Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Greenville grades D− overall, ranked 184th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $41K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. It reports more crime per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, including 49 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 29 places on the National Register. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Greenville, above both Alabama’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include South Greenville Historic District and Commerce Street Residential Historic District. Greenville's public schools trail 90% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Greenville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Commerce Street Residential Historic District
Rufus Payne
Census counts: 2,856 in 1870, 7,374 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
29 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Greenville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Greenville, 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 Greenville.
Greenville draws workers from Montgomery and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Alabama rate.
Violent crime runs at 7.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 32.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Greenville is 7.1 per 1,000 residents. Greenville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. The property crime rate in Greenville is 32.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Greenville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 32.1 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Butler County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Greenville High School, with 526 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO Parmer Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 528 | – |
| Greenville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 526 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
4,722 jobs are based in Greenville, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Greenville’s working residents works in town. Greenville’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Greenville grew to 4,722 in 2023, 405 more than in 2013.
| Greenville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 37% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 3.5% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.5 years of the county’s $45K median household income, the typical home (about $113K) costs less against local pay than in 84% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The typical value, about $113K, is 11% below its February 2025 peak.
The typical Greenville home is worth about $113,000, up 3.7% in a year, 52% below the Alabama typical home. 44% of households own their home in Greenville.
| Greenville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $730 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 2,616 U.S. towns with household incomes like Greenville’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Greenville beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 50% of Greenville adults have high blood pressure. Only 9 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Greenville.
| Greenville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Greenville | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 14.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.7% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Greenville has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sherling Lake Park, at 77 acres.
| Greenville | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sherling Lake Park | 0.5 mi | 77 |
| 2. Beeland Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Dunbar Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Greenville; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Greenville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Greenville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
29 places in Greenville on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Greenville.
City in Alabama, United States
Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,374. Greenville is known as the Camellia City, wherein originated the movement to change the official Alabama state flower from the goldenrod to the camellia with legislative sponsors LaMont Glass and H.B. Taylor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Greenville grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #184 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($44,755 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
15 notable people were born here, including Rufus Payne and George McMillan.
