Scores by category

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

Safety6#14,743/15,637
Economy10#13,998/15,631
Housing50#7,497/14,977
Health5#14,825/15,609
Healthcare16#13,090/15,650
Environment17#12,812/15,453
Education2#15,369/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,700/15,650
Community9#14,296/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,211/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Prichard, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Mobile 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

Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
89/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMobile County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.52%
86/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMobile County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
84/100Alabama 3.3×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Comfortable days · high31.2%
84/100Alabama 28.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMobile County value
Dental care shortage · low0.0
84/100Alabama 6.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMobile County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low73.6%
1/100Alabama 87.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Food insecurity · high46.1%
1/100Alabama 20.0%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Adult obesity · high50.4%
1/100Alabama 40.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · high23.0%
1/100Alabama 10.3%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · high43.5%
1/100Alabama 30.5%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high41.8%
2/100Alabama 20.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
21,773 (2015-2019) → 18,961 (2020-2024)
−13%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
51.5% (2015-2019) → 73.6% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.1 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$29,009 (2015-2019) → $36,588 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
45.1% (2015-2019) → 41.8% (2020-2024)
−3.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 83.1% (2020-2024)
+2.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Prichard, Alabama improved on 3 of 14 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.

Improved3

Broadband+22 points51.5% → 73.6%
Inequality−0.0480.484 → 0.435
Household income+26%$29,009 → $36,588

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Prichard, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	24.5 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.2%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Broadband subscriptions	51.5%2015-2019	73.6%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Child poverty rate	45.1%2015-2019	41.8%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	0.29%2015-2019	0.52%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	2%
High school diploma or higher	80.5%2015-2019	83.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	76%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4842015-2019	0.4352020-2024	−0.048	Improved	83%
Median household income	$29,0092015-2019	$36,5882020-2024	+26%	Improved	47%
Poverty rate	31.5%2015-2019	30.6%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent as share of income	34.9%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent-burdened households	61.7%2015-2019	61.9%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Unemployment rate	12.2%2015-2019	10.1%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.0%2015-2019	16.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	50%

“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 Prichard, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Prichard, 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, Prichard, Alabama itself moved +3.9 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

18,961 residents (±57)

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: Under 10 men (−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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

18,961 residents (±57)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

White10%1,916
Black88%16,698
Hispanic or Latino0.8%†149
Asian0.1%†24
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†40
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races0.7%†134

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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

12,308 residents (±617)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma17%2,080
High school or GED43%5,310
Some college21%2,553
Associate degree8.4%1,033
Bachelor's degree6.7%†823
Graduate degree4.1%509

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 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

6,986 households (±461)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k33%2,306
$25k–50k33%2,296
$50k–75k17%†1,202
$75k–100k9.1%†633
$100k–150k5.1%†359
$150k–200k1.8%†123
$200k or more1.0%†67

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.2 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

6,986 households (±461)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Own55%3,841
Rent45%3,145

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

2,557 households (±376)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75039%991
$750–1,00017%†424
$1,000–1,50039%†993

Home values

3,841 homes (±495)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k75%2,899
$150k–250k20%†759
$250k–400k2.6%†99

Age of homes

8,915 homes (±494)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later1.6%†146
2000–20096.7%†594
1980–199920%1,786

Size of homes

8,915 homes (±494)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio0.8%†69
1 bedroom3.4%†301
2 bedrooms28%2,478

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

5,846 workers (±578)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone85%4,973
Carpool5.8%†340
Public transit1.3%†75
Walk1.8%†104
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.1%†354
Other0.0%0

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

Time to get to work

5,492 workers (±551)

Prichard, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min18%1,011
15–29 min51%2,816
30–44 min21%1,151

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 Mobile, 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 Mobile County, the county holding most of Prichard's residents.

Mobile County has 8,960 employer establishments, 218 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 1.05× Alabama's), with 157,810 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,348. The Census Bureau also counts 34,995 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,960; 34,995 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 218; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 157,810
Average annual pay: $54,348; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	614	14.9	0.81×About typical	13,130	$18,555	190
Ambulatory health care services	569	13.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,260	$77,162	1,795
Specialty trade contractors	514	12.5	0.81×About typical	6,769	$63,227	2,375
Lessors of real estate	363	8.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	1,112	$51,327	3,045
Limited-service restaurants	348	8.5	1.05×About typical	7,148	$16,565	51
Religious organizations	347	8.4	1.52×More than typical	3,403	$21,859	—
Building equipment contractors	247	6	1.00×About typical	3,585	$67,615	439
Legal services	229	5.6	1.03×About typical	1,344	$95,876	291
Services to buildings and dwellings	220	5.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,775	$30,794	3,403
Truck transportation	220	5.3	1.06×About typical	3,256	$57,257	960
Gasoline stations	219	5.3	1.64×More than typical	1,670	$25,011	25
Full-service restaurants	205	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	5,138	$21,567	89

Rank places for an industry Open Mobile County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 411,693 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 -$2.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Prichard, Alabama: -$145 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$2.7M
Per resident: -$145; 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

USTRANSCOM$518.9K0.0%
Agricultural Marketing Service$70.7K0.0%
Internal Revenue Service$6,8070.0%

Top recipients

CENTRAL GULF RAILCAR SERVICES, LLC$464.5K0.0%
DIXIE LILY FOODS, INC.$70.7K0.0%
LIBERTY RAILWAY SERVICES, INC.$54.4K0.0%
PINNACLE TOWERS LLC$6,8070.0%
AUSTAL USA, LLC-$3.3M0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

350MFY2017
873.4MFY2018
607.5MFY2019
63.1MFY2020
11MFY2021
8.1MFY2022
13.1MFY2023
4.2MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for rail transportation · 4882$518.9K0.0%
Grain and oilseed milling · 3112$49.6K0.0%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$21.1K0.0%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$6,8070.0%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Prichard, Alabama

CONSTRUCTION OF LCS FLIGHT 0+ SHIP$2.8B
AUSTAL USA, LLC· Mobile County, AL· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jun 23, 2017 – May 26, 2026· N0002417C2301
POST DELIVERY - BASIC ORDERING AGREEMENT ITEM 0005 ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR LCS 18$17.7M
AUSTAL USA, LLC· Mobile County, AL· Equipment maintenance· Sep 27, 2018 – Jun 10, 2026· N6931618F4003
EXPRESS CAR: DODX FREIGHT CAR SERVICES$253.5K
CENTRAL GULF RAILCAR SERVICES, LLC· Mobile County, AL· Equipment maintenance· Dec 16, 2025 – Dec 16, 2025· HTC71126F7043
EXPRESS CAR: DODX FREIGHT CAR SERVICES

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

Prichard, Alabama's figures are part of those of Mobile County, AL ($868.7M 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: Prichard is mostly in Mobile County.

See federal money in Mobile 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.

Prichard, Alabama is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Mobile County18100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Mobile, AL19

Other cities and towns in Mobile 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/0162496

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends