Opelika, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

32,820

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.9

0.746% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

16%

6.81% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$65,004

10.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$241,800

Population & Diversity

Opelika, AL is home to a population of 32.8k people, from which 96.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.17% of Opelika, AL residents were born outside of the country (1.7k people).

In 2024, there were 1.36 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (16.8k people) in Opelika, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 12.4k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 959 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Opelika, AL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Opelika, AL was 96.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Opelika, AL

White (Non-Hispanic)
16.8k ± 1.04k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
12.4k ± 1.02k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
959 ± 559

7.24%

Hispanic Population

2.38k people

7.24% of the people in Opelika, AL are hispanic (2.38k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Opelika, 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

5.17%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.7k people

4.91%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.57k people

As of 2024, 5.17% of Opelika, AL residents (1.7k 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 Opelika, AL was 4.91%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
642 ± 281
Vietnam
514 ± 144
Gulf War (1990s)
309 ± 171

Opelika, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.25 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Opelika, AL employs 14.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Opelika, AL were Manufacturing (2,421 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,292 people), and Educational Services (1,872 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($82,097), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($80,547), and Transportation & Warehousing ($65,823).

Employment

Occupations

14.8k

2024 Value

± 1,079

−0.114%

1 Year decline

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Opelika, AL declined at a rate of −0.114%, from 14.8k employees to 14.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Opelika, AL, are Management Occupations (1,723 people), Production Occupations (1,508 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,341 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Opelika, 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

14.8k

2024 Value

± 1,079

−0.114%

1 Year decline

± 10.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Opelika, AL declined at a rate of −0.114%, from 14.8k employees to 14.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Opelika, AL, are Manufacturing (2,421 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,292 people), and Educational Services (1,872 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Opelika, AL, though some of these residents may live in Opelika, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,669

Median earning men ± $5,014

$37,077

Median earning women ± $1,995

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($87,414), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($80,547), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,143).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,987), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($48,172), and Construction ($42,266).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Opelika, AL was $241,800 in 2024, which is 0.727 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $213,700 to $241,800, a 13.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Opelika, AL is 69.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Opelika, AL have an average commute time of 22.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Opelika, AL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$241,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,078

$9,300

Median Property Taxes

±$835

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 Opelika, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

69.1%

Homeownership

2024

68.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.1% of the housing units in Opelika, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Opelika, 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.

$65,004

Median Household Income

± $6,526

13.5k

Number of Households

± 1,030

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.5k households in Opelika, AL grew to $65,004 from the previous year's value of $58,763.

The following chart displays the households in Opelika, 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 Opelika, 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 (82.7%)
Worked At Home (7.5%)
Carpooled (6.34%)

In 2024, 82.7% of workers in Opelika, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.34%).

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

22.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Opelika, AL have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.53% of the workforce in Opelika, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Opelika, AL (5.17k out of 32.3k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Opelika, AL is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

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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