Alabama Population Distribution by Race and Counties

During the United States census of August 7, 1820, the population of Alabama was 144,317. It was a year after the state joined the union as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819. Over two centuries after, the Heart of Dixie increased by 4,879,962.

The population was 5,024,279 in 2020 compared to 4,779,736 in the 2010 census. The Yellowhammer State increased by 244,543 people or by 5.1% from 2010 to 2020.

Located in the southern United States, this article x-rays the population distribution of Alabama, the summary of its demographics, age, sex, counties, and its poverty status among others.

So, if you are planning to relocate to the Cotton state for business opportunities or you want only data to take business decisions, for assignments or other research work, we’ve simplified the entire process for you.

Ethnic and Racial Diversity

In the 24th census, White is the dominant race in Alabama with 68.9% of residents followed by African American (or African American) was 26.8%.

American Indian and Alaska Native alone 0.7%; Asian alone 1.6%; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 0.1%; Two or More Races 1.9%; Hispanic or Latino 4.8%.

By the percentage of different races residing in Alabama, it can be summarized as follows:

Race	Population	Percentage
White	3,461,728	68.9%
Black or African-American	1,346,506	26.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	35,169	0.7%
Asian alone	80,388	1.6%
Hispanic or Latino	241,165	4.8%
Two or more races	95,461	1.9%

Note: The data here is based on the 2020 population census of the State of Alabama. It shall be updated when a new one is available.

Population Distribution of Alabama by Counties:

There are 67 counties in Alabama, the most populous is Jefferson County with 674,721 residents while the least by population is Greene County with just 7,730, according to U.S 2020 population census.

Note: Jefferson County is named after the 3^rd U.S president Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826).

One might possibly guess that the most populous county should be the largest, but it doesn’t always work like that.

For Alabama, Baldwin County is the largest by land area, covering 1,589.78 sq mi or 4,118 km² area while the smallest is Etowah which covers 535 sq mi, or 1,386 km².

The table below shows how 5,024,279 spreads across the 67 counties in the Cotton State:

S/N	County	Population
1	Jefferson	674,721
2	Mobile County	414,809
3	Madison County	388,153
4	Baldwin County	231,767
5	Montgomery County	228,954
6	Tuscaloosa	227,036
7	Shelby County	223,024
8	Lee County	174,241
9	Morgan County	123,421
10	Calhoun County	116,441
11	Houston County	107,202
12	Limestone County	103,570
13	Etowah County	103,436
14	Marshall County	97,612
15	Lauderdale County	93,564
16	St. Clair County	91,103
17	Elmore County	87,977
18	Cullman County	87,866
19	Talladega County	82,149
20	DeKalb County	71,608
21	Walker County	65,342
22	Russell County	59,183
23	Blount County	59,134
24	Autauga County	58,805
25	Colbert	57,227
26	Coffee County	53,465
27	Jackson County	52,579
28	Dale County	49,326
29	Chilton County	45,014
30	Tallapoosa County	41,311
31	Dallas County	38,462
32	Covington County	37,570
33	Escambia County	36,757
34	Chambers County	34,772
35	Lawrence County	33,073
36	Pike County	33,009
37	Franklin County	32,113
38	Marion County	29,341
39	Geneva County	26,659
40	Barbour County	25,223
41	Cherokee County	24,971
42	Winston County	23,540
43	Clarke County	23,087
44	Bibb County	22,293
45	Randolph County	21,967
46	Monroe County	19,772
47	Macon County	19,532
48	Marengo County	19,323
49	Pickens County	19,123
50	Butler County	19,051
51	Henry County	17,146
52	Fayette County	16,321
53	Washington County	15,388
54	Cleburne County	15,056
55	Hale County	14,785
56	Clay County	14,236
57	Lamar County	13,972
58	Crenshaw County	13,194
59	Choctaw County	12,665
60	Sumter County	12,345
61	Conecuh County	11,597
62	Wilcox County	10,600
63	Coosa County	10,387
64	Bullock County	10,357
65	Lowndes County	10,311
66	Perry County	8,511
67	Greene County	7,730

Age Distribution:

According to data.census.gov, the age distribution of residents that are 16 years and over have the highest with 3,926,842, representing 80.3% of the total population and closely followed by 18 years and above, having 3,800,274, representing 77.7 per cent.

