Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oxford gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $197K for a typical one, or 3.6 years of the Anniston metro’s $55K median household income. It grades C overall, 96th among Alabama's 187 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 81% of the country, and it reports more crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns, including 41 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, its public schools beat 84% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. Oxford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Oxford has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Coldwater Creek Covered Bridge and Dudley Snow House. Oxford’s property crime rate is 23.6 per 1,000 residents, against 16.9 in Alabama’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
Where Oxford beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford Elementary School | PK–4 | 837 |
| De Armanville Elementary School | PK–4 | 478 |
| Coldwater Elementary School | PK–4 | 391 |
Coldwater Creek Covered BridgeEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Oxford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 780 in 1880, 22,069 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1832 and 5 maps from 1947 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oxford, 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 Oxford.
Oxford pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $197K.
Its public schools are run by the Oxford City school district. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oxford High School, with 1,242 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 837 | A− |
| Oxford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,242 | A− |
| De Armanville Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 478 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
45% of Oxford adults have high blood pressure. Oxford beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 42% of Oxford adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Oxford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 43% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 40% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Oxford | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 666 to 562 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Oxford reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. Within Alabama, it does better than 53% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Choccolocco Park, 319 acres with 3.7 miles of trail.
| Oxford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Choccolocco Park | 3.7 mi | 319 |
| 2. Oxford Lake Park | 0.8 mi | 90 |
| 3. Coldwater Mountain Doug Ghee Nature Preserve and Recreation Area | — | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Oxford has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Oxford is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Oxford home is worth about $197,000, up 1.3% in a year, 18% below the Alabama typical home.
| Oxford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $925 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Oxford for work: only 19% work in town. 4.2% of workers work from home in Oxford. The top destinations are Anniston (22%), Birmingham (4%) and Talladega (3%).
| Oxford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 4.2% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oxford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Oxford | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.3 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 23% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Oxford | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.5% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.8% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oxford. Close and well known come first.
8 mi MountainCheaha Mountain
12 mi MuseumInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame
3 mi National MonumentFreedom Riders National Monument
32 mi WaterfallNoccalula Falls Park
16 mi GardenJanney Furnace Park
30 mi TheatreMort Glosser AmphitheaterCheaha Mountain: Amann09 (talk · contribs), Public domain · International Motorsports Hall of Fame: BWard 1997, CC BY 4.0 · Freedom Riders National Monument: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Noccalula Falls Park: Thejammer (talk), Public domain · Janney Furnace Park: dofftoubab, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mort Glosser Amphitheater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Oxford; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Oxford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
4 places in Oxford on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Oxford.
City in Alabama, United States
Oxford is a city in Calhoun, Talladega, and Cleburne counties in the State of Alabama, United States. The population was 22,069 at the 2020 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area, and it is the largest city in Calhoun County by population.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Oxford.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | #96 | C | B+ | C− | A− | C− |
| Anniston | #181 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
| Hobson City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hobson City isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oxford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oxford grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #96 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 53% 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 B+.
9 notable people were born here, including Kwon Alexander and Terry Henley.
