Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,823, settled in 1880.
The best of Vernon’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Vernon, where Alabama’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On incomes, just 11 of Alabama’s 306 towns do worse. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. Vernon's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. Vernon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Vernon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Vernon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Vernon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 208 in 1880, a peak of 2,609 in 1980, 1,921 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vernon, 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 Vernon.
47% of Vernon adults have high blood pressure, above both Alabama’s towns (43%) and U.S. towns (35%). 20% of Vernon adults smoke cigarettes. Vernon beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13.
| Vernon | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 43% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Vernon | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 8% |
| More smokers | 20.1% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lamar County school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Lamar County HighIntermediate, with 544 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 277 | A− |
| Lamar County HighIntermediateLargest public high schoolGrades 4–12 | Grades 4–12 | 544 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Vernon’s median household income is $28,000. Jobs based in Vernon grew to 1,466 in 2023, 251 more than in 2013. 26% of working residents work locally in Vernon.
| Vernon | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $28,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Vernon is $530 a month. The typical Vernon home is worth about $130,000, down 3.8% in a year, 45% below the Alabama typical home. Among 188 Alabama towns, just 10 have a lower share of households owning their home than Vernon.
| Vernon | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $530 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Vernon has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vernon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vernon City Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Vernon; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Vernon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
5 notable people were born in Vernon.
City in Alabama, United States
Vernon is a city in Lamar County, Alabama, United States. The city is the county seat of Lamar County, and previously served as the seat of its two predecessors, Jones County (not to be confused with Covington County), which briefly existed in 1867, and for Sanford County from 1868 until it was renamed Lamar in 1877. It incorporated in 1870. As of the 2020 census, Vernon had a population of 1,921.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
5 notable people were born here, including Guy Morton and Terry Moore.
