Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety41#543/924
Economy12#817/925
Housing71#269/925
Health8#854/925
Healthcare4#882/923
Environment58#383/917
Education3#894/925
Infrastructure11#820/925
Community9#839/925
Leisure & amenities11#821/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Effective property tax rate · low0.24%
99/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Unemployment rate · low2.5%
97/100Alabama 2.8%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Pharmacies · high2.7 /10k
95/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.4 /10k
91/100Alabama 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · low131 /100k
82/100Alabama 348 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low38.7%
2/100Alabama 61.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · low14.1%
3/100Alabama 28.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Mental health providers · low62 /100k
4/100Alabama 156 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.6 /10k
4/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · high33.0%
4/100Alabama 20.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
High school diploma or higher · low79.2%
4/100Alabama 88.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 42% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+42 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateWorsening
3.5 /100k (2021) → 8.1 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+131%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Mental health providersImproving
29 /100k (2021) → 62 /100k (2025)
+110%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Firearm deathsWorsening
14.3 /100k (2021) → 27.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+93%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.0% (2015-2019) → 86.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
1.0 /10k (2020) → 1.6 /10k (2025)
+66%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k

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, Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area improved on 10 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 8 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Arts & recreation+66%1.0 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Libraries+11%1.0 /10k → 1.1 /10k
High school++4.4 points74.8% → 79.2%
Broadband+15 points72.0% → 86.9%
Real income+38%$39,382 → $54,249

Declined9

Homicides+93%4.2 /100k → 8.1 /100k
Violent crime+52%87 /100k → 131 /100k
Property crime+14%681 /100k → 777 /100k
Firearm deaths+52%18.1 /100k → 27.6 /100k
Uninsured+2.3 points16.1% → 18.4%

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.0 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+66%	Improved	98%
Average commute time	24.0 min2015-2019	24.8 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.0%2015-2019	14.1%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	72.0%2015-2019	86.9%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	91%
Child poverty rate	31.3%2015-2019	33.0%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Distance to an airport	48 mi2020	48 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	25.1 /100k2020	20.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−18%	Improved	42%
Effective property tax rate	0.29%2015-2019	0.24%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Firearm deaths	18.1 /100k2020	27.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+52%	Declined	8%
Grocery stores	2.4 /10k2020	2.4 /10k2025	+2.4%	Little change	60%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.3 /10k2020	0.3 /10k2025	−3.3%	Little change	32%
High school diploma or higher	74.8%2015-2019	79.2%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Improved	93%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	60%
Homicide rate	4.2 /100k2020	8.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+93%	Declined	2%
Income adjusted for local prices	$39,3822019	$54,2492024	+38%	Improved	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4722015-2019	0.4592020-2024	−0.014	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$40,4402015-2019	$51,2042020-2024	+27%	Improved	48%
New business applications	5.9 /1k2020	9.0 /1k2025	+53%	Improved	61%
Pharmacies	2.9 /10k2020	2.7 /10k2025	−7.9%	Declined	51%
Poverty rate	21.1%2015-2019	22.4%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Property crime rate	681 /100k2020	777 /100k2025	+14%	Declined	2%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.1 /10k2024	+11%	Improved	92%
Rent as share of income	26.6%2015-2019	27.8%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Rent-burdened households	42.8%2015-2019	44.4%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Restaurants and bars	4.7 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	+8.1%	Improved	75%
Suicide rate	20.9 /100k2020	22.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+5.3%	Declined	48%
Traffic deaths	23.0 /100k2015-2019	25.4 /100k2020-2024	+11%	Declined	44%
Unemployment rate	4.8%2020	2.5%2025	−2.3 points	Improved	30%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.1%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Declined	6%
Violent crime rate	87 /100k2020	131 /100k2025	+52%	Declined	4%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area 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, Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area itself moved −3.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

72,269 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

26,181 households (±470)

Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k24%6,371
$25k–50k25%6,431
$50k–75k18%4,688

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

26,181 households (±470)

Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area
United States share

Own78%20,490
Rent22%5,691

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+6.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

29,730 workers (±933)

Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone83%24,731
Carpool11%3,291
Public transit0.0%†5

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 no occupation wages for Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area.

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.

Fort Payne, AL has 1,165 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.65× the US rate of 248), with 20,004 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,644. The Census Bureau also counts 5,767 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,165; 5,767 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248
Paid employees: 20,004
Average annual pay: $50,644; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Fort Payne, AL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	98	13.5	0.65×Fewer than typical	881	$59,091	146
Restaurants and other eating places	87	12	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,624	$19,299	35
Specialty trade contractors	63	8.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	417	$50,974	734
Religious organizations	56	7.7	1.39×More than typical	226	$18,947	—
Gasoline stations	45	6.2	1.91×More than typical	280	$21,132	3
Limited-service restaurants	45	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	906	$19,624	6
Full-service restaurants	35	4.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	671	$19,051	22
Offices of other health practitioners	34	4.7	0.77×Fewer than typical	206	$40,840	54
Automotive repair and maintenance	32	4.4	0.87×About typical	113	$43,867	226
Building equipment contractors	30	4.1	0.69×Fewer than typical	229	$53,406	117
Offices of physicians	30	4.1	0.64×Fewer than typical	355	$73,490	17
Truck transportation	30	4.1	0.82×About typical	369	$56,482	192

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 72,633 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated -$77.9M on contracts performed in Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area: -$1,052 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$77.9M
Per resident: -$1,052; 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

Defense Information Systems Agency$106.1K0.0%
Missile Defense Agency$30K0.0%

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $450.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area: $6,081 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $450.5M; −9.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,081; US $12,955
Loan face value: $21.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$261.5M58%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$55.6M12%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$34.4M7.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$28.7M6.4%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$20.4M4.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$15.2M3.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$7.1M1.6%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$6.3M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$30.1M6.7%
MONTGOMERY, AL
NORTHEAST ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$7.6M1.7%
RAINSVILLE, AL
CITY OF FORT PAYNE$2.4M0.5%
FORT PAYNE, AL
DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION$965.7K0.2%
RAINSVILLE, AL
RAINSVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$361M80%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$40.6M9.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$30.1M6.7%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$7.5M1.7%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$3.1M

Assistance by fiscal year

411.4MFY2021
425.7MFY2022
463MFY2023
470.1MFY2024
497.6MFY2025
450.5MFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Fort Payne, AL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

DeKalb CountyCentral county1574,085

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Fort PaynePrincipal city14,927

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Alabama

Areas based in Alabama, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M22840

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Fort Payne, AL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Fort Payne, AL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Alabama

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards