Town · Walker County, Alabama

Cordova, Alabama

Cordova is a town in Walker County, Alabama, part of the Birmingham, AL metro area. It has 1,511 residents. Cordova, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 2 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,352 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #300 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), effective property tax rate (low) and public transit commuters (high). It ranks worst on premature death (high), life expectancy (low) and distance to an emergency room (high).

2Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,352 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #300 of 319 in AL
Population: 1,511 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 259.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 0117368

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety7#14,489/15,637
Economy3#15,112/15,631
Housing64#5,342/14,977
Health1#15,462/15,609
Healthcare13#13,566/15,650
Environment19#12,469/15,453
Education3#15,162/15,649
Infrastructure18#12,867/15,650
Community13#13,572/15,651
Leisure & amenities7#14,493/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Pharmacies · high3.1 /10k
97/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalker County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.36%
95/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public transit commuters · high3.1%
88/100Alabama 0.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Social associations · high13.9 /10k
86/100Alabama 11.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalker County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
84/100Alabama 3.3×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drought exposure · low17%
72/100Alabama 54%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWalker County value

Weaknesses

Premature death · high18,089 /100k
1/100Alabama 11,613 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalker County value
Life expectancy · low68.3 yrs
1/100Alabama 73.8 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalker County value
Distance to an emergency room · high26.1 mi
1/100Alabama 7.7 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWalker County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low5.1%
2/100Alabama 28.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Drug overdose deaths · high40.2 /100k
3/100Alabama 16.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWalker County value
Median household income · low$37,662
4/100Alabama $66,704United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,006 (2015-2019) → 1,511 (2020-2024)
−25%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.7% (2015-2019) → 84.5% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
32.5% (2015-2019) → 47.0% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.3% (2015-2019) → 5.5% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Unemployment rateImproving
16.2% (2015-2019) → 4.6% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
63.7% (2015-2019) → 54.4% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Cordova, Alabama improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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

Broadband+19 points65.7% → 84.5%
Household income+27%$29,606 → $37,662

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Cordova, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.4 min2015-2019	27.2 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.5%2015-2019	5.1%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Broadband subscriptions	65.7%2015-2019	84.5%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	88%
Child poverty rate	32.5%2015-2019	47.0%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Effective property tax rate	0.36%2015-2019	0.36%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	78.5%2015-2019	78.0%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	71%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4822015-2019	0.4762020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$29,6062015-2019	$37,6622020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%
Poverty rate	29.6%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	33.6%2015-2019	30.9%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	73%

“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 Cordova, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cordova, 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, Cordova, Alabama itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,511 residents (±361)

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

1,511 residents (±361)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

White88%1,325
Black9.1%†137
Hispanic or Latino1.3%†19

Education

1,145 residents (±282)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma22%†252
High school or GED44%†499
Some college19%†

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

593 households (±131)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k36%†212
$25k–50k32%†192
$50k–75k11%†63
$75k–100k5.1%†30
$100k–150k12%†71
$150k–200k2.7%†16
$200k or more1.5%†9

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−12.1 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

593 households (±131)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Own64%380
Rent36%†213

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

191 households (±83)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75077%†147
$750–1,00021%†40
$1,000–1,5002.1%†4

Home values

380 homes (±109)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k76%†287
$150k–250k20%†76
$250k–400k4.5%†17

Age of homes

798 homes (±145)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later1.5%†12
2000–20096.8%†54
1980–199920%†161

Size of homes

798 homes (±145)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom18%†142
2 bedrooms34%†275

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

456 workers (±133)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone84%382
Carpool13%†57
Public transit3.1%†14
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home0.7%†3
Other0.0%0

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

453 workers (±128)

Cordova, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min25%†111
15–29 min36%†165
30–44 min15%†70

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 Walker County, the county holding most of Cordova's residents.

Walker County has 1,251 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Alabama's), with 14,399 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,119. The Census Bureau also counts 3,873 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,251; 3,873 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 14,399
Average annual pay: $41,119; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	133	20.5	0.99×About typical	1,420	$51,899	146
Restaurants and other eating places	88	13.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,862	$18,076	13
Religious organizations	81	12.5	2.25×More than typical	458	$20,679	—
Specialty trade contractors	56	8.6	0.56×Fewer than typical	382	$47,330	388
Limited-service restaurants	50	7.7	0.96×About typical	1,208	$17,387	4
Gasoline stations	46	7.1	2.19×More than typical	242	$25,702	4
Lessors of real estate	35	5.4	0.44×Fewer than typical	177	$47,294	324
Offices of physicians	35	5.4	0.83×About typical	291	$75,893	34
Offices of other health practitioners	34	5.2	0.86×About typical	241	$38,025	46
Building equipment contractors	32	4.9	0.82×About typical	219	$42,890	88
Full-service restaurants	32	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	635	$19,285	6
General merchandise stores	29	4.5	2.53×More than typical	957	$27,683	38

Rank places for an industry Open Walker County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 64,767 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Walker 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.

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

House

Robert B. AderholtR-AL-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 3.0%

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.

Walker County10100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Birmingham, AL41

Other cities and towns in Walker 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/0117368