Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Moulton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $223K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Decatur metro’s $68K median household income. It grades C− overall, 109th among Alabama's 187 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country, and it reports more crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns, including 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 28% of residents are 65 or older in Moulton, against 18% in Alabama’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Moulton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Moulton Courthouse Square Historic District and Ice House.
Where Moulton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Moulton | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 8% |
Where Moulton’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 Moulton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 290 in 1900, 3,398 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 6 maps from 1935 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Moulton, 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 Moulton.
Moulton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Decatur and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
Moulton: a quarter of adults have been diagnosed with depression. In Moulton, 30% of adults say their health is fair or poor, and 21% smoke cigarettes.
| Moulton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 43% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Moulton | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.7% | 78% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Two of its 5 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Lawrence County High School, with 586 students. The Lawrence County school district runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moulton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 695 | A− |
| Lawrence County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 586 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
2,374 jobs are based in Moulton, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Just 14% of Moulton’s working residents have a job in town. Its middle household income comes in at $58,000. The top destinations are Decatur (20%), Huntsville (12%) and Florence (3%). 13% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
| Moulton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 122 to 58 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Alabama, it does better than 56% of towns. In Moulton, the property crime rate is 14.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Moulton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Moulton 2 weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 209 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 92% of Alabama places with climate records. The Moulton 2 weather station records that about 47 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 89% of Alabama places with climate records.
Moulton’s midsummer high stands at 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $223K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
For Moulton, the going rate for rent is $655 a month. Homes here are typically worth about $223,000, about the same as a year ago, 6% below the Alabama typical home. On the market in the town: a median 206 days to sell.
| Moulton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $655 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Moulton has had 11 paid flood insurance claims since 1983. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 30% come from inland flooding and 27% from tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Moulton households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is H. A. Alexander Park, at 47 acres. Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.8 miles. The density of trails in Moulton is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Moulton | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. H. A. Alexander Park | 0.5 mi | 47 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Moulton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Moulton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
3 places in Moulton on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Moulton.
City in Alabama, United States
Moulton is a city in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Although it incorporated in 1819, along with its rival of Courtland, to compete for the honor of county seat, it did not first appear on the U.S. Census rolls until 1900. As of the 2020 census, Moulton had a population of 3,398. The city has been the county seat of Lawrence County since 1820. It has been the largest community in the county since the 1920 U.S. Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Moulton grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #109 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Moulton reports more crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns, a C Safety Grade: 8 violent and 50 property crimes in 2025. Within Alabama, it does better than 56% of towns.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Kimberley Conrad and John Wallace Jones.
