Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,644, settled in 1834.
Tuskegee earns a D, ranked 136th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $38K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 91% of the state's. In its favor, a typical home costs about $97K, 1.5 years of the Auburn metro’s $64K median household income. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Tuskegee, against 16% in Alabama’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on hazard risk. Tuskegee is home to Tuskegee University.
Where Tuskegee beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington Carver Elementary School | PK–3 | 406 |
| Tuskegee Public Elementary | 4–8 | 261 |
| Booker T Washington High | 7–12 | 656 |
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,563 in 1850, a peak of 13,327 in 1980, 9,395 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1971 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Tuskegee is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 6%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tuskegee, 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 Tuskegee.
Tuskegee trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Alabama (mostly inland flooding) and is shaped by its college students.
33.5% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.3% statewide, which pulls the median age down. The median household earns $38,000, against $63,999 across Alabama, one input to its D for jobs and income.
Tuskegee’s median age is 22.9 years. Tuskegee has lost 7.9% of its people since 2020, down to 8,644 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 15% of Tuskegee residents are under 18.
| Tuskegee | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 22.9 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
60% women, 40% men
About 67 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.7 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 66% are women (AL 51%). Median age: women 22.6, men 23.2.
| Tuskegee | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 38.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.5% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.1% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.3% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.7% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.3% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by the Macon County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Booker T Washington High, with 656 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Carver Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 406 | D− |
| Booker T Washington HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 656 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $97K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. At 1.5 years of the Auburn metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $97K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
41% of households own their home in Tuskegee. The typical Tuskegee home is worth about $97,000, up 2.1% in a year, 60% below the Alabama typical home. The median rent in Tuskegee is $757 a month.
| Tuskegee | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $757 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 45.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 69% of Alabama’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 1,880 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tuskegee’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Tuskegee beats the Alabama average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Of the 187 Alabama towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Tuskegee.
| Tuskegee | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 19% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Tuskegee | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 8.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.2% | 14.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 19.2% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Alabama towns, with expected losses of about $250 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Only 1 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower FEMA risk score than Tuskegee.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Tuskegee has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Abbott Park, at 24 acres.
| Tuskegee | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Abbott Park | 0.5 mi | 24 |
| 2. Tuskegee National Forest | — | 19 |
| 3. Green Fork Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Tuskegee has about as many jobs (2,967) as working residents, but only 697 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Tuskegee’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Tuskegee has lost 581 jobs, to 2,967 in 2023. The top destinations are Auburn (13%), Montgomery (12%) and Opelika (6%).
| Tuskegee | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $38,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tuskegee. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town National Historic SiteTuskegee Institute National Historic Site9K visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaJordan–Hare Stadium
27 mi LakeLake Martin
in town National Historic SiteTuskegee Airmen National Historic Site25K visitors a year
37 mi MuseumThe National Memorial to Peace and Justice
36 mi LandmarkCivil Rights MemorialTuskegee Institute National Historic Site: 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 · Jordan–Hare Stadium: AuburnPilot, Public domain · Lake Martin: Rebecca Hagen, Public domain · Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site: Rivers A. Langley; SaveRivers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Memorial to Peace and Justice: Soniakapadia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Civil Rights Memorial: Colin Mutchler from Brooklyn, United States, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tuskegee
College town 34 of every 100 Tuskegee residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
7 places in Tuskegee on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Tuskegee.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tuskegee grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #136 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
35 notable people were born here, including Rosa Parks and Lionel Richie.
