Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,256, settled in 1850.
The best of Goodwater’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for schools. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Goodwater, above both the Alabama town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 2 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on cost of living. The median household income is $40K, and 36% of residents live below the poverty line. Goodwater's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Goodwater has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Goodwater beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Goodwater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 589 in 1890, a peak of 2,172 in 1970, 1,291 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2011 and 4 maps from 1944 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Goodwater, 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 Goodwater.
Goodwater had 659 jobs in 2023, up 112 from 2013. Only 9% of working residents stay in Goodwater for work; the rest commute out. Its median household income is $40,000, against $62,000 in Alabama’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Alexander City (18%), Montgomery (9%) and Sylacauga (4%).
| Goodwater | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For adults in Goodwater, the share who had a checkup this year is 85%. Among 188 Alabama towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Goodwater. This Alabama town beats the Alabama average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Goodwater | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 55% | 43% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Goodwater | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.4% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 19.7% | 23.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.2% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Goodwater: 57% of households are owner-occupiers. Home values are up 4.4% over the year to September 2026. Its rent at the middle of the market comes in at $650 a month.
| Goodwater | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $650 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Goodwater's reported crime rate is well below Alabama's. In Goodwater, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025.
| Goodwater | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
51% of Goodwater’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 19%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Goodwater after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.0 miles of trail. Goodwater’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Goodwater
About 3 of every 100 Goodwater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
1,475 counted in 2010 and 1,291 in 2020; an estimated 1,256 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 notable people were born in Goodwater.
Town in Alabama, United States
Goodwater is a town in Coosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,291. It is part of the Talladega-Sylacauga Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Robert Daniel Carmichael and Jamario Moon.
