Untitled photo, 2010
Theodore’s story
Theodore in pictures
Census counts: 277 in 1890, 6,270 in 2020. The archive holds 45 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 6 maps from 1922 on.
Explore the history →
TheodoreAL
A town of 4,964.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
4,964
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$201K
+0.5% in a year
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
43.1
years
Jobs based here
881
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#157 of 187 in AL
Is Theodore a good place to live?
Theodore grades D overall, ranked 157th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. Its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. In its favor, a typical home costs about $201K, 3.4 years of the Mobile metro’s $59K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 7 have a higher January low than Theodore. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top.
What makes Theodore stand out
Where Theodore beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Theodore for work
Where Theodore’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
881jobs based in Theodore
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Theodore grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Theodore is from typical.
Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 2% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthSpringhill Medical Center 10.6 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingB−Open →Jobs & income$68K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 34 attractions →USS Alabama and 20 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Theodore. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS Alabama
14 mi MuseumUSS Drum
14 mi MuseumBattleship Memorial Park
24 mi MuseumFort Morgan
25 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
13 mi Stadium & arenaMobile Civic CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS Alabama: USN, Public domain · USS Drum: Jean-Pierre Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Battleship Memorial Park: Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Morgan: Altairisfar, Public domain · Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Mobile Civic Center: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Theodore: who provides what
Theodore is unincorporated, so Mobile County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAlabama Power17.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMobile County Water & Fire Pro AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMobile CountyMobile County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMobile County Absentee Elections ManagerMobile County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2024
ZIP code3658236582 100%Census 2020
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 Theodore.
HealthC−
Theodore earns a C− for health
Just over two in five adults have high blood pressure in Theodore. Only 7 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Theodore. The share of adults in Theodore who have diabetes is 16%, above both Alabama’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (12%).
15%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Theodore | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Alabama
0 better25 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Theodore | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.9% | 15.4% |
| More smokers | 18.4% | 15.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.8% | 19.2% |
Springhill Medical Center
10.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
31st
percentile among AL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
Theodore earns a C− for schools
Below: Two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. The largest public high school is Theodore High School, with 1,218 students. The public schools here belong to the Mobile County school district.
24%of AL districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katherine H Hankins Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 771 | C+ |
| Theodore High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,218 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Natural hazards: very high risk in Theodore, mostly hurricanes
Flood insurance has paid out on 23 claims in Theodore since 1979. FEMA puts 63% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 27% to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Theodore after 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland flooding
23
paid flood claims since 1979
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
1% of the land in Theodore is protected from building
The biggest park or preserve is Theodore Athletic Association, at 31 acres. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.5 miles of trail. The density of trails locally is 0.2 miles per square mile.
#67for trails in AL
| Theodore | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
1%
conserved · 49 of 5,096 acres
1.5 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Theodore Athletic Association | 0.4 mi | 31 |
| 2. Boykin Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
More than half of Theodore’s working residents commute to Mobile
Half the trips to work are shorter than 12 miles. The share of residents in Theodore who live below the poverty line is 21%, above both the Alabama town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Most people who work leave Theodore to do it: just 1% work in town. Employers in Theodore added 179 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 881.
1%work in town
| Theodore | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Theodore1%
Mobile51%
Tillmans Corner3%
Pascagoula3%
Daphne2%
12 mi
median commute distance
881
jobs based in Theodore
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than Alabama overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 12% of residents (18% statewide). Theodore’s median age is 43.1 years. Here, 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 28% in Alabama as a whole.
43.1median age · AL 39.3
| Theodore | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.1 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 23% | 29% |
TheodoreAlabamaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school40%
Some college22%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s13%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 46% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Theodore’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.2 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Theodore | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.3% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.7% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.7% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.1% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 5,000, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Theodore, expect mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 41.1°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.5°.
The peak summer temperature for Theodore comes to 91°F. It almost never snows.
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter43–64°
Spring57–78°
Summer72–90°
Fall58–79°
Nov 25
typical first frost
Mar 3
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
Theodore earns a B− for cost of living
For households in Theodore, the share who own their home is 92%. The typical home value locally is about $201,000, up 0.5% in a year, 16% below the Alabama typical home.
$201KZillow home value
Typical home value
Theodore$201K
Alabama$239K
+0.5%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Theodore
18pages on Theodore
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Theodore
Remington College-Mobile CampusCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Mobile9.6 mi$16,411 tuitionUniversity of South AlabamaUniversity or college · Public · Mobile10.9 mi$10,116 in-state tuitionBishop State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mobile13.2 mi$5,340 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Theodore residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Famous people from Theodore
3 notable people were born in Theodore.
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About Theodore
Census-designated place in Alabama, United States
Theodore is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 6,270 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Prior to 1900 this area was known as "Clements", but it is now named for William Theodore Hieronymous, a sawmill operator and postmaster.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 62 ft
- ZIP code
- 36582, 36590
- Area code
- 251
Theodore’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Theodore.
MobileTillmans CornerTheodore
How the neighbors grade
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theodore | #157 | D | B− | — | C− | C− |
| Mobile | #169 | D− | C+ | D | C− | C |
| Tillmans Corner | #148 | D | B+ | — | C− | D |
Theodore and Tillmans Corner report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Theodore with a neighbor →
Questions about Theodore
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Theodore, AL a good place to live?
Theodore grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #157 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Theodore, AL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.