Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sheffield earns a D, 151st of 187 graded towns in Alabama, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. The median household income is $40K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $130K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Florence metro’s $62K median household income. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Sheffield, above both the Alabama town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Sheffield has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and Tuscumbia Landing Site. Sheffield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Sheffield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Sheffield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,731 in 1890, a peak of 13,491 in 1960, 9,403 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheffield, 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 Sheffield.
Sheffield is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Florence and other neighbors.
Against the 2,308 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sheffield’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of Sheffield adults have diabetes. Sheffield beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 29% of Sheffield adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Sheffield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 43% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sheffield | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23% | 15.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.6% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.3% | 19.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Sheffield City school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sheffield High School, with 305 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA Threadgill Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 344 | – |
| Sheffield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 305 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
2.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kirk Wallace Complex | — | 12 |
| 2. Avalon Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Rivermont Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.1 years of the Florence metro’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $130K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
60% of households own their home in Sheffield. The typical Sheffield home is worth about $130,000, up 1% in a year, 46% below the Alabama typical home. The median rent in Sheffield is $829 a month.
| Sheffield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 46% | 48% |
| Median rent | $829 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sheffield’s violent crime rate is 3.6 per 1,000 residents. Within Alabama, it does better than 56% of towns.
| Sheffield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.3 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sheffield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 30.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 95% of Alabama places with climate records; July afternoons average 90.5°.
Sheffield has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 8 have a lower January low than Sheffield. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sheffield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 33°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sheffield has about as many jobs (4,119) as working residents, but only 373 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 19.4 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
Most working residents leave Sheffield for work: only 10% work in town. The top destinations are Florence (22%), Muscle Shoals (19%) and Huntsville (6%).
| Sheffield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sheffield. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumMuscle Shoals Sound Studio
14 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year3 mi MuseumAlabama Music Hall of Fame28 mi MuseumApron MuseumMuscle Shoals Sound Studio: Dailynetworks, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Natchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Sheffield
About 3 of every 100 Sheffield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
8 places in Sheffield on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Sheffield.
2 towns share a border with Sheffield.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | #151 | D | A− | C | C− | D |
| Muscle Shoals | #49 | B | B+ | C− | A | B− |
| Tuscumbia | #39 | B+ | B+ | A− | B− | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sheffield grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #151 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Alabama, it does better than 56% 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−.
11 notable people were born here, including Mitch McConnell and Fred Thompson.
