Muscle Shoals, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

16,951

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

2.15% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.8%

23.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$75,894

7% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$199,700

Population & Diversity

Muscle Shoals, AL is home to a population of 17k people, from which 98.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.03% of Muscle Shoals, AL residents were born outside of the country (344 people).

In 2024, there were 5.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.1k people) in Muscle Shoals, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 440 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Muscle Shoals, AL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Muscle Shoals, AL was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Muscle Shoals, AL

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.1k ± 626
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.6k ± 546
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
440 ± 258

3.06%

Hispanic Population

519 people

3.06% of the people in Muscle Shoals, AL are hispanic (519 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Muscle Shoals, 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

2.03%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

344 people

2.53%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

422 people

As of 2024, 2.03% of Muscle Shoals, AL residents (344 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 Muscle Shoals, AL was 2.53%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
370 ± 169
Vietnam
216 ± 104
Gulf War (1990s)
110 ± 81

Muscle Shoals, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.71 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Muscle Shoals, AL employs 8.48k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Muscle Shoals, AL were Manufacturing (1,508 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,095 people), and Retail Trade (1,081 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($77,782), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($66,513), and Wholesale Trade ($66,021).

Employment

Occupations

8.48k

2024 Value

± 941

1.29%

1 Year growth

± 15.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Muscle Shoals, AL grew at a rate of 1.29%, from 8.37k employees to 8.48k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Muscle Shoals, AL, are Management Occupations (1,104 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (849 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (716 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Muscle Shoals, 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

8.48k

2024 Value

± 941

1.29%

1 Year growth

± 15.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Muscle Shoals, AL grew at a rate of 1.29%, from 8.37k employees to 8.48k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Muscle Shoals, AL, are Manufacturing (1,508 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,095 people), and Retail Trade (1,081 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Muscle Shoals, AL, though some of these residents may live in Muscle Shoals, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,844

Median earning men ± $10,899

$39,242

Median earning women ± $3,264

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($78,135), Public Administration ($70,547), and Wholesale Trade ($66,875).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($61,534), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($51,319), and Public Administration ($49,053).

Education

The student population of Muscle Shoals, AL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,018 male students and 2,647 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Muscle Shoals, AL are White (881 and 76.2%), Hispanic or Latino (112 and 9.69%), Black or African American (106 and 9.17%), and Two or More Races (36 and 3.11%).

The largest universities in Muscle Shoals, AL by number of degrees awarded are Northwest Shoals Community College (1,158 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Muscle Shoals, AL are General Studies (259 and 22.4%), Welding Technology (197 and 17%), and Industrial Mechanics & Maintenance Technology (103 and 8.89%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 4,665 students enrolled in Muscle Shoals, AL, 43.3% men and 56.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,341 records, of which 56.1% were women and 43.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Welding Technology
184 degrees awarded
General Studies
126 degrees awarded
HVAC & Refrigeration Engineering Technology
62 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Muscle Shoals, AL was Welding Technology with 184 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Muscle Shoals, AL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Northwest Shoals Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,158 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Northwest Shoals Community College with 1,158 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 648 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Muscle Shoals, AL, which is 1.27 times more than the 510 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 881 degrees mean that there were 7.87 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 112 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,870) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,261) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,600) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Muscle Shoals, AL was $199,700 in 2024, which is 0.6 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $198,300 to $199,700, a 0.706% increase. The homeownership rate in Muscle Shoals, AL is 67.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Muscle Shoals, AL have an average commute time of 21.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Muscle Shoals, AL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$199,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,909

$4,654

Median Property Taxes

±$599

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 Muscle Shoals, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

67.1%

Homeownership

2024

63.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.1% of the housing units in Muscle Shoals, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 68.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Muscle Shoals, 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.

$75,894

Median Household Income

± $8,296

6.93k

Number of Households

± 759

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.93k households in Muscle Shoals, AL grew to $75,894 from the previous year's value of $70,927.

The following chart displays the households in Muscle Shoals, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Muscle Shoals, 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 (77.7%)
Worked At Home (13.7%)
Carpooled (7.59%)

In 2024, 77.7% of workers in Muscle Shoals, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.7%) and those who carpooled to work (7.59%).

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

21.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Muscle Shoals, AL have a shorter commute time (21.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.2% of the workforce in Muscle Shoals, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Muscle Shoals, AL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Muscle Shoals, AL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Muscle Shoals, AL (2.13k out of 16.6k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Males < 5 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Muscle Shoals, AL is White, followed by Black 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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