BrilliantAL
A town of 838, settled in 1899.
Is Brilliant a good place to live?
36% of residents live below the poverty line in Brilliant, above both the Alabama town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 188 Alabama towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Brilliant. Brilliant has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
838 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Brilliant: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brilliant, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Brilliant.
Most of Brilliant’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Brilliant for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Brilliant fell to 67 in 2023, 231 fewer than in 2013. Brilliant’s average trip to work is 21 minutes, where Alabama’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
| Brilliant | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The schools Brilliant’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Marion County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brilliant SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 258 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Brilliant has mild winters and hot summers
Brilliant has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Brilliant’s July high is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Brilliant faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Crime reported in Brilliant
8 crimes were reported in Brilliant in 2024: 8 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Brilliant is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
A larger share of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Brilliant than in most of Alabama or the rest of the country
27% of Brilliant adults have been diagnosed with depression. Brilliant beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 46% of Brilliant adults have high blood pressure.
| Brilliant | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 43% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Brilliant | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.6% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.1% | 8% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Brilliant has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
3.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ivan Gainey Memorial Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Brilliant
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Brilliant; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Brilliant residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
98% of working residents leave Brilliant for work
Where Brilliant’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Brilliant
Town in Alabama, United States
Brilliant is a town in Marion County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 845.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1957
- Area
- 11 sq mi
- Elevation
- 620 ft
- ZIP code
- 35548
- Area code
- 205
Questions about Brilliant
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brilliant, AL a good place to live?
Brilliant has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.