Of the 188 Alabama towns we compare, none has a lower typical July afternoon high than Ider. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 31° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.

5″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter32–51°

Spring48–69°

Summer65–85°

Fall49–70°

Oct 29

typical first frost

Apr 8

typical last frost

+0.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageIder’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 86°, January lows 31°Rain & snow5″ of snow a winter · 57 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+0.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

Ider stands out in Alabama and nationally: the average trip to work there is longer

15% of residents live below the poverty line in Ider. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The income of the median household for Ider comes to $54,000. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 67, to 249.

3%work in town

	Ider	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	35 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	2.8%	10%	8%
Median household income	$54,000	$62,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	15%	16%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Ider3%

Fort Payne12%

Trenton10%

Chattanooga9%

Rainsville6%

21 mi

median commute distance

249

jobs based in Ider

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageIder’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here249 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work3% work in Ider Commute times35 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 21 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Housing

Zillow puts the typical Ider home at about $204K

Home values are up 6.7% over the year to September 2026. 71% of households live in a home they own in Ider, against 69% in Alabama’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.

$204KZillow home value

Typical home value

Ider$204K

Alabama$239K

+6.7%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageIder’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 6.7% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.7 years of income Rents$760 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Safety

Crime reported in Ider

In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. 4 crimes were reported in Ider in 2024: 2 property and 2 violent.

Ider is small, so we show counts rather than rates.

violent crimes reported in 2024

property crimes reported in 2024

Full pageIder’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by typeReported in 2024 Crime over the yearsReported crime since 2023 Questions“Is Ider, AL safe?”

FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police

Health

A larger share of adults in Ider smoke cigarettes than in the typical Alabama or U.S. town

Two figures for adults in Ider: 52% have high blood pressure, 19% have diabetes. 37% of adults get no exercise outside work locally, above both the Alabama town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (25%). In Ider, 12% of adults binge drink. CDC measures, 32 in all: Ider beats Alabama on 1 and trails on 16.

	Ider	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	21%	15%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	52%	43%	35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	19%	15%	12%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	23%	16%	14%

32 measures vs. Alabama

1 better15 too close to call16 worse

What stands out	Ider	AL
More adults treating high blood pressure	81.5%	78%
More adults with COPD	14.8%	8%

Dekalb Regional Medical Center

18.8 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: primary care

Full pageIder’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby18.8 miles to an ER · Dekalb Regional Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than AL on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Ider faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected losses in Ider break down as 50% from inland flooding and 14% from cold waves. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 59% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ider after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.

59risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageIder’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters5 federal disasters · Paid out in Ider Get ready1.7 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Outdoors

Protected land: 1.1% of Ider

Ider has one park or preserve, 14 acres in all.

1.1%conserved

1.1%

conserved · 39 of 3,462 acres

0.0 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Ider Park	—	14

Full pageIder’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.0 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk14 acres · Ider Park Conserved land1.1% conserved · 39 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Ider?”

Nearby attractions

Lookout Mountain and 17 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ider. Close and well known come first.

All 33 attractions →

19 mi MountainLookout Mountain 18 mi CaveEllison's Cave

29 mi WaterfallRuby Falls

20 mi Park & preserveNickajack Cave

14 mi State parkCloudland Canyon State Park

14 mi National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve782K visitors a year

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Lookout Mountain: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ruby Falls: Oydman (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nickajack Cave: Blueway, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cloudland Canyon State Park: Ronmacal at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Little River Canyon National Preserve: Richard A. Weaver, CC BY-SA 4.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ider

19pages on Ider

The big questions

Schools1 school Safety2.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2024)HealthBetter than AL on 1 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$204K typical home · up 6.7% in a year Work & commute$54K median household income · 249 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 59% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors0 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesAttractions33 nearby · Little River Canyon National Preserve 14 mi Library5 library visits per resident Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1877 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 93 residents Climate86° summer highs · 5″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 35981 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Ider; the nearest are

Northeast Alabama Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Rainsville17.6 mi$5,040 in-state tuition The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaUniversity or college · Public · Chattanooga, TN31.7 mi$10,448 in-state tuition

About 3 of every 100 Ider residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Ider

Town in Alabama, United States

Ider is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 735. It incorporated in October 1973.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 5.4 sq mi
Elevation: 1,545 ft
ZIP code: 35981
Area code: 256

Questions about Ider

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ider, AL a good place to live?

Ider has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is Ider a good place to live?

742 people, and everyone knows the way

149 years in pictures

Moving to Ider: who provides what

The data

The schools Ider’s kids attend

Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Ider