Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Ashford’s best subject grades are an A− for schools and a B+ for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. Only 10 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a higher July high than Ashford. Ashford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Only 19 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on the outdoors. Ashford has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Alabama Midland Railway Depot and Dupree School. Ashford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ashford beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Ashford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 286 in 1900, 2,246 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashford, 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 Ashford.
Ashford tracks Alabama closely on all 32 CDC measures. 38% of adults feel lonely in Ashford, where Alabama’s towns sit at 36% and U.S. towns at 33%. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Ashford.
| Ashford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Houston County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ashford High School, with 413 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 668 | B+ |
| Ashford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 413 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
The typical Ashford home is worth about $176,000, up 1.9% in a year, 26% below the Alabama typical home.
| Ashford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $994 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 69% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ashford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ashford has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. At 39°F, Ashford’s January low is above both Alabama’s towns (33°F) and U.S. towns (22°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Ashford for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Ashford has added 282 jobs, to 998 in 2023. 4.5% of Ashford workers work from home.
| Ashford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.5% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. Ashford has grown 9.5% since 2020, to 2,470 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Ashford’s median age is 36.8 years.
| Ashford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.8 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 ±7.9 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Ashford | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.6% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.4% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.8% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.7% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Ashford's reported crime rate is well below Alabama's. The property crime rate in Ashford is 4.7 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Ashford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 19.5 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ashford
About 3 of every 100 Ashford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
City in Alabama, United States
Ashford is a city in Houston County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was incorporated in June 1891. For most of its history, it was a center for naval stores production, pulpwood harvesting, and cotton agriculture. As of the 2020 census, Ashford had a population of 2,246.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Not for the area. That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($57,791 across the Dothan, AL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
