Making a living in Florala
About one in seven work in Florala; the top destination outside it is Andalusia (10%, 22 miles). Getting around Florala on foot earns C. The average commute takes 40 minutes each way (Alabama 26, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Florala, in a few figures
Florala workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 40 minutes each way, against 26 across Alabama. Over a year that’s about 307 hours of commuting, 107 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Florala’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Florala is Andalusia, 22 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (51) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 536 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
From Florala, about 40 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Florala workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 584 commuters (the 3% who work from home are left out). Across Alabama: 88% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Florala’s workers travel
About 35% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How many people are in Florala by day
On a workday 447 residents head out to work, 89 work right here, and 400 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Florala goes to work
Where Florala clocks in
10% of workers
6% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What Florala’s employers do
489 jobs are based in Florala.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Florala, 2013 → 2023: 523 → 489. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Florala’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Florala, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Florala is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 1.7% across Alabama.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 602 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 16.9% of Florala households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Florala’s commuters take a bus or train.
The towns around Florala
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Florala workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florala | – | — | C | 40 min | — |
| Lockhart | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lockhart: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Florala’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Florala: questions
What is the poverty rate in Florala?
16.5%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Florala?
40 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Florala work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Andalusia (10%, 22 mi), Crestview (6%, 24 mi), DeFuniak Springs (6%, 25 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Florala walkable?
Florala is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Florala without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 17% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Florala, from the people who make the trip.
More of Florala
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.