Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pell City earns a D, ranked 134th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $69K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $289K for a typical one, or 4 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Pell City, where Alabama’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Pell City has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Avandale Mill Historic District and Pell City Downtown Historic District. Pell City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Pell City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 98 in 1900, 12,939 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pell City, 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 Pell City.
Pell City trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, looks healthier within Alabama than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
Reported crimes fell from 329 to 283 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Alabama, it does better than 58% of towns. Pell City’s property offense rate is 22 per 1,000 residents.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 22 per 1,000 residents | 19.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Pell City school district. Three of its 9 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. 6 public schools serve Pell City, with 2,788 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duran Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 601 | B− |
| Pell City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,193 | C |
| Coosa Valley Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 404 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Within Alabama it is healthier than 55% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
37% of adults feel lonely in Pell City. The town beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 40% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pell City | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $289K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles.
Homes sold in Pell City spent a median 62 days on the market. Values rose 3.8% in the 12 months to September 2026. The typical rent locally is $1,099 a month.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,099 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Talladega weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 208 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 93% of Alabama places with climate records.
For Pell City, the peak summer temperature is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Birmingham (16%), Hoover (4%) and Huntsville (3%). One in 5 of Pell City’s working residents works locally. This Alabama town had 8,049 jobs in 2023, up 1,083 from 2013. Also worth knowing: its average trip to work is 27 minutes.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Across 1 park or preserve: 2.8 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Lakeside Park, at 124 acres. The trail network density for Pell City comes to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakeside Park | 0.5 mi | 124 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Pell City has grown 11% since 2020, to 14,320 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Alabama average. A bachelor’s degree or higher: just over a fifth of adults 25 and older, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Pell City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 23% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Pell City | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.5% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.9% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.8% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.7% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Three fifths of Pell City’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 22%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 16 claims locally since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pell City
About 4 of every 100 Pell City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
2 places in Pell City on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Pell City.
City in Alabama, United States
Pell City is a city in and one of the county seats of St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, the other seat being Ashville. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,939. At the 2010 census, the city-limit population jumped to 12,695. It was home to Avondale Mills and its legacy in the Avondale Mill Historic District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pell City.
Riverside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Pell City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pell City grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #134 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 58% 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 Jeanne Pruett and Houston Tumlin.
