Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Columbiana gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $302K, 4.2 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. It grades B overall, 46th of 187 graded towns in Alabama. On the plus side, its public schools beat 83% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. 17% of residents are under 18 in Columbiana, where Alabama’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Columbiana City Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Columbiana beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Elvin Hill Elementary School | K–5 | 534 |
| Columbiana Middle School | 6–8 | 428 |
| Shelby County High School | 9–12 | 572 |
Columbiana City HallEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Columbiana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 496 in 1880, 4,462 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbiana, 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 Columbiana.
Columbiana pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, looks healthier within Alabama than nationally and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $302K.
Its public schools are run by the Shelby County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Shelby County High School, with 572 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvin Hill Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 534 | B+ |
| Shelby County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 572 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
The typical Columbiana home is worth about $302,000, up 1.9% in a year, 26% above the Alabama typical home. 64% of Columbiana households own their home.
| Columbiana | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $940 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Columbiana has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Columbiana is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Columbiana | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 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. Columbiana Sports Complex | — | 14 |
| 2. Columbiana City Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here fell from 2,982 in 2013 to 2,309.
Most working residents leave Columbiana for work: only 10% work in town. Columbiana’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. Since 2013, Columbiana has lost 673 jobs, to 2,309 in 2023.
| Columbiana | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9.8% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Alabama it is healthier than 65% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Columbiana beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Columbiana. Only 7 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Columbiana.
| Columbiana | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 43% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 78% | 80% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Columbiana | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 12.9% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.1% | 78% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 96 to 55 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Alabama, it does better than 79% of towns.
| Columbiana | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.2 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Columbiana. Close and well known come first.
26 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
26 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
25 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
26 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena
9 mi National forestTalladega National Forest26 mi Theme parkAlabama Adventure & Splash AdventureLegion Field: USGS, Public domain · Protective Stadium: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sloss Furnaces: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legacy Arena: AuburnShuffle, CC0 · Talladega National Forest: Amann09 (talk · contribs), Public domain
None within 15 miles of Columbiana; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Columbiana residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
City in and county seat of Shelby County, Alabama
Columbiana is a city and the county seat of Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,462.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Columbiana.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbiana | #46 | B | B+ | B− | A− | C+ |
| Chelsea | #12 | A | B− | — | A− | A |
Chelsea reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Columbiana with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Columbiana grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #46 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and A− for schools.
Within Alabama, it does better than 79% of towns.
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 B+.
