Alabama

Alabama by the Numbers:
Key Statistical Data and Facts

Key Details

• Alabama has a population of 5.07 million as of 2022, with an almost even male-female ratio. 
• Between 2017 and 2021, Alabama had 2.3 million housing units, 69.4% owner-occupied. 
• Approximately 87.5% of residents aged 25+ had a high school graduate diploma or higher, while 27% had a Bachelor's degree. 
• The median household income in Alabama was $55,450, and the per capita income was $30,634 between 2017 to 2021. 
• According to 2021 ACS census estimates, 47.1% of adults are married in the state, while 12.2% are divorced. 
• Life expectancy at birth was 73.2 years in 2021. 
• The crime rate in 2019 saw 140,306 occurrences, including 22,927 violent crimes. 

Alabama Population Demographics

According to estimates from the US Census, Alabama has approximately 5,074,296 residents as of 2022. The Cotton State's population grew by 5.1% between 2010 and 2020. Jefferson and Mobile are the two most populated counties, with 674,721 and 4,21,809 residents, respectively. In contrast, Perry and Greene counties are the least populated, with 8,511 and 7730 residents.  

As of 2023, the state has an almost even male-female ratio, with females making up 51.4% of the state population. Grouped by age, persons aged five years and under account for 5.8% of residents, while persons 65 years and over make up 17.6%.

Alabama Housing

2,339,582 housing

As of 2022, Alabama has roughly 2,339,582 housing units.

69.4%

Of these house units were owner-occupied between 2017 and 2021.

$157,100

During the same period, the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $157,100

$852

Renters paid an average of $852, while the media selected monthly owners' costs (with a mortgage) was $1,242. In total

$19,506

Alabama issued 19,506 building permits.

11%

of houses had a value of less than $50,000, while 30% were valued between $50,000 and $149,999.

$999,999

In contrast, 5.9% had housing values between $500,000 and $999,999, while 0.9% were valued at $1 million or over.

Alabama Racial Demographics

Elections in Alabama

Alabama is considered a Republican state. The Yellow Hammer state voted for Republican candidates in every presidential election between 1980 and 2020. As of 2023, Republicans control the major government offices, including both chambers of the state legislature.  

In 2017, Kay Ellen Ivey (a Republican) became the 54th Governor of Alabama following the resignation of Robert Bentley. Her appointment made her the second female governor in the state’s history.  Republicans also control the officers of the attorney general and secretary of state.  

As of 2023, Republican Will Ainsworth serves as the president of the State Senate, while Republicans Katie Boyd Britt and Tommy Tuberville represent the state in the United States Senate.  

2020 Presidential Election 

Republican candidate Donald Trump won the presidential election in Alabama in 2020, securing 62.03% of the votes (1,441,170) out of 2,323,282 cast votes. In contrast, his opponent, Joe Biden, won 36.57% of the votes (849,624). Joe Biden won the most votes in Jefferson County (181,688). 

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Alabama Voting Statistics

According to the Alabama Secretary of State, as of 2023, the Cotton State had 3,721,964 registered voters, including active and inactive voters. Whites made up a majority of active voters, with 2,343,473 voters. Other groups included blacks, 862,245 active voters, Hispanics (43,173), and Asians (24,159). Of the state’s 395,672 inactive votes, 251,679 were white, 121,047 were black, and 4,480 were unidentified. With 487,417 registrations, Jefferson County had the largest share of registered voters.  

General Election 

How Educated is Alabama

According to 2022 Census Estimates, between 2017 to 2021, approximately 87.5% of Alabama residents aged 25+ had a high school graduate diploma or higher. Nearly 27% had a Bachelor's degree or higher within the same period.  

Residents between the ages of 35 to 44 years were more likely to have a bachelor's degree or higher (31.1%) ahead of persons aged 25 to 34 years (29.2%). Broken down across the different race groups, 60.% of Asians had a Bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 30.4% for whites, 19.5% for Hispanic or Latinos, and 18.7% for Blacks.  The median income for residents with a Bachelor's degree was $52,385, compared to the $31,997 recorded for residents with a high school diploma (or equivalent).  

As of 2023, Alabama has over five dozen colleges and universities. The University of Alabama has the highest number of enrollments (over 38,000) ahead of Auburn University (over 31,000) and Columbia Southern University (over 22,000). 

