The 10 Poorest Cities In Alabama For 2023


The poorest places in Alabama are Atmore and Selma for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

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


Here are the ten poorest places in Alabama for 2023:

  1. Atmore
  2. Selma
  3. Prichard
  4. Tuskegee
  5. Eufaula
  6. Bessemer
  7. Chickasaw
  8. Talladega
  9. Gadsden
  10. Troy

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:


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


The 10 Poorest Cities In Alabama For 2023

1. Atmore

Atmore, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Selma, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/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

Prichard, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Tuskegee, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Eufaula, AL

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

2
/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

Bessemer, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/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

Chickasaw, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/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

Talladega, AL

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

5
/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

Gadsden, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/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

Troy, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/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:

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
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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