Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainHouseholds in Scottsboro have lower incomes than those in 83% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Scottsboro are C for jobs and income and C for walkability. 18.6% of residents are in poverty, where Alabama as a whole has 15.6%. About two in five work in Scottsboro itself; outside it, Huntsville draws the most (16%, 36 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Scottsboro apart
Scottsboro’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Scottsboro is Huntsville, 36 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (1,004) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Scottsboro draws workers from far and wide
The 9,191 jobs in Scottsboro are filled from a wide area. Scottsboro’s own residents hold 28% and the ten next-biggest home towns 12%; the other 60% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Scottsboro’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Scottsboro is better than 26% of U.S. towns, #115 of 187 in Alabama. Unemployment holds Scottsboro’s grade up (3.5%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($53,929, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Scottsboro could be anywhere from D to C+.
How far it is to work from Scottsboro
About 19% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Where people from Scottsboro work
Where Scottsboro clocks in
16% of workers
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Who leaves Scottsboro for work, and who comes in
On a workday 3,734 residents head out to work, 2,528 work right here, and 6,663 people come in from elsewhere.
About 19,000 people are in Scottsboro on a workday afternoon, 18% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.47 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
A place that makes things: 31% of Scottsboro’s jobs are in goods
9,191 jobs are based in Scottsboro.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Scottsboro, 2014 → 2024: 10,448 → 9,191. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Scottsboro’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Scottsboro: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Scottsboro workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,802 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Alabama: 88% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The commute in Scottsboro is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Scottsboro is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns, #95 of 187 in Alabama. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 1.7% across Alabama.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,101 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.1% of Scottsboro households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Scottsboro’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Scottsboro is 1,853rd of 2,220 U.S. towns of 11,000 to 22,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 258 | Pike Road AL | 11,899 | $117K | 5.1% | 0.5% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 466 | Chelsea AL | 17,716 | $115K | 2.7% | 3.2% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,851 | Dolton IL | 20,671 | $58K | 21.7% | 12.8% | 3% | C |
| 1,852 | Thibodaux LA | 15,573 | $52K | 19.6% | 4.3% | 24% | C |
| 1,853 | Scottsboro AL | 16,123 | $54K | 18.6% | 3.5% | 40% | C |
| 1,854 | Lincolnton NC | 12,465 | $46K | 22.7% | 3.8% | 15% | C |
| 1,855 | Kingston PA | 13,462 | $55K | 18.3% | 6.4% | 10% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,220 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Scottsboro, the top three, the last and three more from Alabama.
Around Scottsboro: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Hollywood (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Scottsboro workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottsboro | – | C | C | 23 min | $53,929 |
| Hollywood | 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Hollywood: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Scottsboro’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Scottsboro: questions
What is the median household income in Scottsboro?
$53,929 (±$5,479) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,999 across Alabama and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Scottsboro?
18.6%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Scottsboro?
23 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Scottsboro work?
40% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Huntsville (16%, 36 mi), Fort Payne (2%, 24 mi), Rainsville (2%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Scottsboro walkable?
Scottsboro is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Scottsboro without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Scottsboro, from the people who make the trip.
More of Scottsboro
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.