Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,515, settled in 1872.
Alexander City earns a D, 160th among Alabama's 187 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 116 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $47K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $200K, 3.4 years of the Alexander City area’s $59K median household income. 35% of working residents work locally in Alexander City, above both Alabama’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Alexander City is home to Central Alabama Community College. Alexander City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Alexander City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Central Alabama Community College | 1,578 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Alexander City is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 796 in 1880, 14,843 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alexander City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Alexander City.
Alexander City trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Alabama rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on that grade. Property crime runs at 31.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate, most of it theft.
Among 138 Alabama towns, just 9 have a higher violent crime rate than Alexander City. In Alexander City, the property crime rate is 31.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 31.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Two of its 6 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Alexander City school district. The largest public high school is Benjamin Russell High School, with 852 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Pearson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 704 | – |
| Benjamin Russell High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 852 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,672 U.S. towns with household incomes like Alexander City’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
41% of adults have obesity in Alexander City. Two figures for adults here: 18% have diabetes, 43% sleep under 7 hours.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Alexander City | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.1% | 4.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.7% | 19.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9.9 miles of trail. Alexander City’s trail density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 6,226 working residents takes 19.5 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
The top destinations are Montgomery (6%), Auburn (4%) and Opelika (4%). Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Alexander City itself. For Alexander City, the typical journey to work is 20 minutes.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $200K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. Values fell 2.4% in the past year while the Alabama typical home rose 1.9%.
Alexander City: 63% of households live in a home they own. Homes here are typically worth about $200,000, 16% below the Alabama typical home. The midpoint rent in the town is $721 a month.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $721 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Alexander City at 14,515 residents, down 2.3% since 2020. A bachelor’s degree or higher: a fifth of adults 25 and older, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Alexander City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Alexander City | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.2% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.9% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.7% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Households in Alexander City have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. On expected storm and flood damage, Alexander City sits above 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, Alexander City has seen 2 flood insurance claims paid out. Expected losses in Alexander City break down as 53% from inland flooding and 16% from tornadoes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alexander City
About 4 of every 100 Alexander City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
7 places in Alexander City on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Alexander City.
City in Alabama, United States
Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 census. It has been the largest community in Tallapoosa County since 1910. It is known for Lake Martin with its 750 miles (1,210 km) of wooded shoreline and 44,000 acres (18,000 ha) of water. Lake Martin stands on the Tallapoosa River and offers boating, swimming, fishing, golfing, and camping. Many neighborhoods and luxury homes are located on the lake. The city's economy was traditionally based on the textile industry, but in recent times its economic base has become more diversified as textile jobs have gone to India.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Alexander City.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander City | #160 | D | A | D− | C | D |
| Our Town | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jacksons' Gap | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Our Town and Jacksons' Gap aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Alexander City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alexander City grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #160 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
19 notable people were born here, including Terrell Owens and George Hardy.
