Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,136, settled in 1888. A typical home costs 3 years of the county’s $50K median household income.
Guin’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 6 have a lower average trip to work than Guin. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Guin's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Sam R. Murphy Wildlife Management Area, at 818 acres. Guin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Guin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Guin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Guin, 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 Guin.
48% of adults have high blood pressure in Guin, above both Alabama’s towns (43%) and U.S. towns (35%). 17% of Guin adults have diabetes. Guin beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Guin | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Guin | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.2% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.7% | 7.3% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.2% | 4.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Marion County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guin Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 308 | A+ |
| Marion County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 223 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
The typical Guin home is worth about $152,000, up 1.7% in a year, 36% below the Alabama typical home. 65% of households own their home in Guin, against 69% in Alabama’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Guin has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Guin is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Guin’s violent crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Guin | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Guin for work: only 18% work in town. Since 2013, Guin has added 238 jobs, to 1,221 in 2023. The top destinations are Winfield (13%), Hamilton (10%) and Tuscaloosa (4%).
| Guin | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. 19% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Guin. Guin has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 2,136 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Guin | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
64% women, 36% men
About 56 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±6.6 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Guin | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.4% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.9% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.4% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.1% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.9% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.3% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sam R. Murphy Wildlife Management Area, at 818 acres.
| Guin | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.6% | 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. Sam R. Murphy Wildlife Management Area | — | 818 |
| 2. Guin Hayden Riley Park | 0.1 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Guin; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Guin residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
3 notable people were born in Guin.
City in Alabama, United States
Guin is a city in Marion County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in December 1889. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,195.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Guin.
Guin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Twin isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Guin with a neighbor →
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Bud Riley and Hayden Riley.