South Carolina Employment Rate

Alabama has a 57.2 percent labor participation rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the state stood at 2.2% in April 2023. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector was a major employer with over 407,000 jobs. Employment was also high in manufacturing, professional/business services, education, and health services, with approximately 277,000, 264,000, and 251,000 jobs, respectively. The government sector employed almost 394,000 workers, while 202,000 civilians worked in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Average Income in Alabama

According to 2022 Census estimates, the median household income in Alabama between 2017 and 2021 was $55,450, while the per capita income was $30,634. Homes with a single earner had a median family income of $52,138, while homes with two or three people had a median family income of $63,401 and $70,250, respectively. Homes with four or more people had the largest median income, $85,687.

4.7% of Alabama households earned less than $10,000, and approximately 9.5% earned between $10,000 to $24,999. Roughly 30% of households earned between $35,000 to $74,999. In comparison, 5.2% of households had an income of $200,000 or more, while 5.8% earned between $150,000 to $199,999.

Families in Alabama

In comparison, the marriage percentages were highest for women between the ages of 35 to 65 years (above 58%) and lower for women between 20 to 34 (33.2%) and women 65 years and older (43.5%). Marriage percentages were lowest among residents aged 15 to 19 (1.5%). Broken down across races, the marriage percentage was highest among Asians (59.5%) and Whites (54.2%). In contrast, Black or African Americans had lower marriage percentages (28.5%),

Alabama Divorce Rates

As of 2021, Alabama had a 12.2% divorce rate for residents aged 15 years and over. The divorce percentage was highest among men ages 55 to 64 years (18.6%) and lowest among men ages 20 to 34 years (3.3%). Similarly, women between the ages of 55 to 64% were most likely to seek a divorce (20.2%) and least likely between the ages of 20 to 34 (4.8%).

Less than 0.4% of people between the ages of 15 to 19 were divorced. Viewed across races, black or African Americans had a higher divorce percentage (13.3%) compared to whites, American Indians,x or Asians at 12.1%, 10.6%, and 6.2%.

Life Expectancy in Alabama

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Alabama has a life expectancy of 73.2 years at birth (as of 2020). Heart disease was the leading cause of death in 2021, with 15,173 deaths, ahead of Cancer and Covid. Other leading causes of death included accidents, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 30 out of every 100,000 residents died from a drug overdose, while 26 out of 100,000 fatalities were attributed to firearms.  

Alabama had a fertility rate of 59.5 births per 1000 women (for women aged between 15 and 44 years). The Cotton State recorded approximately seven infant deaths for every 1,000 live births, while teenage births accounted for 22.9 out of every 1000 females (aged 15 to 19 years).  

Alabama Crime Rates

According to data published as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Alabama recorded a total of 140,306 crime occurrences in 2019. It included 22,927 violent crime incidents and 117,379 cases of property crimes. Larceny was the most common property crime, with 15,360 incidents, followed by burglary, motor vehicle theft, and robbery, with 4,342, 2,654, and 1,126 cases, respectively.

In addition, the state recorded 4,383 cases of assault, 281 reports of rape, and 125 homicides. Jefferson County recorded the most crimes, with 28,271 incidents (and 125 homicides), ahead of Mobile and Madison, with 15,706 and 13,325 cases. In contrast, Choctaw recorded the least number of crimes, with 40 cases and no homicides.

Alabama Incarceration Rate

419 per 100,00

As of December 2019, Tennessee housed 31,330 inmates in 112 jails located in 95 counties.

17,213 inmates

Also, in this same period, there were 26,349 prisoners in 11 state or private prisons under the jurisdiction of Tennessee correctional authorities.

55,400 persons

With a prison budget of $563,432,390, Alabama spent approximately $23,360 per inmate, almost 30% lower than the national average cost of $31,580 per inmate.

$563,432,390

With a prison budget of $563,432,390, Alabama spent approximately $23,360 per inmate, almost 30% lower than the national average cost of $31,580 per inmate.

132 jails

As of 2020, the state has 132 jails and 15 prison facilities across 67 counties.

Alabama Bankruptcy Rate

2022

16,561 bankruptcy cases

In 2022, Alabama recorded 16,561 bankruptcy, higher than the 14,940 cases filed in the previous year but lower than the 26,809 recorded in 2019. It included 4,637 Chapter 7 filings, 38 filings for Chapter 11, and 11,878 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

The Cotton State also recorded 147 business bankruptcy filings, including 88 Chapter 8, thirty-eight Chapter 11, and fifteen Chapter 13 filings. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, total bankruptcy filings in Alabama between 2002 and 2022 were 78% above the national average.

Weird Laws in Alabama

Alabama is governed by hundreds of statutes. However, some laws in Alabama thread the line between normal and plain weird. For instance, in some parts of the state, it's illegal to wear a fake mustache to a Sunday church service (because it might cause laughter). Other weird laws include: