Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clanton earns a D, ranked 138th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 23 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $48K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $223K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. Only 13 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on walkability. Gragg Field Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Clanton beats most towns.
Gragg Field Historic DistrictWhere Clanton’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 Clanton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 623 in 1890, 8,768 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clanton, 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 Clanton.
Clanton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Montgomery and beyond and fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally.
5,838 jobs are based in Clanton, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Clanton’s working residents works in town. Clanton’s median household income is $48,000, where Alabama’s towns sit at $62,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. The average trip to work in Clanton is 23 minutes.
| Clanton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Chilton County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Chilton County High School, with 833 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clanton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 942 | A− |
| Chilton County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 833 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
At 47.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 406 to 291 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Clanton’s property crime rate is 28.7 per 1,000 residents, above both Alabama’s towns (16.9) and U.S. towns (9.9). Clanton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Clanton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,843 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clanton’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Alabama it is less healthy than 59% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Clanton tracks Alabama closely on all 32 CDC measures. 45% of Clanton adults have high blood pressure.
| Clanton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 43% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 12% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Clanton Parks, at 78 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Clanton | 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. Clanton Parks | 1.2 mi | 78 |
| 2. EM Henry Park | 0.7 mi | 29 |
| 3. City of Clanton Trail Park | 0.4 mi | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Clanton weather station records that about 57 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 75% of Alabama places with climate records.
Clanton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Clanton’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $223K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 36 miles.
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. 64% of households own their home in Clanton.
| Clanton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $869 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clanton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Clanton; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Clanton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
9 notable people were born in Clanton.
City in Chilton County, Alabama, U.S.
Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States and the county seat. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,768. Clanton is near the site of the geographic center of the U.S. state of Alabama.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clanton grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #138 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C− 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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Drew Roy and Grayson Russell.
