City · Marengo County, Alabama

Demopolis, Alabama

Demopolis is a city in Marengo County, Alabama. It has 6,908 residents. Demopolis, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 3 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,187 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #289 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), time spent in the emergency room (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), median household income (low) and dental care shortage (high).

3Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,187 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #289 of 319 in AL
Population: 6,908 (2020-2024)
Land area: 18 mi²
Density: 389.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 0120296

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety3#15,136/15,637
Economy12#13,698/15,631
Housing34#9,951/14,977
Health20#12,502/15,609
Healthcare7#14,555/15,650
Environment33#10,417/15,453
Education23#12,115/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,265/15,650
Community19#12,618/15,651
Leisure & amenities16#13,124/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Demopolis, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marengo 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 · low0.42%
93/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Time spent in the emergency room · low119 min
88/100Alabama 155 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMarengo County value
Social associations · high13.9 /10k
86/100Alabama 11.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarengo County value
Unemployment rate · low1.7%
86/100Alabama 2.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Public libraries · high1.1 /10k
78/100Alabama 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMarengo County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Alabama 0 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMarengo County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.575
1/100Alabama 0.479United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Median household income · low$34,802
3/100Alabama $66,704United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Alabama 6.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMarengo County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMarengo County value
Traffic deaths · high37.2 /100k
4/100Alabama 19.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataMarengo County value
Food environment index · low6.0
4/100Alabama 5.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarengo County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
60.8% (2015-2019) → 82.3% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
79.5% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
33.3% (2015-2019) → 42.5% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateImproving
8.2% (2015-2019) → 1.7% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
17.9 min (2015-2019) → 23.5 min (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
21.2% (2015-2019) → 27.4% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Demopolis, Alabama improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved1

Broadband+22 points60.8% → 82.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Demopolis, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.9 min2015-2019	23.5 min2020-2024	+5.6 min	Within the margin of error	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Broadband subscriptions	60.8%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	92%
Child poverty rate	33.3%2015-2019	42.5%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Effective property tax rate	0.39%2015-2019	0.42%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	79.5%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	5.3×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	23%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5532015-2019	0.5752020-2024	+0.022	Within the margin of error	33%
Median household income	$27,2792015-2019	$34,8022020-2024	+28%	Within the margin of error	50%
Poverty rate	24.7%2015-2019	26.0%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	33.5%2015-2019	34.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent-burdened households	58.7%2015-2019	59.8%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.0%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	79%

“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 Demopolis, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Demopolis, 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, Demopolis, Alabama itself moved +1.5 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

6,908 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

3,348 households (±236)

Demopolis, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k42%1,397
$25k–50k17%†568
$50k–75k8.8%†293

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,348 households (±236)

Demopolis, Alabama
Alabama share

Own55%1,838
Rent45%1,510

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,837 workers (±305)

Demopolis, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone87%2,476
Carpool6.2%†176
Public transit0.0%0

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 Marengo County, the county holding most of Demopolis's residents.

Marengo County has 446 employer establishments, 239 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248; 1.16× Alabama's), with 5,995 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,956. The Census Bureau also counts 1,241 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 446; 1,241 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 239; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 5,995
Average annual pay: $46,956; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	34	18.2	0.87×About typical	357	$44,835	43
Restaurants and other eating places	31	16.6	0.90×About typical	439	$14,995	10
Gasoline stations	23	12.3	3.80×More than typical	135	$31,615	—
Religious organizations	23	12.3	2.22×More than typical	90	$18,100	—
Limited-service restaurants	20	10.7	1.34×More than typical	350	$14,500	4
Specialty trade contractors	20	10.7	0.69×Fewer than typical	149	$57,651	75
Truck transportation	19	10.2	2.01×More than typical	102	$58,000	70
Banks and credit unions	13	7	2.16×More than typical	116	$63,698	3
Services to buildings and dwellings	13	7	1.03×About typical	669	$53,456	158
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	10	5.4	3.07×More than typical	59	$29,102	6
Full-service restaurants	10	5.4	0.70×Fewer than typical	76	$17,132	5
General merchandise stores	10	5.4	3.03×More than typical	306	$28,395	—

Rank places for an industry Open Marengo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,672 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 $3,052 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Demopolis, Alabama: $0.44 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3,052; −97% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.44; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Coast Guard$3,060100%

Top recipients

THE PEOPLE BUSINESS INC$2,83893%
BLACK WARRIOR ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION$2,56684%
CITY OF DEMOPOLIS$1,71156%
FMS LIGHTING GREENER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$79926%
ASSOCIATES ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION INC-$5770.0%
ALABAMA POWER COMPANY-$4,2850.0%

Spending by fiscal year

67.8KFY2017
244.2KFY2018
352.7KFY2019
73KFY2020
39.1KFY2021
32.5KFY2022
37KFY2023
463.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$2,83893%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$1,71156%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$79926%

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

Demopolis, Alabama's figures are part of those of Marengo County, AL ($28.5K in FY2026), never added to them: 11% of that total.

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

See federal money in Marengo 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.

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

House

Terri A. SewellD-AL-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 1.6%

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.

Marengo County7100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Marengo 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/0120296

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends