City · Marion County, Alabama

Hamilton, Alabama

Hamilton is a city in Marion County, Alabama. It has 6,922 residents. Hamilton, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 16 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,210 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #145 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), pharmacies (high) and home price to income ratio (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), mental health providers (low) and broadband subscriptions (low).

16Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,210 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #145 of 319 in AL
Population: 6,922 (2020-2024)
Land area: 38 mi²
Density: 181.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0132848

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety39#9,594/15,637
Economy13#13,542/15,631
Housing91#1,367/14,977
Health19#12,685/15,609
Healthcare12#13,776/15,650
Environment55#6,889/15,453
Education17#12,969/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,663/15,650
Community12#13,706/15,651
Leisure & amenities25#11,687/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Hamilton, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marion 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 · low0.25%
98/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Pharmacies · high3.1 /10k
97/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
91/100Alabama 3.3×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Time spent in the emergency room · low121 min
87/100Alabama 155 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMarion County value
Public libraries · high1.4 /10k
84/100Alabama 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMarion County value
Injury deaths · low69 /100k
79/100Alabama 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low31.3%
2/100Alabama 61.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Mental health providers · low34 /100k
3/100Alabama 156 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Broadband subscriptions · low78.3%
3/100Alabama 87.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.4 /10k
5/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value
New business applications · low7.7 /1k
5/100Alabama 13.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMarion County value
Average weekly wage · low$954
11/100Alabama $1,240United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value

Trends

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

Median household incomeImproving
$39,357 (2015-2019) → $54,871 (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioImproving
2.7× (2015-2019) → 1.9× (2020-2024)
−29%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.1% (2015-2019) → 42.6% (2020-2024)
−5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
78.7% (2015-2019) → 83.6% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
17.1% (2015-2019) → 21.6% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
11.1% (2015-2019) → 15.6% (2020-2024)
+4.5 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, Hamilton, Alabama improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 14 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Hamilton, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.8 min2015-2019	24.3 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	42%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.1%2015-2019	15.6%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Broadband subscriptions	75.4%2015-2019	78.3%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Child poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Effective property tax rate	0.25%2015-2019	0.25%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	78.7%2015-2019	83.6%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	−0.8×	Within the margin of error	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4552015-2019	0.4672020-2024	+0.012	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$39,3572015-2019	$54,8712020-2024	+39%	Within the margin of error	73%
Poverty rate	17.5%2015-2019	16.7%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent-burdened households	48.1%2015-2019	42.6%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.9%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	30%

“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 Hamilton, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Hamilton, 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, Hamilton, Alabama itself moved +6.8 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

6,922 residents (±36)

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 women (−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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

6,922 residents (±36)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

White81%5,609
Black8.9%†617
Hispanic or Latino4.6%†319

Education

5,155 residents (±297)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma16%844
High school or GED44%2,263
Some college14%†715

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

2,577 households (±253)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k28%725
$25k–50k21%†536
$50k–75k8.6%†222
$75k–100k21%†544
$100k–150k14%†371
$150k–200k3.8%†97
$200k or more3.2%†82

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (+11.7 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 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

2,577 households (±253)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Own67%1,718
Rent33%859

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+8.2 points).

Table view

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

Rent paid

826 households (±184)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75077%†639
$750–1,00014%†117
$1,000–1,5008.5%†70

Home values

1,718 homes (±210)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k63%1,076
$150k–250k22%†372
$250k–400k7.2%†123

Age of homes

3,423 homes (±289)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later4.5%†153
2000–20096.6%†225
1980–199930%1,029

Size of homes

3,423 homes (±289)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio6.0%†205
1 bedroom5.1%†173
2 bedrooms27%937

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

2,350 workers (±305)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone86%2,018
Carpool5.5%†129
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.1%†166
Other1.6%†37

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.1 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,184 workers (±302)

Hamilton, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min48%1,051
15–29 min14%†309
30–44 min18%†391

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 Marion County, the county holding most of Hamilton's residents.

Marion County has 546 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.90× Alabama's), with 7,761 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,740. The Census Bureau also counts 1,967 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 546; 1,967 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 7,761
Average annual pay: $42,740; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	54	18.4	0.88×About typical	435	$48,260	56
Restaurants and other eating places	43	14.7	0.80×Fewer than typical	585	$16,332	8
Truck transportation	35	12	2.36×More than typical	124	$60,597	204
Religious organizations	30	10.2	1.85×More than typical	201	$25,070	—
Gasoline stations	29	9.9	3.06×More than typical	273	$19,722	—
Limited-service restaurants	26	8.9	1.11×About typical	447	$15,785	5
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	6.1	1.22×About typical	65	$35,662	59
Offices of other health practitioners	18	6.1	1.01×About typical	110	$32,809	24
Banks and credit unions	15	5.1	1.59×More than typical	219	$50,210	—
Full-service restaurants	15	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	126	$18,937	—
Grocery and convenience stores	15	5.1	1.73×More than typical	127	$16,260	8
General merchandise stores	14	4.8	2.71×More than typical	451	$30,002	12

Rank places for an industry Open Marion County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 29,277 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 Hamilton, 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

484.8KFY2018
-22.8K

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

See federal money in Marion 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.

Hamilton, 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.

Marion County18100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Marion 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
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/0132848

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends