County profile

Marengo County

Alabama · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
18,851
Median household income
$43,825
People below poverty
21.9%
Median home value
$107,400

Income

The median income of households in Marengo County, Alabama was $43,825. An estimated 9.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 9.9
$10,000 to $14,999 10.6
$15,000 to $24,999 13.9
$25,000 to $34,999 9.9
$35,000 to $49,999 9.8
$50,000 to $74,999 10.3
$75,000 to $99,999 12.1
$100,000 to $149,999 12.1
$150,000 to $199,999 5.2
$200,000 or more 6.2

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 61270
Female 40685

An estimated 59.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 41.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $20,934. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 59.1
Social Security 41.9
Retirement income 21.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 12.1
Cash public assistance income 0.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 21.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 25.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 26% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 18.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 21.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 25.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 26
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 18.9

In 2020-2024, 23.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 34.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 51.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 35.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024, 90.8% had health insurance coverage and 9.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 60.8% and public coverage was 46.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2.2%.


In 2020-2024, Marengo County, Alabama had a total population of 18,851 - 9,920 (52.6%) females and 8,931 (47.4%) males. The median age was 41.4 years. An estimated 22% of the population was under 18 years, 27.5% was 19 to 44 years, 26.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 20.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 616 513
5 to 9 385 590
10 to 14 722 587
15 to 19 845 539
20 to 24 523 649
25 to 29 371 372
30 to 34 513 665
35 to 39 537 735
40 to 44 458 358
45 to 49 677 617
50 to 54 361 655
55 to 59 629 685
60 to 64 555 809
65 to 69 492 683
70 to 74 597 504
75 to 79 285 404
80 to 84 181 224
85 and over 184 331

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 44.5% were White; 50.9% were Black or African American; 14% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% were Asian; 18.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 3.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.7% of the people in Marengo County, Alabama were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 44.3% of the people in Marengo County, Alabama were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 7,898 households in Marengo County, Alabama. The average household size was 2.36 people.

Married-couple households made up 36.4% of the households in Marengo County, Alabama while cohabiting couple households made up 2.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 40.6% of all households, while 20.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.4% of households were male householders living alone, and 25.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 42.1% of all households.

In Marengo County, Alabama, 23.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 36.4
Cohabiting Couples 2.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
40.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 43.7% of males and 41.6% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 35 32.5
Now married, except separated 43.7 41.6
Separated 2.6 3.6
Widowed 6.4 13.6
Divorced 12.3 8.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Marengo County, Alabama, 502 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 59.6% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.4% of the people living in Marengo County, Alabama were U.S. natives. 80.3% of the Marengo County, Alabama population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.6% of Marengo County, Alabama residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 44.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 53.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Marengo County, Alabama come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Marengo County, Alabama.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 88.9
Asia 6.6
Europe 4.6
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024, 2.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.6% of people at least five years old; 1% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.6
Other Indo-European languages 0.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.9 % of the people at least one year old living in Marengo County, Alabama were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.9
Different house, same county 4.5
Different county, same state 3
Different state 1.5
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 85.8 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 19.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 14.2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Marengo County, Alabama was 4,314 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 414 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 3,130. College or graduate school enrollment was 770.

Educational Attainment of People in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 14.2
High school diploma or equivalency 33.8
Some college, no degree 22.3
Associate's degree 10.2
Bachelor's degree 11
Graduate or professional degree 8.5

Disability

In Marengo County, Alabama, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 21.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.6% of people under 18 years old, to 20.3% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 44.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Marengo County, Alabama, 48.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 49.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 77.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 17.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,788 77.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,293 17.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 301 4

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Marengo County, Alabama worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.8
Construction 4.5
Manufacturing 23.1
Wholesale trade 1.1
Retail trade 10.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 8.7
Information 0.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 4.4
Other Services, except public administration 4.3
Public administration 5.8

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 2,277 30.6
Service occupations 1,119 15.1
Sales and office occupations 1,335 18
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 649 8.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,053 27.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 83% of Marengo County, Alabama workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.3% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 26.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 83
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.3
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1
Walked 0.7
Other means 2.5
Worked from home 4.6

In 2020-2024, Marengo County, Alabama had a total of 9,867 housing units. Of these housing units, 56.7% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 13.7% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 29.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 56.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 13.7
Mobile homes 29.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

7.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 8.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Marengo County, Alabama was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 71.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Marengo County, Alabama had 7,898 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,969 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 70.2% while renters occupied 29.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.53 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.94.

5.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 16.3% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 10.2% and another 23.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Marengo County, Alabama:

House Heating Fuel Used in Marengo County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 25.7
Electricity 70.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.6
All other fuels 1.7
No fuel used 1.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Marengo County, Alabama was $107,400.

Of the owner-occupied households, 34.8 % had a mortgage. 65.2% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,286 and for owners without a mortgage it was $449.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Marengo County, Alabama was $716. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.