Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety34#10,314/15,637
Economy95#720/15,631
Housing100#57/14,977
Health38#9,756/15,609
Healthcare17#13,049/15,650
Environment21#12,190/15,453
Education36#10,018/15,649
Infrastructure40#9,388/15,650
Community14#13,470/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,156/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Argo, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “St. Clair County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Poverty rate · low1.1%
99/100Alabama 15.2%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Job growth · high4.3%
97/100Alabama 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSt. Clair County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.31%
97/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Rent as share of income · low23.2%
93/100Alabama 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Child care cost burden · low21.0%
92/100Alabama 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.325
91/100Alabama 0.479United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low17 /100k
3/100Alabama 65 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Mental health providers · low35 /100k
3/100Alabama 156 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,575 /100k
3/100Alabama 3,481 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low49.2%
10/100Alabama 61.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Dentists · low30 /100k
11/100Alabama 49 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Clair County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Alabama 14.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSt. Clair County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,220 (2015-2019) → 4,479 (2020-2024)
+6.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
36.3% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−36 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
16.6% (2015-2019) → 31.7% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$72,643 (2015-2019) → $105,128 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.5% (2015-2019) → 95.2% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
7.5% (2015-2019) → 1.1% (2020-2024)
−6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Argo, Alabama improved on 2 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Bachelor's++15 points16.6% → 31.7%
Household income+45%$72,643 → $105,128

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Argo, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.2 min2015-2019	33.9 min2020-2024	+4.7 min	Within the margin of error	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.6%2015-2019	31.7%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	97%
Broadband subscriptions	94.2%2015-2019	98.5%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	27%
High school diploma or higher	88.5%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3782015-2019	0.3252020-2024	−0.052	Within the margin of error	85%
Median household income	$72,6432015-2019	$105,1282020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.6%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Argo, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Argo, Alabama in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Argo, Alabama five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Argo, Alabama itself moved +13.1 points in standing on average over the same 7 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,479 residents (±182)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,479 residents (±182)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

White86%3,861
Black8.3%†372
Hispanic or Latino1.4%†64

Education

2,963 residents (±280)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma4.8%†142
High school or GED18%†533
Some college37%1,100

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,693 households (±192)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k3.3%†56
$25k–50k18%†313
$50k–75k13%†212
$75k–100k15%†253
$100k–150k25%†419
$150k–200k16%†266
$200k or more10%†174

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,693 households (±192)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Own92%1,565
Rent7.6%†128

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

112 households (±107)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75068%†76
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5005.4%†6

Home values

1,565 homes (±188)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k17%†272
$150k–250k34%†527
$250k–400k41%641

Age of homes

1,777 homes (±225)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later17%†307
2000–200956%987
1980–199923%†413

Size of homes

1,777 homes (±225)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio1.4%†25
1 bedroom6.1%†109
2 bedrooms10%†184

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,606 workers (±259)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone73%1,912
Carpool8.9%†233
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home18%†461
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+16.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,145 workers (±266)

Argo, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min15%†320
15–29 min19%†410
30–44 min31%†672

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Birmingham, AL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of St. Clair County, the county holding most of Argo's residents.

St. Clair County has 1,454 employer establishments, 152 for every 10,000 residents (0.61× the US rate of 248; 0.74× Alabama's), with 18,213 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,258. The Census Bureau also counts 7,283 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,454; 7,283 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 152; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 18,213
Average annual pay: $46,258; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of St. Clair County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	155	16.2	1.05×About typical	1,086	$59,770	791
Restaurants and other eating places	111	11.6	0.63×Fewer than typical	2,201	$19,002	35
Ambulatory health care services	86	9	0.43×Fewer than typical	763	$64,237	201
Building equipment contractors	82	8.6	1.43×More than typical	598	$57,112	208
Limited-service restaurants	66	6.9	0.86×About typical	1,429	$17,999	13
Religious organizations	65	6.8	1.23×About typical	468	$21,801	—
Gasoline stations	57	6	1.84×More than typical	456	$26,976	8
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	44	4.6	1.39×More than typical	316	$54,943	105
Services to buildings and dwellings	43	4.5	0.67×Fewer than typical	282	$47,532	656
Construction of buildings	41	4.3	0.57×Fewer than typical	377	$54,626	331
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	37	3.9	1.56×More than typical	279	$59,785	91
Full-service restaurants	37	3.9	0.50×Fewer than typical	700	$21,293	12

Rank places for an industry Open St. Clair County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 95,578 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Argo, Alabama: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

-6.4KFY2017
180.7FY2018
3.8KFY2021
15.7KFY2023
1KFY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Argo, Alabama, so they do not add up across cities.

Argo, Alabama's figures are part of those of St. Clair County, AL and Jefferson County, AL ($920.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Argo is mostly in St. Clair County.

See federal money in St. Clair County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Argo, Alabama is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).