Scores by category

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

Safety34#10,289/15,637
Economy4#14,961/15,631
Housing74#3,843/14,977
Health6#14,628/15,609
Healthcare9#14,166/15,650
Environment74#4,054/15,453
Education4#14,984/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,313/15,650
Community11#13,984/15,651
Leisure & amenities16#13,221/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fort Payne, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “DeKalb 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 · low0.17%
100/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Pharmacies · high2.7 /10k
93/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDeKalb County value
Average commute time · low17.3 min
93/100Alabama 25.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high2.4 /10k
87/100Alabama 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDeKalb County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Alabama 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDeKalb County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyDeKalb County value

Weaknesses

Poverty rate · high32.5%
2/100Alabama 15.2%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Child poverty rate · high51.6%
2/100Alabama 20.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Firearm deaths · high27.6 /100k
4/100Alabama 21.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDeKalb County value
Reading scores · low2.58
4/100Alabama 2.83United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDeKalb County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low38.7%
5/100Alabama 61.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDeKalb County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.6 /10k
7/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDeKalb County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
14,115 (2015-2019) → 14,927 (2020-2024)
+5.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
38.3% (2015-2019) → 51.6% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
High school diploma or higherImproving
70.8% (2015-2019) → 79.2% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateWorsening
24.1% (2015-2019) → 32.5% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.3% (2015-2019) → 87.3% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
41.0% (2015-2019) → 44.9% (2020-2024)
+3.9 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, Fort Payne, Alabama improved on 1 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 11 moved within the margin of error and 1 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+8 points79.3% → 87.3%

Declined2

Poverty+8.4 points24.1% → 32.5%
Child poverty+13 points38.3% → 51.6%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Payne, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.9 min2015-2019	17.3 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	66%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.1%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Broadband subscriptions	79.3%2015-2019	87.3%2020-2024	+8 points	Improved	49%
Child poverty rate	38.3%2015-2019	51.6%2020-2024	+13 points	Declined	9%
Effective property tax rate	0.34%2015-2019	0.18%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	51%
High school diploma or higher	70.8%2015-2019	79.2%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4572015-2019	0.4822020-2024	+0.025	Within the margin of error	30%
Median household income	$40,2732015-2019	$47,4792020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	29%
Poverty rate	24.1%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Declined	6%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.3%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	41.0%2015-2019	44.9%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Unemployment rate	6.6%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.5%2015-2019	18.9%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	41%

“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 Fort Payne, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Payne, 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, Fort Payne, Alabama itself moved −1.9 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

14,927 residents (±43)

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 (+3.7 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

14,927 residents (±43)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

White71%10,670
Black1.3%†194
Hispanic or Latino24%3,538
Asian0.2%†28
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†17
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.2%†480

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−2.1 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

9,456 residents (±454)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma21%1,964
High school or GED29%2,730
Some college18%1,749
Associate degree15%1,379
Bachelor's degree9.0%853
Graduate degree8.3%781

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−8.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

5,522 households (±380)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k26%1,425
$25k–50k26%1,421
$50k–75k20%1,103
$75k–100k10%558
$100k–150k11%626
$150k–200k5.1%†281
$200k or more2.0%†108

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+3.9 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

5,522 households (±380)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Own69%3,827
Rent31%1,695

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,373 households (±322)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75061%831
$750–1,00026%†352
$1,000–1,50013%†173

Home values

3,827 homes (±389)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k47%1,815
$150k–250k26%1,000
$250k–400k18%681

Age of homes

6,369 homes (±385)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later4.4%†281
2000–200911%†677
1980–199930%1,891

Size of homes

6,369 homes (±385)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio0.4%†27
1 bedroom9.1%†580
2 bedrooms28%1,793

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

6,154 workers (±504)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone78%4,818
Carpool12%751
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.4%†86
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.2%†443
Other0.9%†56

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.5 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

5,711 workers (±493)

Fort Payne, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min53%3,045
15–29 min29%1,650
30–44 min5.9%†339

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 Fort Payne, 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 DeKalb County, the county holding most of Fort Payne's residents.

DeKalb County has 1,165 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.65× the US rate of 248; 0.78× Alabama's), with 20,004 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,644. The Census Bureau also counts 5,767 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,165; 5,767 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 20,004
Average annual pay: $50,644; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	98	13.5	0.65×Fewer than typical	881	$59,091	146
Restaurants and other eating places	87	12	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,624	$19,299	35
Specialty trade contractors	63	8.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	417	$50,974	734
Religious organizations	56	7.7	1.39×More than typical	226	$18,947	—
Gasoline stations	45	6.2	1.91×More than typical	280	$21,132	3
Limited-service restaurants	45	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	906	$19,624	6
Full-service restaurants	35	4.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	671	$19,051	22
Offices of other health practitioners	34	4.7	0.77×Fewer than typical	206	$40,840	54
Automotive repair and maintenance	32	4.4	0.87×About typical	113	$43,867	226
Building equipment contractors	30	4.1	0.69×Fewer than typical	229	$53,406	117
Offices of physicians	30	4.1	0.64×Fewer than typical	355	$73,490	17
Truck transportation	30	4.1	0.82×About typical	369	$56,482	192

Rank places for an industry Open DeKalb County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 72,633 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 $58K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fort Payne, Alabama: $3.88 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $58K; −84% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.88; 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

Defense Information Systems Agency$41.9K72%
Federal Aviation Administration$7,07912%
National Park Service$4,9378.5%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$4,0777.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

41.8KFY2017
123.1KFY2018
419.9KFY2019
269.4KFY2020
86KFY2021
42.5KFY2022
26.6KFY2023
48.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Wired telecommunications carriers · 5171$31.7K55%
Wired and wireless telecommunications carriers · 5173$10.1K17%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$7,07912%
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$4,9378.5%
Building finishing contractors · 2383$4,0777.0%

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 Fort Payne, Alabama, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in DeKalb 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.

Fort Payne, 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.

DeKalb County15100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fort Payne, AL10

Other cities and towns in DeKalb 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/0127616

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends