What is the poverty rate in Alabama?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 14.7% of Alabama’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 741,100 people in Alabama were considered in poverty.
14.7%
of the population (2025)
741K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous year. Alabama's poverty rate hit a peak in 2014 of 19.3%.
In 2025, 14.7% of Alabama's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 741,100 people living in Alabama were in poverty — down 18.6% from the 2014 peak of 910,200.
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In 2025, 741,100 people in Alabama were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Alabama?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Alabama decreased from 26.6% to 19.8%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 17.6% to 13.7%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.9% to 12%.
In 2025, 19.8% of children in Alabama were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Alabama?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Alabama during 2025, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White alone, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population shifted the most, decreasing from 32% in 2015 to 18.3% in 2025.
In Alabama, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population decreased from 32.0% in 2015 to 18.3% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Alabama have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Alabama counties ranged from 7.2% in Shelby County to 40.1% in Greene County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Jefferson County — was 15.7%.
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Alabama counties ranged from 7.2% to 40.1%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Greene County | 40.1% |
| 2. | Bullock County | 33.3% |
| 3. | Perry County | 31.4% |
| 4. | Dallas County | 31.0% |
| 5. | Lowndes County | 29.9% |
| 6. | Wilcox County | 28.2% |
| 7. | Conecuh County | 27.8% |
| 8. | Sumter County | 26.5% |
| 9. | Hale County | 24.6% |
| 10. | Macon County | 24.3% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
