Census-designated place · Russell County, Alabama

Ladonia, Alabama

Ladonia is a census-designated place in Russell County, Alabama, part of the Columbus, GA-AL metro area. It has 3,346 residents. Ladonia, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 3 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,205 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #290 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), home price to income ratio (low) and days with unhealthy air (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), arts, entertainment and recreation (low) and primary care shortage (high).

3Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,205 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #290 of 319 in AL
Population: 3,346 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,071.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 0140648

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety5#14,927/15,637
Economy8#14,324/15,631
Housing87#1,954/14,977
Health8#14,295/15,609
Healthcare5#14,868/15,650
Environment37#9,718/15,453
Education2#15,404/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,328/15,650
Community2#15,391/15,651
Leisure & amenities10#14,131/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ladonia, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Russell 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 · low0.34%
96/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
93/100Alabama 3.3×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRussell County value
Comfortable days · high31.4%
84/100Alabama 28.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationRussell County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low129 min
82/100Alabama 155 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRussell County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100Alabama 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRussell County value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low47.2%
2/100Alabama 59.1%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionRussell County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.0 /10k
3/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRussell County value
Primary care shortage · high19.0
3/100Alabama 11.8United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRussell County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Alabama 6.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRussell County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Alabama 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesRussell County value
Math scores · low2.51
4/100Alabama 2.65United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRussell County value

Trends

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

Rent as share of incomeImproving
51.0% (2015-2019) → 23.2% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
62.9% (2015-2019) → 45.8% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
32.7% (2015-2019) → 16.0% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
11.5% (2015-2019) → 26.2% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$32,177 (2015-2019) → $53,441 (2020-2024)
+66%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateWorsening
1.8% (2015-2019) → 10.7% (2020-2024)
+8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Ladonia, Alabama improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 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

Household income+66%$32,177 → $53,441

Declined1

Uninsured+15 points11.5% → 26.2%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Ladonia, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.9 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	+4.5 min	Within the margin of error	12%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%2015-2019	13.4%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Broadband subscriptions	76.7%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Effective property tax rate	0.34%2015-2019	0.34%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	82.7%2015-2019	78.9%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	−0.6×	Within the margin of error	95%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.4122020-2024	−0.025	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$32,1772015-2019	$53,4412020-2024	+66%	Improved	93%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	62.9%2015-2019	45.8%2020-2024	−17 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.5%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	1%

“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 Ladonia, Alabama five years ago that improved

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

3,346 residents (±819)

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 (+8.3 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

3,346 residents (±819)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

White77%2,565
Black19%†641
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

2,246 residents (±500)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma21%†474
High school or GED22%†500
Some college32%†

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

1,169 households (±214)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k19%†226
$25k–50k24%†280
$50k–75k26%†301
$75k–100k6.2%†73
$100k–150k14%†159
$150k–200k8.0%†93
$200k or more3.2%†37

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−24.5 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 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

1,169 households (±214)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Own63%733
Rent37%†436

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

† 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

308 households (±160)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75015%†46
$750–1,00030%†91
$1,000–1,50056%†171

Home values

733 homes (±175)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k76%†554
$150k–250k17%†123
$250k–400k7.6%†56

Age of homes

1,261 homes (±215)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later3.5%†44
2000–200913%†159
1980–199941%†517

Size of homes

1,261 homes (±215)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom4.8%†61
2 bedrooms23%†288

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

1,289 workers (±368)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone78%†1,011
Carpool8.8%†114
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.1%†53
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.6%†111
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+8.6 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

1,178 workers (±373)

Ladonia, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min11%†134
15–29 min60%†704
30–44 min24%†277

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 Columbus, GA-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 Russell County, the county holding most of Ladonia's residents.

Russell County has 850 employer establishments, 145 for every 10,000 residents (0.58× the US rate of 248; 0.70× Alabama's), with 11,055 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,688. The Census Bureau also counts 4,161 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 850; 4,161 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 145; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 11,055
Average annual pay: $43,688; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	86	14.6	0.80×Fewer than typical	1,506	$16,681	14
Specialty trade contractors	61	10.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	529	$53,193	328
Religious organizations	53	9	1.63×More than typical	236	$20,081	—
Limited-service restaurants	51	8.7	1.08×About typical	990	$16,069	4
Lessors of real estate	43	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	192	$49,422	191
Gasoline stations	39	6.6	2.05×More than typical	220	$20,795	3
Ambulatory health care services	37	6.3	0.30×Fewer than typical	420	$48,350	187
Full-service restaurants	29	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	491	$17,521	5
Automotive repair and maintenance	26	4.4	0.88×About typical	144	$48,146	95
General merchandise stores	26	4.4	2.50×More than typical	597	$26,926	31
Building equipment contractors	24	4.1	0.68×Fewer than typical	246	$45,524	77
Truck transportation	24	4.1	0.81×About typical	198	$41,879	141

Rank places for an industry Open Russell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 58,776 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 $4,213 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ladonia, Alabama: $1.26 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,213; −86% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.26; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 58%; 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

Federal Acquisition Service$2,45658%
Department of Housing and Urban Development$1,75742%

Top recipients

RUSSELL & SONS INC$1,89845%
BAYSIDE-LEETEX JV LLC$1,22829%
SOUTHEAST TRUCK & TRAILER REFURBISHERS, INC.$55813%
FEASIBILITY RESEARCH GROUP OHIO LLC$52913%

Spending by fiscal year

1.4KFY2017
1.3KFY2018
2.3KFY2019
4.1KFY2020
528.8FY2021
55.7KFY2022
45.5KFY2023
30.2KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Automotive repair and maintenance · 8111$2,45658%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$1,22829%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$52913%

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

Ladonia, Alabama's figures are part of those of Russell County, AL ($34.8M 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: Ladonia is mostly in Russell County.

See federal money in Russell 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.

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

House

Shomari FiguresD-AL-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 94%Missed 1.9%

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.

Russell County1100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Columbus, GA-AL16

Other cities and towns in Russell 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/0140648

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends