DeKalb County, Alabama
Population 72,269 · Fort Payne, Rainsville, Henagar
- Overall cost of living: −16.8% vs the US average, lower than 96% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Unemployment rate: 2.5%, lower than 95% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−16.8% | lower than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Alabama outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $152,700 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Median rent | $693 | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $193/mo | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,346/yr | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.32% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $496 | lower than 97% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $51,204 | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +4.2% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 279.1 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈212 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 30°F | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈1 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Sand Mt Substn, AL, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈26 days | lower than 58% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Valley Head 1 SSW, AL, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈78 days | lower than 67% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Valley Head 1 SSW, AL, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 12.8% of weeks | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈67.2°F | higher than 74% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 57 in | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $129/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $103/yr | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1/yr | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $12/yr | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $6.9/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.93/yr | higher than 56% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.3 µg/m³ | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 290.1 mi | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,028.4 ft | higher than 75% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 79.2% | lower than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 14.1% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5.2% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.3:1 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 91.9% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.38 | lower than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.72 | lower than 89% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.57 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 42/100k | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 73.1 yrs | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 15% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 62/100k | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 30/100k | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 38.7% | lower than 84% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 67 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 89 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.9% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 4.4% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 127 min | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 12 per sq mi | lower than 66% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.1 per 1k | higher than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 8.3 per 1k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Population | 72,269 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.5 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +5.4 per 1k/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 12.7% Dem | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 86.6% Rep | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.6% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % White | 77% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 17.1% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.3% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.2% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.4% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 89 parks | higher than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 12.2 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.5 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 142 min | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.2% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 36 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 274 km | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 5 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 38 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 49 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data