Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 869, settled in 1907. Home to Southern Union State Community College.
27% of residents live below the poverty line in Wadley, above both Alabama’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only one of the 188 Alabama towns we compare has a lower midpoint age than Wadley. 12% of the land in Wadley is conserved, against 1.2% in Alabama’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Wadley is home to Southern Union State Community College. Wadley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Wadley beats most towns.
Census counts: 426 in 1910, 659 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wadley, 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 Wadley.
The share of residents in Wadley who are under 18: 15%. Adults 18 to 34 are 52% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 19% of residents (38% statewide). 869 people lived in Wadley by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 31% more than in 2020. College graduates make up 28% of adults 25 and older, against 28% across Alabama.
| Wadley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.2 points. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Wadley | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 42.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.4% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.2% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.8% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.5% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.2% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.6% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
The largest public high school is Wadley High School, with 372 students. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 372 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
The top destinations are Roanoke (9%), Ashland (8%) and Wedowee (5%). Jobs based in Wadley fell to 219 in 2023, 93 fewer than in 2013. Its average trip to work stands at 30 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 31 miles away.
| Wadley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.4% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The range runs from 32° on a January night to 91° on a July afternoon, with about 2 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.3 miles of trail. Wadley’s trail density comes in at 0.9 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
58% of Wadley’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. 4 crimes were reported in Wadley in 2025: 3 property and 1 violent.
Wadley is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Among adults in Wadley, 24% say their health is fair or poor. Only 7 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Wadley. The town does better than the Alabama average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 9.
| Wadley | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wadley | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 23.5% | 30.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.3% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wadley
College town 43 of every 100 Wadley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wadley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to Southern Union State Community College.
2 notable people were born here, including Kayla Braxton and Tom Radney.