Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,952, settled in 1866.
Ashland’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of working residents work locally in Ashland, against 10% in Alabama’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. No town among the 178 in Alabama we compare has a lower median rent than Ashland. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. Only 27 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on the outdoors. Ashland has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hugo Black House and Clay County Courthouse. Ashland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ashland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Ashland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Ashland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 118 in 1870, a low of 118 in 1870, 1,984 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1953 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashland, 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 Ashland.
51% of adults have high blood pressure in Ashland, above both Alabama’s towns (43%) and U.S. towns (35%). 19% of adults have diabetes in Ashland. Ashland beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19.
| Ashland | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ashland | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 78% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30.7% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Clay County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 455 | B− |
| First Assembly Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 257 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
About one in 3 of Ashland’s working residents works in town. 25% of Ashland residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Ashland has added 361 jobs, to 2,462 in 2023.
| Ashland | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ashland’s violent crime rate is 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Ashland | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Ashland home is worth about $177,000, up 6.8% in a year, 26% below the Alabama typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ashland has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 188 Alabama towns, just 8 have a lower July high than Ashland.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ashland; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ashland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
4 notable people were born in Ashland.
City in and county seat of Clay County, Alabama
Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Alabama, United States. The population was 2,037 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($55,250 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
4 notable people were born here, including Bob Riley and Hiram Wesley Evans.
