Cottondale, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

2,632

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

45.1

0.221% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

32%

17.2% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$44,877

1.42% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$139,200

Population & Diversity

Cottondale, AL is home to a population of 2.63k people, from which 99.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.494% of Cottondale, AL residents were born outside of the country (13 people).

In 2024, there were 1.17 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.33k people) in Cottondale, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.14k White (Non-Hispanic) and 64 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Cottondale, AL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cottondale, AL was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cottondale, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cottondale, AL

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.33k ± 669
White (Non-Hispanic)
1.14k ± 366
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
64 ± 56

2.47%

Hispanic Population

65 people

2.47% of the people in Cottondale, AL are hispanic (65 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cottondale, AL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Alabama.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
53,867 ± 5,668 people
Guatemala
18,373 ± 3,322 people
Korea
11,536 ± 2,634 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alabama was Mexico, the natal country of 53,867 Alabama residents, followed by Guatemala with 18,373 and Korea with 11,536.

Foreign-Born Population

0.494%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

13 people

0.386%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

11 people

As of 2024, 0.494% of Cottondale, AL residents (13 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cottondale, AL was 0.386%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cottondale, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
205 ± 170
Vietnam
3 ± 22

Cottondale, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 68.3 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cottondale, AL.

Economy

The economy of Cottondale, AL employs 1.23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cottondale, AL were Manufacturing (352 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (347 people), and Retail Trade (141 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($53,063), Retail Trade ($49,917), and Manufacturing ($47,917).

Employment

Occupations

1.23k

2024 Value

± 362

−2.84%

1 Year decline

± 41.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cottondale, AL declined at a rate of −2.84%, from 1.27k employees to 1.23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cottondale, AL, are Production Occupations (189 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (159 people), and Architecture & Engineering Occupations (138 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cottondale, AL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alabama.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alabama (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.23k

2024 Value

± 362

−2.84%

1 Year decline

± 41.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cottondale, AL declined at a rate of −2.84%, from 1.27k employees to 1.23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cottondale, AL, are Manufacturing (352 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (347 people), and Retail Trade (141 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cottondale, AL, though some of these residents may live in Cottondale, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$66,607

Median earning men ± $47,492

$30,139

Median earning women ± $30,252

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($87,098), Construction ($54,464), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($31,969).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Retail Trade ($50,787), Public Administration ($49,083), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($38,932).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cottondale, AL was $139,200 in 2024, which is 0.418 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $118,600 to $139,200, a 17.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Cottondale, AL is 82%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cottondale, AL have an average commute time of 23.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cottondale, AL is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$139,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$50,595

$1,029

Median Property Taxes

±$344

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cottondale, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cottondale, AL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

82%

Homeownership

2024

71.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 82% of the housing units in Cottondale, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cottondale, AL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$44,877

Median Household Income

± $23,864

1.26k

Number of Households

± 367

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.26k households in Cottondale, AL grew to $44,877 from the previous year's value of $44,250.

The following chart displays the households in Cottondale, AL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cottondale, AL is from Alabama.

0.454

2024 Wage GINI in Alabama

0.456

2023 Wage GINI in Alabama

In 2024, the income inequality in Alabama was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.411% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alabama was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alabama in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alabama across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (92.3%)
Worked At Home (4.79%)
Carpooled (2.92%)

In 2024, 92.3% of workers in Cottondale, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (4.79%) and those who carpooled to work (2.92%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cottondale, AL have a shorter commute time (23.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.28% of the workforce in Cottondale, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cottondale, AL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cottondale, AL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cottondale, AL have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

32% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cottondale, AL (829 out of 2.59k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cottondale, AL is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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