Scores by category

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

Safety10#14,068/15,637
Economy9#14,251/15,631
Housing84#2,444/14,977
Health16#13,076/15,609
Healthcare15#13,278/15,650
Environment25#11,583/15,453
Education10#14,015/15,649
Infrastructure5#14,912/15,650
Community8#14,415/15,651
Leisure & amenities36#9,948/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Elba, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Coffee 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 · low0.26%
98/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Child care cost burden · low20.0%
94/100Alabama 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCoffee County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Alabama 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCoffee County value
Job growth · high1.5%
84/100Alabama 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCoffee County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100Alabama 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCoffee County value
Comfortable days · high30.1%
79/100Alabama 28.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCoffee County value

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high44.8%
5/100Alabama 40.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high50.3%
6/100Alabama 20.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Distance to an Amtrak station · high135 mi
6/100Alabama 51 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCoffee County value
Average weekly wage · low$929
8/100Alabama $1,240United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCoffee County value
Poor or fair health · high28.3%
9/100Alabama 24.7%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high20.9%
9/100Alabama 18.1%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,841 (2015-2019) → 3,468 (2020-2024)
−9.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+198%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.1% (2015-2019) → 87.9% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
52.6% (2015-2019) → 38.4% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
24.3% (2015-2019) → 12.2% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
31.4% (2015-2019) → 23.3% (2020-2024)
−8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Elba, Alabama improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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−12 points24.3% → 12.2%
Broadband+21 points67.1% → 87.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Elba, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.4 min2015-2019	27.8 min2020-2024	+5.4 min	Within the margin of error	9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.4%2015-2019	11.7%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Broadband subscriptions	67.1%2015-2019	87.9%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	91%
Child poverty rate	43.1%2015-2019	50.3%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	0.30%2015-2019	0.26%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	23%
High school diploma or higher	74.8%2015-2019	80.4%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	50%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4012015-2019	0.4112020-2024	+0.010	Within the margin of error	42%
Median household income	$37,1342015-2019	$44,7922020-2024	+21%	Within the margin of error	34%
Poverty rate	22.0%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.4%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	−8.1 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	24.3%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	98%

“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 Elba, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Elba, 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, Elba, Alabama itself moved +3.4 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

3,468 residents (±20)

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: 20–29 men (−4.7 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

3,468 residents (±20)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

White52%1,817
Black34%1,182
Hispanic or Latino1.7%†60

Education

2,684 residents (±192)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma20%†527
High school or GED46%1,225
Some college19%†508

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

1,275 households (±174)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k22%†278
$25k–50k31%†395
$50k–75k15%†191
$75k–100k16%†201
$100k–150k15%†185
$150k–200k1.3%†16
$200k or more0.7%†9

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+7.9 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

1,275 households (±174)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Own73%933
Rent27%†342

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−17.8 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

297 households (±133)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75053%†157
$750–1,00019%†56
$1,000–1,50028%†84

Home values

933 homes (±182)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k64%†600
$150k–250k21%†199
$250k–400k9.2%†86

Age of homes

1,595 homes (±181)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later3.2%†51
2000–200911%†176
1980–199914%†229

Size of homes

1,595 homes (±181)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio1.7%†27
1 bedroom2.7%†43
2 bedrooms17%†264

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

943 workers (±208)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone91%858
Carpool9.0%†85
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home0.0%0
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+15.0 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

943 workers (±208)

Elba, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min31%†294
15–29 min16%†150
30–44 min37%†352

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 Enterprise, 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 Coffee County, the county holding most of Elba's residents.

Coffee County has 1,022 employer establishments, 183 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Alabama's), with 15,245 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,680. The Census Bureau also counts 3,465 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,022; 3,465 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 183; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 15,245
Average annual pay: $43,680; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	103	18.5	1.01×About typical	1,893	$17,046	23
Ambulatory health care services	77	13.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	891	$58,138	134
Religious organizations	62	11.1	2.01×More than typical	358	$18,514	—
Limited-service restaurants	48	8.6	1.07×About typical	1,176	$16,433	7
Lessors of real estate	43	7.7	0.63×Fewer than typical	154	$57,474	313
Specialty trade contractors	43	7.7	0.50×Fewer than typical	302	$40,861	221
Full-service restaurants	38	6.8	0.89×About typical	584	$18,353	9
Services to buildings and dwellings	32	5.7	0.85×About typical	119	$35,025	340
Construction of buildings	31	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	95	$47,874	132
Gasoline stations	30	5.4	1.66×More than typical	236	$22,636	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	27	4.8	0.96×About typical	150	$42,007	63
Clothing and accessories stores	23	4.1	1.14×About typical	193	$18,456	35

Rank places for an industry Open Coffee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 55,741 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 Elba, 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

0FY2017
5.4KFY2018
2.3KFY2019
303.2FY2020
988.7FY2021
0FY2024

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

Elba, Alabama's figures are part of those of Coffee County, AL ($7.2M 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: Elba is mostly in Coffee County.

See federal money in Coffee 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.

Elba, 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.

Coffee County32100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Enterprise, AL24

Other cities and towns in Coffee 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/0123296