Population 20,492 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Fort Payne
Household size in Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.52 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.69 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.76 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.70 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.18 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
At 2.70 people per household, Fort Payne sits close to the national average of 2.65. The typical household here is bigger than in Alabama overall, where it has 2.56 people. Household size has climbed from 2.52 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell.
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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.6 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.6 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.7 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.2 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | −0.5 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Fort Payne is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.2, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has edged down from 38.6 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose.
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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.8% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 11.0% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.3% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.4 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit more common in Fort Payne than nationally: 13.3%, against 11.6%. Compared with other Alabama cities, Fort Payne has a higher share of single-parent households than most.
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 Fort Payne
Renters in Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.2% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 29.5% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.7% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 25.8% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Fort Payne own their homes; 25.8% rent, below the national share of 34.8%. More than half of owners (54.9%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the southwest and least common in the southeast. Since 2006–10, the renter share has edged up 0.5 points, in line with the national trend.
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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.8% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.3% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 17.5% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 14.7% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 14.7% of the housing in Fort Payne, 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. Vacancy is up 0.9 points from 2006–10, 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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1975 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1980 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Fort Payne are the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1980. Homes here are older than in Alabama as a whole, where the median home dates to 1986. The median year built has moved up from 1975 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the northwest, the oldest in the center.
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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $460 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $580 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $604 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $716 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$256 | +$375 | +$606 |
Rent in Fort Payne runs $716 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $256 a month since 2006–10, up 56%, a slower climb than the nation's. The typical renter here spends 28.4% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Renters on a budget will find the lowest rents in the center; the highest are in the south.
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 Fort Payne
Bachelor's degrees in Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.6% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.5% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.9% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 17.7% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.0 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Fort Payne have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 17.7%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 4.0 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 67.7% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 71.3% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 72.4% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 79.1% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +11.4 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in five adults in Fort Payne never finished high school, well above the national share: only 79.1% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma has risen 11.4 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Only nine 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 Fort Payne
| Period | Fort Payne | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.5% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.6% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.0% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.1%, unemployment in Fort Payne is close to the national rate of 5.4%. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 2.4 points, 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).
Fort Payne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Payne | 2.70 | 38.2 | 13.3% | 25.8% | 14.7% | 1980 | $716 | 17.7% | 79.1% | 5.1% |
| Pine Ridge | 2.84 | 39.5 | 7.3% | 25.4% | 9.5% | 1981 | $737 | 15.7% | 79.5% | 2.8% |
| Rainsville | 2.42 | 43.8 | 9.3% | 13.9% | 10.1% | 1989 | $663 | 21.3% | 89.2% | 1.2% |
| Lebanon | 2.01 | 47.1 | 14.1% | 21.6% | 25.8% | 1981 | $683 | 11.0% | 65.8% | 0.0% |
| Loveless | 2.20 | 44.2 | 13.0% | 18.3% | 22.7% | 1984 | $733 | 9.8% | 66.2% | 4.7% |
| Jamestown | 2.45 | 51.1 | 2.4% | 13.2% | 22.6% | 1990 | $1,264 | 12.4% | 79.8% | 9.1% |
| Taff | 3.60 | 31.8 | 1.4% | 6.1% | 38.5% | 1988 | $1,263 | 11.6% | 86.6% | 5.4% |
| Sylvania | 2.66 | 44.7 | 13.8% | 15.0% | 10.0% | 1989 | $677 | 20.5% | 84.3% | 3.1% |
| Shiloh | 2.67 | 39.5 | 3.0% | 11.7% | 14.3% | 1988 | $681 | 12.8% | 94.8% | 0.9% |
| Hammondville | 2.68 | 45.7 | 2.0% | 14.0% | 26.9% | 1987 | $673 | 16.6% | 73.8% | 3.7% |
| Valley Head | 2.65 | 41.2 | 5.6% | 20.1% | 21.7% | 1986 | $845 | 17.2% | 81.1% | 5.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Gaston, SC · Exeter, NH · Fairfax Station, VA · Fairwood, WA · Fillmore, CA · Forest City, NC · Forked River, NJ · Fort Bragg, NC · Fulton, MO · Evergreen Park, IL
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 Fort Payne. 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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