Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 853, settled in 1883.
26% of residents live below the poverty line in Gurley, against 16% in Alabama’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. McCartney-Bone House and Steger House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gurley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gurley, 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 Gurley.
Typical home values rose 1.6% in the year to September 2026. Gurley’s midpoint rent comes in at $1,054 a month. The share of households in Gurley who live in a home they own: 69%.
| Gurley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,054 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Public schools: the Madison County school district. Its one school is below. 421 students attend Gurley’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 421 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
In Gurley, 2.2% of working residents work locally. Jobs here fell by 60 from 2013 to 2023, to 248. Half the trips to work are shorter than 16 miles. The top destinations are Huntsville (56%), Madison (4%) and Scottsboro (3%).
| Gurley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just over three fifths of Gurley’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. On expected storm and flood damage, Gurley sits above just over three quarters of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Gurley households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
24 crimes were reported in Gurley in 2025: 20 property and 4 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Gurley is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
For adults in Gurley, the share who report frequent physical distress is 13%. Against the Alabama average, Gurley comes out ahead on 8 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1. 38% of adults have high blood pressure locally, where Alabama’s towns sit at 43% and U.S. towns at 35%. Two figures for adults here: 24% get no exercise outside work, 12% have diabetes.
| Gurley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 43% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gurley | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 19.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.6% | 78% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among adults 25 and older, 22% have a four-year degree or more, against 28% across Alabama. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide). The age of the median resident in Gurley is 38.1 years.
| Gurley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.1 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Gurley | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.1% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.8% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.3% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.1% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gurley. Close and well known come first.
16 mi MuseumU.S. Space & Rocket Center1.0M visitors a year
9 mi MuseumBurritt on the Mountain
37 mi National MonumentRussell Cave National Monument8K visitors a year20 mi Theme parkSpace City USA
11 mi MuseumNorth Alabama Railroad Museum
12 mi MuseumHuntsville Museum of ArtU.S. Space & Rocket Center: formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Burritt on the Mountain: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Russell Cave National Monument: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North Alabama Railroad Museum: Jeff Hunter from Madison, AL, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Huntsville Museum of Art: Chris Pruitt, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Gurley
About 3 of every 100 Gurley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Gurley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Gurley.
Town in Alabama, United States
Gurley is a town in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 816.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gurley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
3 notable people were born here, including Harry Esslinger and Lena Styles.
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