Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Centre gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $224K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the county’s $54K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 129th of 187 in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $45K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line, and its crime rate is higher than 89% of U.S. towns, with 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 10% of residents are under 18 in Centre, where Alabama’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 16 of Alabama’s 258 towns score higher on civic life. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
Where Centre beats most towns.
Where Centre’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 Centre is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 250 in 1850, a low of 144 in 1880, 3,587 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Centre, 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 Centre.
Centre trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Gadsden and beyond and fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally.
2,926 jobs are based in Centre, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Centre’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Gadsden (7%), Leesburg (5%) and Rome (5%).
| Centre | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cherokee County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cherokee County High School, with 448 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 665 | B+ |
| Cherokee County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 448 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
At 46.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Alabama’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 32 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Centre is 32 per 1,000 residents. Centre reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Centre | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 32 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 3,883 U.S. towns with household incomes like Centre’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Alabama it is healthier than 55% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Centre beats the Alabama average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 44% of Centre adults have high blood pressure.
| Centre | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Centre | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.5% | 13.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Centre | 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. Ethel Morrison Memorial Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Centre since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Gadsden weather station, 20 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 240 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 94% of Alabama places with climate records. The Gadsden weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 66 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 79% of Alabama places with climate records.
Centre has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Centre’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $224K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
The typical Centre home is worth about $224,000, up 1.3% in a year, 6% below the Alabama typical home. Only 9 of the 177 Alabama towns we compare have a lower median rent than Centre.
| Centre | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $594 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Centre; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Centre residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
City in and county seat of Cherokee County, Alabama
Centre is a city in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,587. The city is the county seat of Cherokee County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Centre grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #129 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C for health, D for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Greg Jelks and Benjamin A Poore.