Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Roanoke gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $147K, 2.8 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades C− overall, 126th of 187 graded towns in Alabama. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 46 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. Roanoke’s violent crime rate is 8.4 per 1,000 residents, above both Alabama’s towns (2.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). On history, just 9 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Roanoke beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Roanoke Downtown Historic District6,074 counted in 2010 and 5,311 in 2020; an estimated 5,440 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 2.4% since 2020, after a 12.6% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Roanoke is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 327 in 1880, 5,311 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1899 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Roanoke, 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 Roanoke.
Roanoke trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and sends many workers across the state line to LaGrange, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Alabama rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.4 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.
Roanoke’s property crime rate is 25.9 per 1,000 residents. Roanoke 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 Roanoke City school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Handley High School, with 366 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knight Enloe Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 506 | A− |
| Handley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 366 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,702 U.S. towns with household incomes like Roanoke’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
48% of adults have high blood pressure in Roanoke. Roanoke beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 18% of adults have diabetes in Roanoke.
| Roanoke | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Roanoke | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.6% | 15.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 24.2% | 19.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.1% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $147K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2.8 years of the county’s $52K median household income, the typical home (about $147K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Roanoke is $666 a month. The typical Roanoke home is worth about $147,000, up 2.6% in a year, 38% below the Alabama typical home.
| Roanoke | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $666 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The W Pt weather station, 21 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 229 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 77% of Alabama places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.8°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 77% of Alabama places with climate records; January nights average 32°.
Roanoke has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Roanoke | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 33°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
25% of working residents cross a state line to work, LaGrange among the top destinations. Roanoke has about as many jobs (2,518) as working residents, but only 682 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Roanoke’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are LaGrange (7%), Opelika (4%) and West Point (3%). 13% of Roanoke residents live below the poverty line.
| Roanoke | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Rec center of Roanoke, at 91 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rec center of Roanoke | — | 91 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke
About 3 of every 100 Roanoke residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
9 notable people were born in Roanoke.
City in Alabama, United States
Roanoke is a city in Randolph County, which is in the Piedmont region of eastern Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,311, down from 6,074 in 2010 and 6,563 in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Roanoke grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #126 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
9 notable people were born here, including Reuben Foster and Bradley Bozeman.