Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Phenix City earns a D, 159th among Alabama's 187 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 271 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. One bright spot: its schools outperform 58% of the state's. Phenix City’s violent crime rate is 7.1 per 1,000 residents, above both Alabama’s towns (2.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). Its National Register listings include Brooks-Hughes House and Brownville-Summerville Historic District. Phenix City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns.
Where Phenix City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Brooks-Hughes House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Chattahoochee Valley Community College | 1,450 |
Census counts: 2,224 in 1880, 38,816 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and a map from 1955 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Phenix City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Phenix 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 Phenix City.
Phenix City sends many workers across the state line to West Point, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Alabama rate.
Violent crime runs at 7.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Alabama rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 1,804 to 1,220 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Phenix City’s property crime rate is 24.7 per 1,000 residents. Phenix City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Phenix City school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phenix City Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 1,068 | B− |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,579 | C+ |
| Lakewood Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 455 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
29% of adults worry about having enough food in Phenix City. Phenix City beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 39% of adults feel lonely in Phenix City.
| Phenix City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Phenix City | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.3% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
55% of working residents cross a state line to work, West Point among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Phenix City for work: only 17% work in town. 25% of Phenix City residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Phenix City has added 587 jobs, to 9,390 in 2023.
| Phenix City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Idle Hour Park, at 70 acres.
| Phenix City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Idle Hour Park | — | 70 |
| 2. Lakeview Park | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Phenix City has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Phenix City is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 13% of residents (18% statewide). 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Phenix City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.6 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.7, men 34.3.
| Phenix City | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.2% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.5% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.2% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.6% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.3% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.9% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Phenix City home is worth about $212,000, up 5.6% in a year, 11% below the Alabama typical home.
| Phenix City | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $967 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Phenix City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Phenix City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi National Historic SiteTuskegee Institute National Historic Site9K visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaJordan–Hare Stadium
36 mi MuseumLittle White House
28 mi State parkProvidence Canyon State Park10 mi MuseumU.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection
6 mi MuseumNational Infantry Museum300K visitors a yearTuskegee Institute National Historic Site: 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 · Jordan–Hare Stadium: AuburnPilot, Public domain · Little White House: Dsdugan, CC0 · Providence Canyon State Park: Robbie Honerkamp, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Infantry Museum: The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center from Columbus, GA, USA, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Phenix City
About 6 of every 100 Phenix City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
32,822 counted in 2010 and 38,816 in 2020; an estimated 38,344 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
14 places in Phenix City on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Phenix City.
City in Alabama, United States
Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County with northern and western parts crossing over into neighboring Lee County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia and observes Eastern Time on a de facto basis (in contrast to the rest of Alabama, which observes Central Time) due to Phenix City's strong economic ties to Columbus. Most of Phenix City is included in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the remainder is in Lee County and therefore included in the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Phenix City.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenix City | #159 | D | B− | D | B | D |
| Smiths Station | #70 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Ladonia | #86 | C | A− | — | B | D |
Smiths Station and Ladonia report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Phenix City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Phenix City grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #159 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($59,336 across the Columbus, GA-AL metro 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−.
25 notable people were born here, including Harvey Glance and Joe Meriweather.
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