Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Northport is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 103rd of 187 graded towns in Alabama, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 74% of U.S. towns, with 121 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $288K, 4.7 years of the Tuscaloosa metro’s $62K median household income. Its National Register listings include Byler Road and Northport Historic District. Northport's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns. 38% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Northport, where Alabama’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Where Northport beats most towns.
Census counts: 604 in 1870, a low of 413 in 1890, 31,125 in 2020. The archive holds 27 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Northport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northport, 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 Northport.
Northport trades workers with Tuscaloosa and other neighbors, looks healthier within Alabama than nationally and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
Reported crimes fell from 704 to 524 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Northport is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Northport reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 74% report less. Within Alabama, it does better than 57% of towns.
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.8 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Tuscaloosa County school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echols Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 738 | B− |
| Tuscaloosa County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,607 | B− |
| Huntington Place Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–4 | Grades 3–4 | 377 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Northport has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Northport’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Northport home is worth about $288,000, up 2% in a year, 20% above the Alabama typical home. 62% of households own their home in Northport.
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $982 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.0 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is River Run Park, at 65 acres.
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 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. Kentuck Park | 0.4 mi | 41 |
| 2. Civitan Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. River Run Park | — | 65 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Northport has about as many jobs (11,541) as working residents, but only 1,471 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Northport for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Northport has added 2,056 jobs, to 11,541 in 2023. The top destinations are Tuscaloosa (46%), Birmingham (4%) and Hoover (2%).
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. 15% of Northport residents are 65 or older. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.8 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Northport | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.6% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Within Alabama it is healthier than 77% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Northport beats the Alabama average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Northport | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 43% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| What stands out | Northport | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11.7% | 14.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Northport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Northport. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaBryant–Denny Stadium
18 mi Ancient siteMoundville Archaeological Site36 mi Theme parkAlabama Adventure & Splash Adventure
4 mi MuseumAlabama Museum of Natural History
6 mi MuseumTuscaloosa Museum of Art
31 mi MuseumTannehill IronworksBryant–Denny Stadium: Joel יוֹאֵל, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Moundville Archaeological Site: Altairisfar (Jeffrey Reed), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alabama Museum of Natural History: Skusnr, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tuscaloosa Museum of Art: Kthurman83, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tannehill Ironworks: Dystopos, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Northport
About 7 of every 100 Northport residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
23,330 counted in 2010 and 31,125 in 2020; an estimated 31,648 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Northport on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Northport.
City in Alabama, United States
Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the State of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 17th most populous city in Alabama with a population of 31,125 in the 2020 census. It incorporated in 1871. It is part of the Tuscaloosa metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Northport.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northport | #103 | C− | B− | C | B− | B |
| Tuscaloosa | #143 | D | C+ | D | C | C |
| Coker | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Coker isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Northport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Northport grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #103 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B for health, C for safety and B− for schools.
Within Alabama, it does better than 57% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Frank Lary and Al Lary.