Age	Estimate	Per centage (estimate)
Under 5 years	293,932	6%
5 to 9 years	294,776	6%
10 to 14 years	315,204	6.4%
15 to 19 years	321,308	6.6%
20 to 24 years	323,960	6.6%
25 to 29 years	334,650	6.8%
30 to 34 years	307,217	6.3%
35 to 39 years	301,404	6.2%
40 to 44 years	293,852	6.0%
45 to 49 years	308,836	6.3%
50 to 54 years	316,996	6.5%
55 to 59 years	331,903	6.8%
60 to 64 years	321,714	6.6%
65 to 69 years	273,648	5.6%
70 to 74 years	217,393	4.4%
75 to 79 years	145,827	3.0%
80 to 84 years	101,941	2.1%
85 and above	88,625	1.8%

Sex Distribution:

By this, we mean the gender – the number of males and females – in Alabama. There were 2,582,479 females, representing 51.4% while males were 2,441,799, representing 48.6%, according to the data available on U.S Census Bureau.

Education:

What’s the population of Alabamians who have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree? Relying on the 2020 census, 26.2%

1,316,361 people in Alabama have Bachelor’s degree or higher while a high school diploma or its equivalent is the highest qualification of 3,707,918 residents. These include people who attended college but did not receive a degree.

The bureau says, “Persons with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher are those who have received a bachelor’s degree from a college or university, or a master’s, professional, or doctorate degree”.

Health insurance:

How many of them are without healthcare? What’s their age range? In 2020, it’s estimated that persons under 65 years and without health insurance were 592,864, representing 11.8%.

However, one-year estimates by the 2021 American Community Survey put the percentage of those without healthcare coverage at 9.9%.

Disability distribution

When planning, the state government of Alabama makes special provisions for persons living with disabilities.

And of course, disability is categorized into six by the United States centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

They are:

1) Mobility: serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs;

2) Cognition: serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions;

3) Independent living: serious difficulty doing errands alone, such as visiting a doctor’s office;

4) Hearing: deafness or serious difficulty hearing;

5) Vision: blind or serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses, and

6) Self-care: difficulty dressing or bathing.

The estimated number of persons in Alabama with one form of disability or the other at 1,280,509 adults.

Considering the number of persons living with disability, U.S CDC says about $13.2 billion USD of Alabama’s healthcare spending (or 39%) is budgeted to take care the needs of persons under this category every year.

Median Household Income and Poverty

The median household income in Alabama is $52,035 while per capita income $28,934. There are several research firms that have reported the poverty rate in the state.

But the 2020 census showed that about 808,908, representing 16.1% of Alabama’s population lived below the poverty line.

According to a report by Advance Local in September 2022, Alabama is making significant progress in addressing the issue of poverty in Cotton State as the poverty rate went down slightly from 2010 to 2011.

Also, the median income in the state went up, as it showed Alabama ranking 42nd among the 50 U.S states in median household income, according to new U.S. Census data.

Summary:

Alabama is a white-dominant state, the black population in the state only comes in far second position.

Above all, the Yellowhammer State is a great state to settle in, especially for small business owners who are looking for where the cost of running a business would be minimal and affordable (low cost of living).

Using indicators like sex, age, median income, healthcare, education, and race in Alabama’s population distribution is good for taking key economic and business decisions. It also helps the government in planning.

From 2010 to August 2021, Alabama experienced a growth in population by 5.1%, surpassing 5 Million, according to the Census Bureau

References:

1. Data Census (2020). “Age distribution of Alabama 2020”. data.census.gov
2. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Disability & Health U.S. State Profile Data for Alabama (Adults 18+ years of age)”. cdc.gov
3. US Census Bureau (2020). “Quick Facts about Alabama”. census.gov