County profile

Tuscaloosa 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
237,552
Median household income
$66,231
People below poverty
16.8%
Median home value
$248,700

Income

The median income of households in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama was $66,231. An estimated 7.3% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 7.2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.3
$10,000 to $14,999 3.8
$15,000 to $24,999 8.3
$25,000 to $34,999 8.3
$35,000 to $49,999 11
$50,000 to $74,999 17.1
$75,000 to $99,999 12.3
$100,000 to $149,999 16.3
$150,000 to $199,999 8.4
$200,000 or more 7.2

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

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Dollars
Male 59916
Female 47702

An estimated 78.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 28.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 22.4 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,653. 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 Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 78.3
Social Security 28.2
Retirement income 22.4
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.3
Cash public assistance income 2.8

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 16.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 19.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11.5% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 17.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 16.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 19.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11.5
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 17.2

In 2020-2024, 10.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 55% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 29.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 44.7% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024, 93.3% had health insurance coverage and 6.7% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 74.2% and public coverage was 31.3%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2%.


In 2020-2024, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama had a total population of 237,552 - 122,955 (51.8%) females and 114,597 (48.2%) males. The median age was 32.8 years. An estimated 20.5% of the population was under 18 years, 37.3% was 19 to 44 years, 21.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 13.9 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 6643 6249
5 to 9 7322 6713
10 to 14 6665 6864
15 to 19 11574 13050
20 to 24 13894 14335
25 to 29 7968 8036
30 to 34 7893 8325
35 to 39 7120 7354
40 to 44 6541 7039
45 to 49 6250 6743
50 to 54 6169 6610
55 to 59 5964 5354
60 to 64 6216 7544
65 to 69 5648 6269
70 to 74 3787 5059
75 to 79 1982 3078
80 to 84 1823 2274
85 and over 1138 2059

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 60.1% were White; 30.9% were Black or African American; 12.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.7% were Asian; 12.2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.6% of the people in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 58.9% of the people in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 90,052 households in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The average household size was 2.47 people.

Married-couple households made up 44% of the households in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama while cohabiting couple households made up 4.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 31.3% of all households, while 20% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.9% of all households.

In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 29.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 26.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 44
Cohabiting Couples 4.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
31.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 44.9% of males and 40.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 43.8 40.4
Now married, except separated 44.9 40.4
Separated 1.1 1.1
Widowed 2.4 7.9
Divorced 7.8 10.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 3,867 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 58.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.3% of the people living in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama were U.S. natives. 68.9% of the Tuscaloosa County, Alabama population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.7% of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 36.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 50.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.

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

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Percent
Latin America 43.9
Asia 28
Europe 14.6
Africa 10.9
Northern America 2.6
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024, 6.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.8% of people at least five years old; 2.4% 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 Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3.8
Other Indo-European languages 1.5
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.9
Other languages 0.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 82.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 82.7
Different house, same county 9.7
Different county, same state 3.7
Different state 3.5
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama was 76,233 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 2,660 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 35,331. College or graduate school enrollment was 38,242.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.5
High school diploma or equivalency 27.9
Some college, no degree 21.4
Associate's degree 10.2
Bachelor's degree 18.3
Graduate or professional degree 13.8

Disability

In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.5% of people under 18 years old, to 11.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 36.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 58.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 37.9% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 75.4% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 20.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 3.8 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 85,617 75.4
Federal, state, or local government workers 23,341 20.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 4,356 3.8

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.4
Construction 6.4
Manufacturing 15.7
Wholesale trade 1.3
Retail trade 10.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.4
Information 0.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 29.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.4
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 4.1

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 45,494 40.1
Service occupations 17,813 15.7
Sales and office occupations 21,223 18.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 10,407 9.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 18,565 16.4

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.6% of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 10% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.3 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 10
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 2.1
Other means 1.1
Worked from home 7.4

In 2020-2024, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama had a total of 104,290 housing units. Of these housing units, 63.2% 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"). 28.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 8.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 63.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 28.2
Mobile homes 8.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

18.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 3.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 67.8% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama had 90,052 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 14,238 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 61.4% while renters occupied 38.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.63 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.22.

6.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.8% and another 24.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 28.8
Electricity 70.3
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.4
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama was $248,700.

Of the owner-occupied households, 62.5 % had a mortgage. 37.5% 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 $1,559 and for owners without a mortgage it was $473.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama was $1,037. 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.