Population 8,480 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Centre
Household size in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.15 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.15 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.26 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.35 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.20 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Centre is a place of small households, averaging 2.35 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has climbed from 2.15 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell. Households are largest in the south and smallest in the northwest.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.8 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.8 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 50.3 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 54.9 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +10.1 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Centre skews older: half of its residents are older than 54.9, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. The median age has climbed from 44.8 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. Only one other Alabama city with 5,000+ people is older.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.1% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.1% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 8.1% of households in Centre, well below the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has edged down 1.1 points, as it has nationally. Centre has a lower share of single-parent households than at least four in five Alabama cities.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Centre
Renters in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.4% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 22.4% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 26.9% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 25.1% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
About a quarter of households in Centre rent their homes (25.1%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Just over six in ten owners (62.3%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. The renter share has edged up 0.7 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.3% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 23.9% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 30.2% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 24.9% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Centre: 24.9% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand. Since 2006–10, vacancy has edged up 0.7 points, even as the national rate fell.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1985 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1980 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +1 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in Centre was built around 1980, the same vintage as the country's housing overall. Homes here are older than in Alabama overall, where the median home dates to 1986. The newest homes are mostly in the southeast, the oldest in the west.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $381 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $614 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $587 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $726 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$346 | +$375 | +$606 |
Rent in Centre runs $726 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $346 a month since 2006–10, up 91%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 28.7% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Rents run highest in the east and lowest in the center.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Centre
Bachelor's degrees in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.8% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.7% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.6% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.9% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.1 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Centre have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 15.9%, against 35.6% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 2.1 points, a smaller shift than nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 80.7% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 79.7% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 83.8% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 76.3% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | −4.3 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly a quarter of adults in Centre never finished high school, well above the national share: only 76.3% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has fallen 4.3 points, even as the national rate rose. Only six of the 186 Alabama cities with 5,000+ people have a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Centre
| Period | Centre | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.6% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.1% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −5.6 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.4%, unemployment in Centre is the same as the national rate. Unemployment has fallen 5.6 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Centre compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre | 2.35 | 54.9 | 8.1% | 25.1% | 24.9% | 1980 | $726 | 15.9% | 76.3% | 5.4% |
| Piney | 2.13 | 54.0 | 6.4% | 4.5% | 29.4% | 1995 | $595 | 23.0% | 91.9% | 7.6% |
| Howells Crossroads | 1.90 | 64.4 | 4.8% | 18.5% | 68.6% | 1989 | $864 | 6.4% | 64.1% | 5.3% |
| Tennala | 3.11 | 47.8 | 5.9% | 9.0% | 27.2% | 1969 | $758 | 32.1% | 86.7% | 1.0% |
| Key | 3.15 | 30.9 | 7.9% | 46.4% | 27.5% | 1996 | $855 | 2.8% | 78.2% | 0.0% |
| Bay Springs | 2.06 | 59.5 | 13.0% | 23.2% | 21.3% | 1979 | $619 | 19.4% | 75.8% | 2.2% |
| Ellisville | 2.96 | 47.5 | 5.7% | 16.6% | 25.2% | 1979 | $935 | 23.7% | 80.0% | 5.3% |
| Cedar Bluff | 2.75 | 43.8 | 8.2% | 19.0% | 36.3% | 1990 | $898 | 14.9% | 89.4% | 3.6% |
| Cornwall Furnace | 2.65 | 45.6 | 10.8% | 24.2% | 36.1% | 1984 | $824 | 18.7% | 83.7% | 4.2% |
| Lawrence | 2.47 | 58.8 | 8.5% | 17.0% | 33.0% | 1996 | $1,000 | 9.9% | 90.8% | 0.8% |
| Whorton | 2.36 | 52.5 | 9.5% | 31.0% | 19.1% | 1987 | $1,071 | 7.0% | 74.4% | 9.4% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Parkville, MO · Monrovia, MD · Montecito, CA · Montvale, NJ · Mora, MN · Mosinee, WI · Old Orchard Beach, ME · Owego, NY · Palmer, PR · Palmetto, GA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Centre. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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