Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Boaz gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $215K, 3.4 years of the Albertville area’s $63K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 63rd of 187 in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. 35% of residents are under 18 in Boaz, above both the Alabama town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Boaz is home to Snead State Community College. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 2 have a lower July high than Boaz.
Where Boaz beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Snead State Community College | 1,318 |
Thomas A. Snellgrove HomesteadEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Boaz is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 253 in 1900, 10,107 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Boaz, 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 Boaz.
Boaz is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
Against the 5,742 U.S. towns with household incomes like Boaz’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
34% of Boaz adults get no exercise outside work. Boaz beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 28% of Boaz adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Boaz | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Boaz | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 14.4% | 9.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.5% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Boaz City school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Boaz High School, with 721 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boaz Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 583 | B+ |
| Boaz High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 721 | C− |
| Boaz Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 361 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
2.1 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Boaz Parks and Recreation, at 49 acres.
| Boaz | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Mill Park | 0.6 mi | 6 |
| 2. Corley Park and Playgrounds | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Boaz Parks and Recreation | 0.2 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 88.1°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 96% of Alabama places with climate records; January nights average 32.1°.
Boaz has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Boaz’s January low is 32°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Boaz for work: only 17% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Boaz. Jobs based in Boaz fell to 5,093 in 2023, 826 fewer than in 2013.
| Boaz | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Boaz's reported crime rate is below Alabama's. The violent crime rate in Boaz is 0.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Boaz | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Boaz | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $663 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Boaz
About 5 of every 100 Boaz residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
4 places in Boaz on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Boaz.
City in Alabama, United States
Boaz is a city in Marshall and Etowah counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The Marshall County portion of the city is part of the Albertville Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,107. Boaz was known for its outlet shops.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Boaz.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boaz | #63 | B− | A | — | B | D |
| Sardis City | — | — | B | B− | B+ | C− |
| Albertville | #139 | D | B+ | C | C | C− |
| New Union | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carlisle-Rockledge | — | — | A+ | — | B+ | C− |
Sardis City and Carlisle-Rockledge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Boaz and Carlisle-Rockledge report no FBI crime data of their own. New Union isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Boaz with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Boaz grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #63 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health and B for schools. Health 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Rose Maddox and Tim Hodge.
