Population 288 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Penton
Household size in Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.28 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.21 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.45 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.27 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.01 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Penton is a place of small households, averaging 2.27 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.1 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 49.1 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 47.9 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 49.8 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.7 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Penton skews older: half of its residents are older than 49.8, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 47.1, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.8% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.6% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Penton: 6.8% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
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 Penton
Renters in Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.0% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.2% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 19.2% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +11.2 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Penton is largely a place of homeowners: only 19.2% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Just over half of owners (53.0%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.0% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.7% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 25.5% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 17.8% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | −8.2 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Penton: 17.8% 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.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1981 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +2 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Penton are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1981, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are older than in Alabama as a whole, where the median home dates to 1986.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $708 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $396 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $578 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $543 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | −$165 | +$375 | +$606 |
The median renter in Penton pays $543 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 35.1% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
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 Penton
Bachelor's degrees in Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.0% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.7% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.7% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 28.2% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +24.2 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly three in ten adults 25 and older in Penton (28.2%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national share of 35.6%. That is in line with the rest of Alabama.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 77.8% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 70.3% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 69.6% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 87.1% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +9.4 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in eight adults in Penton never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 87.1% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
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 Penton
| Period | Penton | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 15.9% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.7% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −7.3 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in Penton: 6.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Penton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penton | 2.27 | 49.8 | 6.8% | 19.2% | 17.8% | 1981 | $543 | 28.2% | 87.1% | 6.7% |
| Chapel Hill | 2.17 | 53.9 | 10.2% | 20.6% | 23.3% | 1976 | $807 | 10.9% | 72.9% | 6.4% |
| Marcoot | 2.36 | 45.4 | 4.6% | 12.7% | 15.9% | 1982 | $746 | 22.7% | 86.3% | 9.2% |
| Tiller Crossroads | 2.33 | 46.0 | 6.0% | 16.5% | 17.0% | 1984 | $651 | 25.4% | 86.6% | 5.3% |
| Pooles Crossroad | 2.27 | 50.1 | 7.8% | 15.8% | 19.6% | 1982 | $567 | 24.4% | 87.6% | 5.6% |
| Stroud | 2.09 | 49.1 | 14.6% | 18.1% | 17.5% | 1985 | $542 | 16.8% | 86.3% | 4.5% |
| Lafayette | 2.26 | 51.3 | 10.2% | 29.5% | 16.4% | 1978 | $722 | 11.1% | 78.6% | 11.3% |
| Peavy | 2.77 | 39.7 | 12.6% | 13.4% | 29.1% | 1979 | $783 | 20.3% | 80.6% | 6.1% |
| Dickert | 2.81 | 31.4 | 11.3% | 26.2% | 14.6% | 1979 | $563 | 25.2% | 92.0% | 4.4% |
| Five Points | 2.23 | 45.9 | 19.3% | 15.5% | 22.7% | 1985 | $538 | 9.7% | 87.2% | 8.6% |
| Wadley | 2.75 | 33.3 | 13.1% | 23.7% | 20.4% | 1978 | $604 | 22.2% | 87.9% | 5.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Sunny Side, TX · Straits Corners, NY · Strangford, PA · String Prairie, TX · Stuart, AR · Sudbury, VT · Sugar Grove, KY · Sugar Valley, TX · Summerfield, LA · Hynson, MD
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 Penton. 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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