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COUNTY

Russell County

Alabama · 58,898 residents (2025 est.) · 641 sq mi
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The short version

Russell County is home to 58,811 people in Alabama. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 18% of adults. The typical home is worth $165,700, having more than doubled since 2000. 3% of locals were born outside the United States. 22.2% of locals live below the federal poverty line. Median household income is $51,197, under the $82,259 national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
58,811
+18%since 2000
from 49,756 in 2000
58,898 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
92 / sq mi
+18%since 2009
from 78 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.5
+6%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
641 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
46K49K53K57K60K19902000201020202024Russell County
202459K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(3,771)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.3%(4,314)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(3,951)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196%(3,543)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(3,332)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.5%(8,519)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.6%(7,436)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.9%(6,995)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.6%(7,971)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(5,549)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(2,744)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.2%(686)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$51,197
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $27,492 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,243
+102%since 2000
from $14,015 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
31.6%
+17.1 ptssince 2009
from 14.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
22.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 19.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.469
+9%since 2010
from 0.429 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.5%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services8.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance7.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration6.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical6.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$165,700
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $66,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$939
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $428 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
61.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 62.5% in 2000
38.7% rent
Vacancy rate
13.6%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 16.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.44 people
+7%since 2009
from 2.29 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.9%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 27.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.2%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 43.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
+14%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
61
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic56.1%(27,925)
Black40.6%(20,217)
Hispanic / Latino1.5%(744)
Asian0.3%(173)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic43.9%(25,837)
Black45.1%(26,501)
Hispanic / Latino6%(3,527)
Asian0.5%(316)
Other4.5%(2,630)
Diversity Score
75
+10%since 2009
from 68 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
35
−5%since 2020
from 37 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican2.7%(1,574)
Mexican1.6%(950)
Cuban0.4%(248)
Dominican0.4%(237)
Panamanian0.2%(106)
Venezuelan0.2%(100)
Colombian0.1%(73)
Nicaraguan0.1%(55)
Salvadoran0.1%(40)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Chinese0.2%(122)
Filipino0.2%(118)
Korean0%(25)
Burmese0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(6)
Ancestry
American10.1%(5,945)
English8.4%(4,928)
Irish5.8%(3,438)
German5.2%(3,033)
Scottish1.4%(799)
French1.3%(756)
Italian1.2%(695)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(342)
Norwegian0.5%(313)
Welsh0.5%(297)
Polish0.5%(271)
+ 26 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian0.3%(188)
Jamaican0.3%(157)
Bulgarian0.2%(110)
Swedish0.2%(110)
Nigerian0.2%(92)
British0.2%(90)
Russian0.1%(78)
Austrian0.1%(75)
Lithuanian0.1%(66)
Swiss0.1%(55)
Dutch0.1%(45)
Guyanese0.1%(36)
Czech0%(28)
Greek0%(28)
Hungarian0%(26)
Haitian0%(25)
Ukrainian0%(17)
Israeli0%(16)
Slovak0%(16)
Arab0%(7)
Belgian0%(6)
Finnish0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
18.2%
+8.5 ptssince 2000
from 9.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
87.0%
+20.5 ptssince 2000
from 66.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.9%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 3.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.3 min
+72%since 2000
from 15.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 79.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.3%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 15.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.3%
+7.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.0%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.2%
−6.1 ptssince 2011
from 12.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
55.9%
−5.5 ptssince 2011
from 61.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
63.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 65.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.0%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 22.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
Female
52.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 52.6% in 2009
Foreign born
2.7%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
13.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
19.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2012
from 21.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.3%
−5.5 ptssince 2013
from 16.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
79.7%
+16.7 ptssince 2017
from 63.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
89.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 87.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.3%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 84.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2016
from 94.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.0%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 3.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.4%(7,090)
Married52.4%(11,454)
Widowed2.5%(548)
Divorced12.7%(2,776)
Women 15+
Never married29.2%(7,279)
Married46%(11,454)
Widowed8.8%(2,204)
Divorced15.9%(3,970)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.3%
−5.5 ptssince 2013
from 16.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
40.2%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 41.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 12.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.0%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 25.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
6.8%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 6.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
61.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 60.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 43.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)45.9%(2,630)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)32.8%(1,875)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era16.9%(968)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War1.2%(70)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(19)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 5,725 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Russell County

Jefferson County
Pop 62,987
Jackson County
Pop 54,281
Jackson County
Pop 52,501
DeKalb County
Pop 74,085
Places similar to Russell County
Head to head

Compare Russell County to nearby counties

RUSSELL COUNTY VS
Chattahoochee County
Income$61,042+19%
Home value$102,700−38%
Population8,465−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RUSSELL COUNTY VS
Muscogee County
Income$58,073+13%
Home value$193,900+17%
Population202,171+243%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RUSSELL COUNTY VS
Lee County
Income$65,824+29%
Home value$262,200+58%
Population189,881+222%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RUSSELL COUNTY VS
Stewart County
Income$33,250−35%
Home value$65,100−61%
Population4,631−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Russell County, Alabama?

Russell County, Alabama has about 58,811 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Russell County, Alabama?

The typical household in Russell County, Alabama earns about $51,197 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Russell County, Alabama expensive?

In Russell County, Alabama, the median home is worth about $165,700, and the typical rent is about $939 a month.

How educated are people in Russell County, Alabama?

About 18.2% of adults age 25 and over in Russell County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Russell County, Alabama?

About 22.2% of people in Russell County, Alabama live below the federal poverty line.

Has Russell County, Alabama grown since 1990?

Yes, Russell County, Alabama has grown since 1990. The population has added about 11,951 residents, a change of about 26 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →