Scores by category

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

Safety5#14,837/15,637
Economy21#12,396/15,631
Housing60#6,017/14,977
Health13#13,655/15,609
Healthcare9#14,266/15,650
Environment28#11,177/15,453
Education13#13,601/15,649
Infrastructure12#13,829/15,650
Community11#13,883/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#14,949/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brewton, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Escambia 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

Effective property tax rate · low0.32%
96/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Alabama 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEscambia County value
Social associations · high13.7 /10k
85/100Alabama 11.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEscambia County value
Comfortable days · high31.0%
83/100Alabama 28.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationEscambia County value
Pharmacies · high2.2 /10k
80/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEscambia County value
Average commute time · low19.0 min
79/100Alabama 25.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Preventable hospital stays · high5,833 /100k
1/100Alabama 3,481 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEscambia County value
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100Alabama 36.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEscambia County value
Mammography screening · low31.0%
3/100Alabama 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEscambia County value
Broadband subscriptions · low75.6%
3/100Alabama 87.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Alabama 6.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationEscambia County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.1 /10k
3/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEscambia County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
35.1% (2015-2019) → 7.4% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+104%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.9% (2015-2019) → 58.8% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
23.4% (2015-2019) → 14.2% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
15.5% (2015-2019) → 7.8% (2020-2024)
−7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.0% (2015-2019) → 75.6% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Brewton, Alabama improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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

Uninsured−7.7 points15.5% → 7.8%
Poverty−9.2 points23.4% → 14.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Brewton, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.1 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.0%2015-2019	24.2%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Broadband subscriptions	68.0%2015-2019	75.6%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Effective property tax rate	0.40%2015-2019	0.32%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
High school diploma or higher	82.3%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5222015-2019	0.4922020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$42,8982015-2019	$50,7212020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	30%
Poverty rate	23.4%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Improved	91%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.1%2015-2019	33.9%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Rent-burdened households	42.9%2015-2019	58.8%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Unemployment rate	8.2%2015-2019	4.3%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.5%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−7.7 points	Improved	93%

“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 Brewton, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brewton, 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.

For comparison, Brewton, Alabama itself moved −8.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

5,186 residents (±18)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 women (+4.3 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

5,186 residents (±18)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

White64%3,344
Black30%1,557
Hispanic or Latino1.9%†97

Education

3,741 residents (±272)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma17%†630
High school or GED34%1,255
Some college15%569

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

1,944 households (±230)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k27%†526
$25k–50k21%†403
$50k–75k22%†430
$75k–100k5.5%†106
$100k–150k8.6%†167
$150k–200k9.5%†185
$200k or more6.5%†127

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−4.6 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 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

1,944 households (±230)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Own72%1,399
Rent28%†545

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+11.3 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

503 households (±166)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75057%†287
$750–1,00027%†134
$1,000–1,50012%†61

Home values

1,399 homes (±216)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k50%†699
$150k–250k22%†312
$250k–400k21%†288

Age of homes

2,429 homes (±273)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later3.3%†81
2000–20094.4%†107
1980–199929%†704

Size of homes

2,429 homes (±273)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio2.1%†51
1 bedroom7.0%†169
2 bedrooms22%530

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

1,817 workers (±283)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone94%1,705
Carpool2.5%†46
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.2%†59
Other0.4%†7

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−7.6 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

1,758 workers (±266)

Brewton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min62%1,089
15–29 min17%†294
30–44 min5.1%†89

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

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 Escambia County, the county holding most of Brewton's residents.

Escambia County has 755 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 1.00× Alabama's), with 9,975 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,886. The Census Bureau also counts 2,345 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 755; 2,345 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 9,975
Average annual pay: $44,886; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	54	14.7	0.80×About typical	824	$18,318	13
Religious organizations	50	13.6	2.46×More than typical	220	$17,832	—
Specialty trade contractors	45	12.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	535	$74,452	170
Ambulatory health care services	43	11.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	305	$48,170	122
Gasoline stations	35	9.6	2.95×More than typical	229	$23,262	—
Limited-service restaurants	31	8.5	1.06×About typical	545	$17,501	5
Building equipment contractors	25	6.8	1.13×About typical	420	$80,793	27
Lessors of real estate	25	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	52	$30,231	127
Banks and credit unions	21	5.7	1.77×More than typical	159	$53,950	—
Legal services	17	4.6	0.86×About typical	35	$45,000	15
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	4.4	0.87×About typical	65	$38,938	53
Construction of buildings	16	4.4	0.58×Fewer than typical	73	$67,370	95

Rank places for an industry Open Escambia County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,635 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 Brewton, Alabama: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

1.1KFY2017
148.6FY2018
177.4FY2019
646.1FY2020
191.8FY2021
939.7FY2022
828.3FY2023
-84.5FY2024
981.3FY2025

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 Brewton, Alabama, so they do not add up across cities.

Brewton, Alabama's figures are part of those of Escambia County, AL ($24M 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: Brewton is mostly in Escambia County.

See federal money in Escambia 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.

Brewton, Alabama is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Barry MooreR-AL-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 2.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Escambia County4100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Escambia County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0109208