Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Smiths Station gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $290K, 4.6 years of the Auburn metro’s $64K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 70th of 187 in Alabama. On hazard risk, just 13 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better. Smiths Station's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Lowther House Complex is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Smiths Station beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1738, comes before those of 99% of the Alabama towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 3,456 in 1990, a peak of 21,756 in 2000, 5,384 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1965 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Smiths Station is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Smiths Station, 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 Smiths Station.
Smiths Station sends many workers across the state line and looks healthier within Alabama than nationally, but it has little public open land.
45% of working residents cross a state line to work. Jobs based here fell from 1,154 in 2013 to 793.
Most working residents leave Smiths Station for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Smiths Station fell to 793 in 2023, 361 fewer than in 2013. Smiths Station’s average trip to work is 22 minutes, against 25 minutes in Alabama’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Smiths Station | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lee County school district. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Smiths Station High School, with 1,588 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Station Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 910 | B |
| Smiths Station High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,588 | C |
| South Smiths Station Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 669 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Within Alabama it is healthier than 54% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Smiths Station tracks Alabama closely on all 32 CDC measures. 41% of Smiths Station adults have obesity, where Alabama’s towns sit at 39% and U.S. towns at 35%. 43% of adults have high blood pressure in Smiths Station.
| Smiths Station | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 14% of Smiths Station residents are 65 or older. Smiths Station has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 5,596 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Smiths Station | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.8 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Smiths Station | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.1% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.1% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.3% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.6% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.9% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.6% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026.
| Smiths Station | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,012 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Smiths Station has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Smiths Station’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 77 of its 5,226 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Smiths Station itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Smiths Station Sports Complex, at 74 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smiths Station Sports Complex | — | 74 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Smiths Station. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi National Historic SiteTuskegee Institute National Historic Site9K visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaJordan–Hare Stadium
34 mi MuseumLittle White House
34 mi State parkProvidence Canyon State Park
26 mi GardenCallaway Gardens16 mi MuseumU.S. Army Armor and Cavalry CollectionTuskegee 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 · Callaway Gardens: Thomsonmg2000, CC0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Smiths Station
About 4 of every 100 Smiths Station residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Smiths Station’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Alabama, United States
Smiths Station is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Smiths Station had a population of 5,384. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area. At the time of the 2000 census, it was still a census-designated place (CDP). The area that incorporated as Smiths Station in 2001 was much smaller than the CDP. Smiths Station, known to locals as "Smiths", is a bedroom community of Columbus, Georgia, and Phenix City, Alabama. Smiths Station High School has an enrollment of over 1,800 students and is the 11th-largest high school in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Smiths Station.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Station | #70 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Phenix City | #159 | D | B− | D | B | D |
Smiths Station reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Smiths Station with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Smiths Station grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #70 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C for health and B− for schools.
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 B+.
