Scores by category

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

Safety7#14,489/15,637
Economy22#12,190/15,631
Housing92#1,142/14,977
Health11#13,880/15,609
Healthcare10#14,033/15,650
Environment19#12,469/15,453
Education21#12,433/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,727/15,650
Community16#13,216/15,651
Leisure & amenities7#14,493/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Jasper, 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

Effective property tax rate · low0.30%
97/100Alabama 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 StatisticsWalker County value
Rent-burdened households · low31.4%
96/100Alabama 48.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Social associations · high13.9 /10k
86/100Alabama 11.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalker County value
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
Rent as share of income · low21.5%
69/100Alabama 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

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
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
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.2 /10k
4/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalker County value
Injury deaths · high141 /100k
5/100Alabama 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalker County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
13,649 (2015-2019) → 14,442 (2020-2024)
+5.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.0% (2015-2019) → 31.4% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.8% (2015-2019) → 91.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
19.0% (2015-2019) → 28.2% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateWorsening
19.6% (2015-2019) → 27.1% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
28.9% (2015-2019) → 21.5% (2020-2024)
−7.4 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, Jasper, Alabama improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved5

Rent burden−18 points49.0% → 31.4%
Uninsured−5.2 points13.3% → 8.1%
Bachelor's++9.2 points19.0% → 28.2%
Broadband+12 points79.8% → 91.9%
Household income+35%$49,201 → $66,238

Declined1

Commute+5.3 min21.5 min → 26.8 min

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Jasper, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.5 min2015-2019	26.8 min2020-2024	+5.3 min	Declined	9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.0%2015-2019	28.2%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	79.8%2015-2019	91.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	69%
Child poverty rate	19.6%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	0.38%2015-2019	0.30%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	89.2%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
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)	0.4662015-2019	0.4412020-2024	−0.025	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$49,2012015-2019	$66,2382020-2024	+35%	Improved	65%
Poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	49.0%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	92%
Unemployment rate	6.3%2015-2019	3.5%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.3%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	87%

“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 Jasper, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Jasper, 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, Jasper, Alabama itself moved +10.8 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

14,442 residents (±26)

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 (+3.4 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

14,442 residents (±26)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

White79%11,339
Black13%1,911
Hispanic or Latino3.9%†568

Education

9,509 residents (±409)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma9.7%927
High school or GED27%2,542
Some college26%2,479

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

5,265 households (±343)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k22%1,170
$25k–50k20%1,029
$50k–75k13%687
$75k–100k15%776
$100k–150k18%954
$150k–200k7.4%†392
$200k or more4.9%†257

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+5.7 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

5,265 households (±343)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Own66%3,496
Rent34%1,769

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

1,711 households (±326)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75053%†913
$750–1,00027%†464
$1,000–1,50015%†258

Home values

3,496 homes (±365)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k34%1,201
$150k–250k26%896
$250k–400k27%949

Age of homes

6,162 homes (±397)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later5.5%†339
2000–200914%†848
1980–199924%1,455

Size of homes

6,162 homes (±397)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio1.4%†86
1 bedroom4.5%†278
2 bedrooms34%2,075

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

6,066 workers (±433)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone86%5,229
Carpool7.7%†465
Public transit0.2%†14
Walk1.9%†113
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.4%†205
Other0.7%†40

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−7.7 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

5,861 workers (±439)

Jasper, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min45%2,614
15–29 min16%913
30–44 min8.1%†472

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 Jasper'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

In FY2026, an estimated $5,932 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Jasper, Alabama: $0.41 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5,932; −61% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.41; US $1,994
Sole-source: 24%; 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

Department of the Army$4,49276%
Department of Housing and Urban Development$1,44024%

Top recipients

ENVIREMEDIAL SERVICES, INC.$4,49276%
FEASIBILITY RESEARCH GROUP OHIO LLC$1,44024%

Spending by fiscal year

30.1KFY2017
1.8KFY2018
9.3KFY2019
10.6KFY2020
106.4KFY2021
347.7KFY2022
409.5KFY2023
249.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$4,49276%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$1,44024%

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

Jasper, Alabama's figures are part of those of Walker County, AL ($62.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 9.5% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Jasper 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.

Jasper, 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/0138416

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends