Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ozark grades D− overall, 167th among Alabama's 187 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $49K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $148K, 2.7 years of the Ozark area’s $55K median household income. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Ozark, above both Alabama’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 20 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on hazard risk. Ozark has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them J. D. Holman House and Claybank Log Church.
Where Ozark beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Ozark is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 512 in 1880, 14,368 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ozark, 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 Ozark.
Ozark has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Dothan and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Alabama rate.
19% of Ozark adults have diabetes. Ozark beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 50% of Ozark adults have high blood pressure.
| Ozark | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 43% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Ozark | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 14.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Ozark City school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Carroll High School, with 640 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph W Lisenby Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 494 | – |
| Carroll High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 640 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 514 to 396 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Ozark’s property crime rate is 23.7 per 1,000 residents. Within Alabama, it does better than 35% of towns. Ozark’s violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Ozark | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.7 years of the Ozark area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $148K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
The median rent in Ozark is $694 a month. The typical Ozark home is worth about $148,000, up 2.6% in a year, 38% below the Alabama typical home. 65% of households own their home in Ozark.
| Ozark | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $694 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ozark has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Ed Lisenby Lake Complex, at 339 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Ozark | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ed Lisenby Lake Complex | 2.3 mi | 339 |
| 2. Sam Dale Park | 0.8 mi | 162 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Ozark has about as many jobs (4,612) as working residents, but only 1,214 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Ozark’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Dothan (21%), Enterprise (5%) and Montgomery (3%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Ozark | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ozark.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ozark
About 3 of every 100 Ozark residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
6 notable people were born in Ozark.
City in Alabama, United States
Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Dale County, Alabama. As of the 2020 census, Ozark had a population of 14,368. Ozark is the principal city of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area, as well as a part of the Dothan-Ozark Combined Statistical Area. Ozark was originally a part of Enterprise–Ozark micropolitan area before being split, and for a longer while was part of the Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark combined statistical area but Enterprise later became its own separate primary statistical area in later censuses. Fort Rucker, the primary flight training base for Army Aviation, abuts Ozark.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ozark grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #167 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 35% 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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Wilbur Jackson and Larry Donnell.
