Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Attalla grades D overall, 141st of 187 graded towns in Alabama, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 37 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. What it does well: a typical home costs about $144K, 2.6 years of the Gadsden metro’s $55K median household income. Attalla’s property crime rate is 43.1 per 1,000 residents, against 16.9 in Alabama’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Attalla has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them U.S. Post Office and Attalla Downtown Historic District. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Attalla beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
U.S. Post OfficeEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Attalla is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 94% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 351 in 1880, a peak of 8,257 in 1960, 5,827 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1959 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Attalla, 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 Attalla.
Attalla has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports property crime at 3 times the Alabama rate.
Property crime runs at 43.1 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Alabama rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 435 to 284 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Attalla’s violent crime rate is 6.5 per 1,000 residents. Attalla reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Attalla City school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Etowah High School, with 453 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attalla Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 665 | B− |
| Etowah High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 453 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
44% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Attalla. Attalla beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 45% of adults have high blood pressure in Attalla.
| Attalla | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 43% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Attalla | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.6 years of the Gadsden metro’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $144K) costs less against local pay than in 80% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Attalla is $743 a month. Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Attalla | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $743 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Attalla.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Attalla has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Attalla for work: only 11% work in town. The top destinations are Gadsden (30%), Rainbow City (5%) and Birmingham (4%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Attalla | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Siberton Park, at 51 acres.
| Attalla | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Siberton Park | 0.1 mi | 51 |
| 2. Attalla City Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Attalla. Close and well known come first.
39 mi MountainCheaha Mountain
7 mi WaterfallNoccalula Falls Park
28 mi MuseumInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame
32 mi National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve782K visitors a year
27 mi National MonumentFreedom Riders National Monument
14 mi GardenJanney Furnace ParkCheaha Mountain: Amann09 (talk · contribs), Public domain · Noccalula Falls Park: Thejammer (talk), Public domain · International Motorsports Hall of Fame: BWard 1997, CC BY 4.0 · Little River Canyon National Preserve: Richard A. Weaver, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Riders National Monument: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Janney Furnace Park: dofftoubab, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Attalla
About 2 of every 100 Attalla residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
2 places in Attalla on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Attalla.
City in Alabama, United States
Attalla is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Attalla had a population of 5,827.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Attalla.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Attalla grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #141 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Patrick Nix and Gerald William Barrax.
