City · Franklin County, Alabama

Red Bay, Alabama

Red Bay is a city in Franklin County, Alabama, part of the Russellville, AL metro area. It has 3,201 residents. Red Bay, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 13 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,666 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #170 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), grocery stores (high) and time spent in the emergency room (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), preventable hospital stays (high) and suicide rate (high).

13Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,666 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #170 of 319 in AL
Population: 3,201 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 328.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 0163576

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety23#11,980/15,637
Economy12#13,734/15,631
Housing87#1,932/14,977
Health6#14,657/15,609
Healthcare10#14,060/15,650
Environment74#3,944/15,453
Education10#14,125/15,649
Infrastructure13#13,691/15,650
Community7#14,559/15,651
Leisure & amenities24#11,885/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Red Bay, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin 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 · low0.36%
95/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Grocery stores · high3.1 /10k
95/100Alabama 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low115 min
90/100Alabama 155 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin County value
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
89/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Rent as share of income · low23.6%
88/100Alabama 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Alabama 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low19 /100k
1/100Alabama 156 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,914 /100k
2/100Alabama 3,481 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Suicide rate · high31.4 /100k
3/100Alabama 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFranklin County value
Reading scores · low2.57
3/100Alabama 2.83United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Mammography screening · low32.0%
3/100Alabama 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyFranklin County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.7% (2015-2019) → 81.3% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
47.6% (2015-2019) → 34.5% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
9.9% (2015-2019) → 21.2% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
76.1% (2015-2019) → 85.0% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
27.8% (2015-2019) → 20.1% (2020-2024)
−7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Average commute timeImproving
29.4 min (2015-2019) → 19.6 min (2020-2024)
−33%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Red Bay, Alabama improved on 2 of 13 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.

Improved2

Broadband+23 points58.7% → 81.3%
Bachelor's++11 points9.9% → 21.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Red Bay, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.4 min2015-2019	19.6 min2020-2024	−9.9 min	Within the margin of error	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	92%
Broadband subscriptions	58.7%2015-2019	81.3%2020-2024	+23 points	Improved	93%
Child poverty rate	47.6%2015-2019	34.5%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Effective property tax rate	0.39%2015-2019	0.36%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
High school diploma or higher	76.1%2015-2019	85.0%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	45%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.4762020-2024	+0.040	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$35,7242015-2019	$37,4732020-2024	+4.9%	Within the margin of error	11%
Poverty rate	27.8%2015-2019	20.1%2020-2024	−7.7 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent as share of income	18.5%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Rent-burdened households	31.3%2015-2019	26.6%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.9%2015-2019	11.7%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	90%

“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 Red Bay, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Red Bay, 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, Red Bay, Alabama itself moved +5.6 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

3,201 residents (±18)

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: 50–59 men (+6.1 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,201 residents (±18)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

White91%2,902
Black1.3%†40
Hispanic or Latino6.3%†201
Asian0.3%†8
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races1.6%†50

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (−5.2 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,410 residents (±158)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma15%†362
High school or GED34%823
Some college20%479
Associate degree9.8%†235
Bachelor's degree14%†339
Graduate degree7.1%†172

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (−14.4 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 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

1,457 households (±170)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k32%†472
$25k–50k24%†355
$50k–75k14%†211
$75k–100k5.7%†83
$100k–150k13%†185
$150k–200k7.1%†103
$200k or more3.3%†48

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−11.8 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

1,457 households (±170)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Own58%850
Rent42%607

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

530 households (±155)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $75073%†385
$750–1,00014%†76
$1,000–1,5005.7%†30

Home values

850 homes (±177)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k67%†568
$150k–250k22%†187
$250k–400k10%†87

Age of homes

1,688 homes (±181)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later5.5%†93
2000–20095.0%†85
1980–199923%†396

Size of homes

1,688 homes (±181)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio4.9%†82
1 bedroom3.6%†60
2 bedrooms23%†380

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

1,391 workers (±199)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone81%1,133
Carpool11%†156
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.5%†21
Other5.8%†81

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−3.0 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

1,370 workers (±192)

Red Bay, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min49%†670
15–29 min18%†245
30–44 min23%†313

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 Russellville, 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 Franklin County, the county holding most of Red Bay's residents.

Franklin County has 539 employer establishments, 168 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.82× Alabama's), with 11,039 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,355. The Census Bureau also counts 2,069 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 539; 2,069 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 168; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 11,039
Average annual pay: $41,355; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	40	12.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	761	$14,532	17
Specialty trade contractors	37	11.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	145	$46,572	305
Ambulatory health care services	34	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	274	$48,701	47
Religious organizations	27	8.4	1.52×More than typical	115	$19,504	—
Banks and credit unions	24	7.5	2.32×More than typical	267	$59,120	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	22	6.9	1.37×More than typical	102	$44,402	57
Truck transportation	21	6.6	1.30×More than typical	75	$46,520	121
Limited-service restaurants	20	6.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	526	$14,650	5
Lessors of real estate	17	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	28	$20,286	110
Full-service restaurants	15	4.7	0.61×Fewer than typical	211	$14,360	6
Grocery and convenience stores	15	4.7	1.58×More than typical	243	$19,012	6
General merchandise stores	13	4.1	2.30×More than typical	351	$29,897	26

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,001 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Franklin 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.

Red Bay, 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.

Franklin County16100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Russellville, AL10

Other cities and towns in Franklin 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

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