 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Alabama and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Selma
/10
Population: 18,429
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $29,656 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.4% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,420
More on Selma: Data | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Alabama is Selma.
The city ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 6th highest in the Heart of Dixie.
3. Prichard
/10
Population: 19,645
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $32,900 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.1% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,915
More on Prichard: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Prichard’s median income ranks as the 7th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 30.114471749632436% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Heart of Dixie.
4. Tuskegee
/10
Population: 9,125
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $32,024 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.8% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,628
More on Tuskegee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Tuskegee ranks as the fourth poorest place in Alabama.
The town ranks as having the 5th lowest median household income and the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Eufaula
/10
Population: 12,753
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $35,127 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.7% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,787
More on Eufaula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Alabama is Eufaula.
The city ranks as having the 8th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 4th highest in Alabama.
Still not the best news for Eufaula.
6. Bessemer
/10
Population: 26,171
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Median Income: $32,416 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.8% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,533
More on Bessemer: Data | Cost Of Living
Bessemer ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Heart of Dixie.
It ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty and the 2nd highest unemployment rate.
7. Chickasaw
/10
Population: 6,421
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 3)
Median Income: $36,196 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,192
More on Chickasaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Chickasaw places as the seventh poorest city in Alabama.
The city of over 6,421 ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Talladega
/10
Population: 15,782
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Income: $31,795 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.8% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,228
More on Talladega: Data | Cost Of Living
Talladega ranks as the eighth poorest city in Alabama.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 4th highest in the state.
9. Gadsden
/10
Population: 34,317
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $35,776 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.2% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 9,324
More on Gadsden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Gadsden couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Alabama; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 9th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Gadsden ranks as having the 9th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Alabama.
10. Troy
/10
Population: 17,765
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Income: $36,409 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.3% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,857
More on Troy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Alabama is Troy.
The city of 17,765 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Heart of Dixie.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Alabama for 2023
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 104 places with more than 5,000 people in Alabama, we ranked each place from 1 to 104 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Atmore, crowned the “Poorest Place In Alabama For 2023”.
This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Alabama.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Alabama For 2023
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Alabama, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Alabama.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Alabama, according to data:
-
Richest: Mountain Brook
2nd Richest: Vestavia Hills
3rd Richest: Trussville
For more Alabama reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Alabama
- Safest Places In Alabama
- Worst Places To Live In Alabama
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Alabama
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Alabama
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atmore | 8,734 | 36.9% | $29,104 | 3,220 |
| 2 | Selma | 18,429 | 29.4% | $29,656 | 5,420 |
| 3 | Prichard | 19,645 | 30.1% | $32,900 | 5,915 |
| 4 | Tuskegee | 9,125 | 28.8% | $32,024 | 2,628 |
| 5 | Eufaula | 12,753 | 29.7% | $35,127 | 3,787 |
| 6 | Bessemer | 26,171 | 28.8% | $32,416 | 7,533 |
| 7 | Chickasaw | 6,421 | 34.2% | $36,196 | 2,192 |
| 8 | Talladega | 15,782 | 26.8% | $31,795 | 4,228 |
| 9 | Gadsden | 34,317 | 27.2% | $35,776 | 9,324 |
| 10 | Troy | 17,765 | 27.3% | $36,409 | 4,857 |
| 11 | Bay Minette | 7,824 | 26.5% | $35,851 | 2,074 |
| 12 | Sheffield | 9,305 | 25.6% | $36,642 | 2,385 |
| 13 | Monroeville | 5,953 | 20.3% | $28,718 | 1,207 |
| 14 | Birmingham | 202,234 | 25.5% | $39,403 | 51,651 |
| 15 | Tarrant | 6,137 | 24.4% | $36,927 | 1,499 |
| 16 | Jacksonville | 13,076 | 26.7% | $41,920 | 3,490 |
| 17 | Anniston | 21,455 | 22.8% | $39,928 | 4,897 |
| 18 | Andalusia | 8,764 | 22.9% | $40,516 | 2,006 |
| 19 | Greenville | 7,395 | 21.6% | $39,959 | 1,600 |
| 20 | Phenix City | 38,216 | 26.4% | $43,296 | 10,086 |
| 21 | Sylacauga | 12,512 | 25.1% | $41,864 | 3,146 |
| 22 | Roanoke | 5,368 | 20.6% | $38,731 | 1,106 |
| 23 | Boaz | 10,091 | 21.6% | $40,732 | 2,177 |
| 24 | Tuscumbia | 8,977 | 23.1% | $42,692 | 2,070 |
| 25 | Demopolis | 7,134 | 21.5% | $40,968 | 1,530 |
| 26 | Florence | 39,709 | 20.1% | $40,944 | 7,992 |
| 27 | Fort Payne | 14,730 | 22.5% | $44,330 | 3,308 |
| 28 | Tuscaloosa | 99,252 | 22.6% | $44,880 | 22,385 |
| 29 | Opp | 6,671 | 16.9% | $40,372 | 1,128 |
| 30 | Alexander City | 14,765 | 17.8% | $41,778 | 2,625 |
| 31 | Ozark | 14,396 | 19.7% | $44,014 | 2,833 |
| 32 | Oneonta | 6,778 | 16.4% | $40,391 | 1,109 |
| 33 | Fairfield | 10,108 | 19.6% | $43,914 | 1,984 |
| 34 | Scottsboro | 15,446 | 18.8% | $43,672 | 2,907 |
| 35 | Mobile | 187,445 | 20.0% | $44,780 | 37,435 |
| 36 | Center Point | 16,422 | 19.6% | $44,676 | 3,217 |
| 37 | Montevallo | 6,968 | 17.7% | $43,504 | 1,235 |
| 38 | Midfield | 5,219 | 20.1% | $46,929 | 1,047 |
| 39 | Hamilton | 6,974 | 17.2% | $42,722 | 1,197 |
| 40 | Montgomery | 201,022 | 21.2% | $49,989 | 42,586 |
| 41 | Brewton | 5,288 | 18.4% | $44,528 | 971 |
| 42 | Auburn | 74,637 | 25.2% | $54,700 | 18,797 |
| 43 | Russellville | 10,691 | 16.9% | $43,829 | 1,803 |
| 44 | Albertville | 22,268 | 20.8% | $51,718 | 4,628 |
| 45 | Lanett | 6,821 | 18.2% | $46,404 | 1,238 |
| 46 | Rainsville | 5,466 | 19.4% | $49,375 | 1,060 |
| 47 | Dothan | 70,318 | 18.2% | $49,203 | 12,817 |
| 48 | Opelika | 30,810 | 17.2% | $51,074 | 5,313 |
| 49 | Guntersville | 8,559 | 18.8% | $53,750 | 1,606 |
| 50 | Clanton | 8,715 | 14.3% | $48,051 | 1,245 |
| 51 | Arab | 8,462 | 14.2% | $50,321 | 1,200 |
| 52 | Tallassee | 5,199 | 12.7% | $47,405 | 658 |
| 53 | Attalla | 5,872 | 12.1% | $46,278 | 709 |
| 54 | Decatur | 57,303 | 15.2% | $52,539 | 8,729 |
| 55 | Wetumpka | 7,025 | 12.3% | $49,146 | 866 |
| 56 | Jasper | 14,370 | 16.2% | $55,721 | 2,323 |
| 57 | Valley | 10,498 | 13.4% | $51,476 | 1,410 |
| 58 | Athens | 25,213 | 13.6% | $52,211 | 3,432 |
| 59 | Smiths Station | 5,420 | 13.7% | $53,096 | 744 |
| 60 | Pell City | 12,923 | 15.3% | $58,036 | 1,978 |
| 61 | Huntsville | 210,081 | 14.6% | $60,959 | 30,719 |
| 62 | Rainbow City | 10,093 | 11.5% | $51,765 | 1,165 |
| 63 | Lincoln | 6,836 | 15.4% | $63,464 | 1,052 |
| 64 | Enterprise | 28,242 | 16.1% | $63,859 | 4,552 |
| 65 | Cullman | 17,892 | 10.8% | $54,669 | 1,933 |
| 66 | Irondale | 13,457 | 13.7% | $63,010 | 1,839 |
| 67 | Oxford | 22,210 | 12.6% | $62,226 | 2,802 |
| 68 | Foley | 20,170 | 9.7% | $53,817 | 1,949 |
| 69 | Robertsdale | 6,603 | 10.4% | $55,707 | 688 |
| 70 | Gulf Shores | 14,712 | 8.2% | $53,048 | 1,208 |
| 71 | Hueytown | 16,694 | 10.4% | $58,151 | 1,744 |
| 72 | Hartselle | 15,308 | 11.4% | $61,557 | 1,744 |
| 73 | Pinson | 7,242 | 13.8% | $70,393 | 999 |
| 74 | Northport | 30,334 | 13.6% | $69,921 | 4,112 |
| 75 | Millbrook | 16,675 | 9.5% | $59,084 | 1,585 |
| 76 | Prattville | 37,977 | 12.3% | $65,932 | 4,675 |
| 77 | Moody | 13,100 | 11.8% | $69,846 | 1,546 |
| 78 | Fultondale | 9,707 | 12.4% | $72,766 | 1,206 |
| 79 | Saraland | 15,942 | 7.8% | $61,216 | 1,243 |
| 80 | Leeds | 12,385 | 8.5% | $62,432 | 1,057 |
| 81 | Clay | 10,320 | 10.3% | $74,265 | 1,067 |
| 82 | Muscle Shoals | 15,969 | 5.4% | $61,772 | 869 |
| 83 | Pleasant Grove | 9,638 | 7.6% | $67,000 | 732 |
| 84 | Margaret | 5,118 | 5.7% | $64,992 | 293 |
| 85 | Glencoe | 5,360 | 5.4% | $63,060 | 292 |
| 86 | Daphne | 27,088 | 8.5% | $74,701 | 2,298 |
| 87 | Calera | 16,126 | 6.7% | $70,504 | 1,077 |
| 88 | Fairhope | 21,825 | 8.9% | $83,258 | 1,935 |
| 89 | Southside | 9,253 | 5.0% | $66,692 | 465 |
| 90 | Alabaster | 33,133 | 6.7% | $83,181 | 2,209 |
| 91 | Homewood | 26,206 | 7.9% | $89,433 | 2,080 |
| 92 | Gardendale | 15,920 | 5.5% | $74,608 | 873 |
| 93 | Hoover | 91,371 | 6.6% | $95,970 | 6,073 |
| 94 | Pelham | 24,134 | 4.1% | $81,606 | 994 |
| 95 | Orange Beach | 7,847 | 4.7% | $84,838 | 368 |
| 96 | Satsuma | 6,704 | 4.8% | $88,312 | 324 |
| 97 | Pike Road | 9,193 | 5.6% | $109,537 | 512 |
| 98 | Madison | 55,551 | 5.0% | $105,335 | 2,759 |
| 99 | Helena | 20,680 | 4.8% | $96,173 | 1,002 |
| 100 | Spanish Fort | 9,720 | 3.6% | $89,504 | 348 |
