Tuscaloosa, Alabama population is 114,316 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #276 nationally and #5 in Alabama. Cost of living runs 12% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $81,799/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
114,316
+105 in the last year
Top 2% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 87.7
−12% vs US
Tuscaloosa, AL metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$81,798/yr
+2.1% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$51,464
−34% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$255,500
−16% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,169/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
92°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
60%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
Explore Tuscaloosa, AL demographics, including age, race and ethnicity, households, origins, language, and education.
How many people live in Tuscaloosa?
114,316 people live in Tuscaloosa as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #276 largest U.S. city.
How big is Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa covers 63.0 square miles of land and 10.1 square miles of water. Its population density is about 1,816 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 13.2% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 101,001 → 2025: 114,316 (+13.2%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
101,001
April 1, 2020
2020
105,564
July 1, 2020
2021
110,565
July 1, 2021
2022
112,018
July 1, 2022
2023
112,920
July 1, 2023
2024
114,211
July 1, 2024
2025
114,316
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 11.8% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Tuscaloosa is the #276 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #5 in Alabama.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
101,001
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+13,315
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+13.2%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+105
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.1%
within V2025 only
Density
1,816
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
63
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#276
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#5
of 463 in Alabama
What is the median household income in Tuscaloosa?
Median household income is 34% below the U.S. median ($51,464 vs $77,719); 25.1% live in poverty — 12.6 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$51,464
US
Tuscaloosa: $51,464 — 34% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Tuscaloosa
$51,464
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Tuscaloosa from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
51,464-33.8% vs US
±2,918
Per capita income
31,728-26.7% vs US
±1,361
Population in poverty
25.1%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 16% below the U.S. median ($255,500 vs $303,400); median rent is 22% below ($1,055 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 5.0×, making it 1.3× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$255,500
US
Tuscaloosa: $255,500 — 16% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,169/mo
US
Tuscaloosa: $1,169/mo — 9% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Tuscaloosa. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
3.6%
Tuscaloosa (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
50,361
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
8.2%-41.1% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Tuscaloosa sits in Tuscaloosa County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Tuscaloosa County
16.5%
$67,379
3.1%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Tuscaloosa's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Manufacturing (31-33)
18,528
$1,568 / wk
#2
Accommodation and food services (72)
10,954
$425 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
10,830
$676 / wk
#4
Health care and social assistance (62)
8,029
$938 / wk
#5
Construction (23)
4,838
$1,262 / wk
What workers earn in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators is the largest tracked occupation in the Tuscaloosa, AL metro (7,320 jobs, median $53,050/yr).
▸Show all 14 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
7,320
$53,050
$25.51
Cashiers
2,660
$28,110
$13.51
Fast Food and Counter Workers
2,360
$24,630
$11.84
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
2,330
$41,550
$19.98
Stockers and Order Fillers
1,940
$32,210
$15.49
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
1,740
$36,480
$17.54
Waiters and Waitresses
1,650
$26,930
$12.95
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
1,590
$62,990
$30.28
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
2,990
$29,630
$14.24
Registered Nurses · benchmark
2,590
$75,250
$36.18
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
1,440
$50,190
$24.13
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
1,210
$101,210
$48.66
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 12.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 87.7); rents run 41.8% below (RPP 58.2) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 87.7
US
Tuscaloosa's cost of living runs 12.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 87.7 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 87.7
−12.3% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Tuscaloosa, AL metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,169/mo
FY2026 · Tuscaloosa, AL HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
5.00%
3 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$6,817/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,141/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Alabama · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
5.7% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (3.4% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Tuscaloosa's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
Public school districts serving Tuscaloosa, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Tuscaloosa?
Hottest month: July (92°F avg high). Coldest: January (34°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 55.3 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Tuscaloosa from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Natural-hazard exposure for Tuscaloosa from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Tuscaloosa County
90.8
Relatively Moderate
Tornado 97.5 Relatively High · Heat Wave 95.6 Relatively Moderate · Strong Wind 94.5 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Tuscaloosa?
11 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 60% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Tuscaloosa from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
11 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
8
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
60.4%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
60.4%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
57,425
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
In-state context.
Tuscaloosa sits at state rank #5 among 463 cities in Alabama. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Clearwater, FL · #275 · 114,364 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Murrieta, CA · #277 · 114,124 residents.
Quick travel facts for Tuscaloosa
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport(BHM) · 50 mi 81 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Oct, Nov · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Tuscaloosa.
How many people live in Tuscaloosa, AL?
Tuscaloosa has 114,316 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #276 largest city in the United States and #5 in Alabama. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Tuscaloosa growing or shrinking?
Tuscaloosa has grown 13.2% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 13,315 residents, including a 0.1% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Tuscaloosa's population in the 2020 census?
Tuscaloosa covers 63.0 square miles of land, with a population density of about 1,816 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Tuscaloosa?
$51,464, about 34% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID0177256
Last build2026-08-27
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Tuscaloosa is 0177256. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
