US 84 Sign, 2013
Cowarts’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 350 in 1970, 1,930 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
- 1880Cowarts is settled
CowartsAL
A town of 2,064, settled in 1880.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: The Bushranger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
2,064
2025 Census estimate · +6.8% since 2020
Typical home
$180K
+4.7% in a year
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
37.8
years
Jobs based here
439
A commuter town
Is Cowarts a good place to live?
The best of Cowarts’ subject grades are an A− for schools and a B+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for walkability. Cowarts’ January low is 39°F, above both the Alabama town median (33°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Cowarts's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 28 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse. Cowarts has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Cowarts stand out
Where Cowarts beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Cowarts for work
Where Cowarts’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
439jobs based in Cowarts
3%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Cowarts grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Cowarts is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 3.7% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 82% of U.S. towns; Southeast Health Medical Center 3.1 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Jobs & income$64K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsBeat 75% of Alabama districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryDOpen →Civic life2.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.8; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Cowarts: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cowarts, and how to reach them.
PowerWiregrass Electric Coop16.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCowarts Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Cowarts’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHouston County Circuit ClerkHouston County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP codes36321, 36303, 3630136321 88% · 36303 7% · 36301 5%Census 2020
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 Cowarts.
HealthC−
A larger share of adults in Cowarts have been diagnosed with depression than in the typical Alabama or U.S. town
27% of Cowarts adults have been diagnosed with depression, against 24% in Alabama’s towns and 23% across U.S. towns. 43% of Cowarts adults have high blood pressure. Cowarts tracks Alabama closely on all 32 CDC measures.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Cowarts | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 43% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Alabama
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Southeast Health Medical Center
3.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
More than half of Cowarts’ working residents commute to Dothan
Most working residents leave Cowarts for work: only 3% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Cowarts. Since 2013, Cowarts has lost 133 jobs, to 439 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Cowarts | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Cowarts3%
Dothan52%
Ashford4%
Montgomery3%
Daleville1%
8 mi
median commute distance
439
jobs based in Cowarts
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B+
Cowarts’ typical home value is about $180K
The typical Cowarts home is worth about $180,000, up 4.7% in a year, 25% below the Alabama typical home. Cowarts’ median rent is $902 a month.
$180KZillow home value
| Cowarts | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $902 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Cowarts$180K
Alabama$239K
+4.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Cowarts, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Cowarts since 2024.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes
1
paid flood claims since 2024
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Cowarts
Cowarts has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Cowarts is 92°F.
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter41–63°
Spring55–79°
Summer71–91°
Fall57–79°
Nov 24
typical first frost
Mar 5
typical last frost
+0.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cowarts
17pages on Cowarts
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Cowarts
Alabama College of Osteopathic MedicineUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dothan1.8 miGeorge C Wallace Community College-DothanCommunity college · Public · Dothan11.9 mi$4,980 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Cowarts residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
About Cowarts
Town in Alabama, United States
Cowarts is a town in Houston County, Alabama, United States. The town incorporated in August 1961. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Cowarts had a population of 1,930.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 344 ft
- ZIP code
- 36321
- Area code
- 334
Cowarts’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Cowarts.
AvonDothanCowarts
How the neighbors grade
Cowarts has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cowarts reports no FBI crime data of its own. Avon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cowarts with a neighbor →
Questions about Cowarts
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cowarts, AL expensive?
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+.