188 years in pictures
Census counts: 600 in 1850, 17,727 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1838Troy is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

Home to Troy University.
Troy grades D overall, ranked 149th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 90% of U.S. towns, with 92 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $51K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 41% of working residents work locally in Troy, above both the Alabama town median (9.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 21 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on cost of living. Troy is home to Troy University.
Where Troy beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Troy University | 6,781 |
College Street Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Troy is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 600 in 1850, 17,727 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Troy, 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 Troy.
Troy is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Montgomery and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Troy City school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Charles Henderson High School, with 546 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 1,018 | B |
| Charles Henderson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 546 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
10,713 jobs are based in Troy, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.2 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
Troy’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Troy has added 1,242 jobs, to 10,713 in 2023. The top destinations are Montgomery (11%), Dothan (4%) and Brundidge (2%).
| Troy | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 50.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 78% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 673 to 525 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Troy is 5.2 per 1,000 residents. Troy reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The property crime rate in Troy is 24.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Troy | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Troy home is worth about $181,000, down 1.8% in a year, 24% below the Alabama typical home. 47% of households own their home in Troy.
| Troy | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $922 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Troy has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,041 U.S. towns with household incomes like Troy’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Alabama it is healthier than 63% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
21% of Troy adults report frequent mental distress. Troy beats the Alabama average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 39% of Troy adults feel lonely.
| Troy | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Troy | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.4% | 7.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.1% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Janice Hawkins Park, at 24 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Janice Hawkins Park | 0.2 mi | 24 |
| 2. Franklin Drive Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Murphree Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Troy
College town 28 of every 100 Troy residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Troy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
13 notable people were born in Troy.




County seat and City in Alabama, United States
Troy is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Alabama, United States. It was formally incorporated on February 4, 1843. Between 1763 and 1783, the area where Troy sits was part of the colony of British West Florida. After 1783, the region fell under the jurisdiction of the newly created United States of America. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,727, down from 18,033 in 2010. The 2022 estimated population was 17,774. The City of Troy had previously been considered one of the fastest-growing cities in Alabama. Troy is home to Troy University, the fourth-largest university in total enrollment in Alabama.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Troy grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #149 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($48,677 across the Troy, AL area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
13 notable people were born here, including Willie Davenport and Pinetop Smith.