Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,781, settled in 1880.
Lanett earns a D−, 170th of 187 graded towns in Alabama, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 96% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $125K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the LaGrange area’s $55K median household income. On walkability, just 19 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better. Lanett's police reported 33 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. Among 186 Alabama towns, just 6 have a lower average trip to work than Lanett.
Where Lanett beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| W O Lance Elementary | PK–6 | 564 |
| Lanett Junior High School | 7–8 | 147 |
| Lanett Senior High School | 9–12 | 260 |
Where Lanett’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Lanett is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 655 in 1880, 6,970 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lanett, 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 Lanett.
Lanett sends many workers across the state line to LaGrange, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Its public schools are run by the Lanett City school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W O Lance ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 564 | C− |
| Lanett Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 260 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,146 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lanett’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults have diabetes in Lanett, above both Alabama’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (12%). 50% of adults have high blood pressure in Lanett. Lanett beats the Alabama average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Lanett | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 43% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lanett | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 30.8% | 19.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 5 per 1,000 residents, Lanett’s violent crime rate is above both the Alabama town median (2.9) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Lanett’s property crime rate is 22.7 per 1,000 residents. Lanett reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
| Lanett | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.3 years of the LaGrange area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $125K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
60% of Lanett households own their home. The typical Lanett home is worth about $125,000, about the same as a year ago, 48% below the Alabama typical home.
| Lanett | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $940 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
30% of working residents cross a state line to work, LaGrange among the top destinations. The average commute for its 2,527 working residents takes 18.5 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
Most working residents leave Lanett for work: only 7% work in town. The median household income in Lanett is $42,000. Since 2013, Lanett has added 66 jobs, to 1,142 in 2023.
| Lanett | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The W Pt weather station records that about 57 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 75% of Alabama places with climate records.
Lanett has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lanett.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Battle of West Point | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lanett
About 8 of every 100 Lanett residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
14 notable people were born in Lanett.
City in Alabama, United States
Lanett is a city in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lanett had a population of 6,970. Lanett, originally called Bluffton, is located in eastern Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, southwest of Atlanta. The city's name is derived from Lafayette Lanier and Theodore Bennett, founders of the West Point Manufacturing Company.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lanett.
Huguley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lanett with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lanett grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #170 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 B+.
14 notable people were born here, including Forrest Hood James, Jr. and John Levi Sheppard.