Sweet WaterAL
A town of 214, settled in 1848.
Is Sweet Water a good place to live?
3.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Sweet Water, where Alabama’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Sweet Water has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
214 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Sweet Water: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sweet Water, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sweet Water.
A job hub: Sweet Water has 1.6 jobs for every working resident and draws in 123 commuters
Sweet Water’s average trip to work stands at 31 minutes, against 25 minutes in Alabama’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Just 9% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Thomasville (10%), Demopolis (8%) and Birmingham (6%).
| Sweet Water | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The schools Sweet Water’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Marengo County school district. The largest public high school is Sweet Water High School, with 600 students. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Water High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 600 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Very high risk in Sweet Water, with inland flooding at the top
44% of Sweet Water’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 19%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage here than in 80% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Sweet Water households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2020.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
More children than Alabama overall
The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Sweet Water at 214 residents, down 6.6% since 2020. Children under 18 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (38% statewide). Alabama has 28% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 29%. For Sweet Water, the median age is 37.1 years.
| Sweet Water | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.1 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 29% and 74% women
The Census survey reached too few of Sweet Water’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±22.7 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Sweet Water | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 24.1% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.4% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.9% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.5% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.1% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Sweet Water’s year
For Sweet Water, the typical July afternoon high is 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Sweet Water
No violent or property crimes were reported in Sweet Water in 2022. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Sweet Water is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
How healthy Sweet Water is
The share of adults in Sweet Water who have high blood pressure: 47%. 17% of adults in Sweet Water report frequent physical distress; 27% say their health is fair or poor.
| Sweet Water | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 43% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sweet Water | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.4% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.9% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Sweet Water
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sweet Water; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Sweet Water residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
Every workday, about 123 people come to Sweet Water for work
Where Sweet Water’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Sweet Water
Town in Alabama, United States
Sweet Water is a town in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. It was founded during the 1840s and named for Sweet Water Creek, which runs through a section of the community. The population was 228 at the 2020 census, down from 258 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 184 ft
- ZIP code
- 36782
- Area code
- 334
Questions about Sweet Water
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sweet Water, AL a good place to live?
Sweet Water has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.