Beatrice, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Beatrice, Alabama changed since 2009?
Compare Beatrice with another town »
The population has shrunk about 62 percent, from 477 to 182 people; the median household income has risen from $27,981 to $37,292 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $33,900 to $80,800; and the share of people working from home has climbed from 0.0% to 22.0%. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year releases, so each point is a rolling five-year estimate.
Each line starts at 100 in 2009; a line reaching 200 means that measure doubled. Exact values for each measure are in the charts and tables below. Source: ACS 5-year estimates.
| Measure | 2009 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 477 | 182 | -62% |
| Median household income | $27,981 | $37,292 | +33% |
| Median home value | $33,900 | $80,800 | +138% |
| Median rent | $933 | $608 | -35% |
| Median age | 33.7 yrs | 40.6 yrs | +6.9 yrs |
| Average commute | 28.8 min | 9.5 min | -19.3 min |
| College educated | 33.1% | 32.8% | -0.3 points |
| Working from home | 0.0% | 22.0% | +22.0 points |
| Poverty rate | 37.5% | 7.1% | -30.4 points |
| Unemployment | 17.1% | 26.9% | +9.8 points |
| Homeownership | 86.5% | 87.3% | +0.8 points |
| Rent as share of income | 32.5% | 22.9% | -9.6 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 1.2% | 0.5% | -0.7 points |
| Broadband at home | 29.6% | 93.7% | +64.1 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Beatrice earned $27,981 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $37,292, a change of +33 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $27,981 | $42,437 |
| 2010 | $24,526 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $24,609 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $24,489 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $23,594 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $18,558 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $18,417 | $45,598 |
| 2016 | $14,063 | $46,825 |
| 2017 | $17,679 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $20,694 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $28,750 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $27,500 | $54,336 |
| 2021 | $28,750 | $57,233 |
| 2022 | $33,214 | $62,334 |
| 2023 | $40,833 | $65,373 |
| 2024 | $37,292 | $67,652 |
The median home in Beatrice was worth $33,900 in 2009. Values slid as low as $29,300 in 2019 before recovering, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $80,800.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $33,900 | $125,974 |
| 2010 | $38,800 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $38,300 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $34,100 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $33,800 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $33,800 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $34,800 | $139,232 |
| 2016 | $31,700 | $141,274 |
| 2017 | $30,800 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $31,300 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $29,300 | $153,437 |
| 2020 | $29,300 | $160,202 |
| 2021 | $35,000 | $169,466 |
| 2022 | $66,700 | $197,546 |
| 2023 | $82,500 | $213,508 |
| 2024 | $80,800 | $231,263 |
Beatrice counted 477 residents in 2009 and 182 in 2024.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 477 |
| 2010 | 464 |
| 2011 | 448 |
| 2012 | 367 |
| 2013 | 340 |
| 2014 | 268 |
| 2015 | 294 |
| 2016 | 278 |
| 2017 | 266 |
| 2018 | 310 |
| 2019 | 221 |
| 2020 | 162 |
| 2021 | 179 |
| 2022 | 175 |
| 2023 | 169 |
| 2024 | 182 |
Renters here paid a median of $933 a month in 2009 and $608 by 2019. Local incomes have grown faster than rents over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $933 |
| 2010 | $938 |
| 2011 | $1,025 |
| 2012 | $1,057 |
| 2013 | $588 |
| 2014 | $554 |
| 2015 | $525 |
| 2016 | $538 |
| 2017 | $583 |
| 2018 | $583 |
| 2019 | $608 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 33.1% to 32.8%. Meanwhile remote work went from 0.0% of workers to 22.0%, one of the biggest shifts in how people here live and work. Broadband reached 93.7% of households, from 29.6% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 33.1% | ||
| 2010 | 38% | ||
| 2011 | 34.7% | ||
| 2012 | 36.1% | ||
| 2013 | 38.6% | ||
| 2014 | 28.5% | ||
| 2015 | 24% | ||
| 2016 | 22.2% | ||
| 2017 | 20.8% | 29.6% | |
| 2018 | 20.2% | 37% | |
| 2019 | 18.5% | 38.1% | |
| 2020 | 16.5% | 35.3% | |
| 2021 | 15.6% | 51.4% | |
| 2022 | 23.4% | 58.3% | |
| 2023 | 30.5% | 31.6% | 70.6% |
| 2024 | 32.8% | 22% | 93.7% |
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
The median resident of Beatrice was 33.7 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 40.6 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 33.7 |
| 2010 | 41.7 |
| 2011 | 41 |
| 2012 | 35.6 |
| 2013 | 38.6 |
| 2014 | 52.5 |
| 2015 | 33.8 |
| 2016 | 38.1 |
| 2017 | 39 |
| 2018 | 33.7 |
| 2019 | 43.2 |
| 2020 | 46.5 |
| 2021 | 37.9 |
| 2022 | 37.1 |
| 2023 | 52.8 |
| 2024 | 40.6 |
Getting to work took an average of 28.8 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 9.5 minutes. Keep in mind this only counts people who commute at all.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 28.8 |
| 2010 | 33.4 |
| 2011 | 35.2 |
| 2012 | 28.1 |
| 2013 | 29.1 |
| 2014 | 42.1 |
| 2015 | 32.6 |
| 2016 | 32.3 |
| 2017 | 28.7 |
| 2018 | 28.2 |
| 2019 | 20.6 |
| 2020 | 18.1 |
| 2021 | 17.1 |
| 2022 | 14.7 |
| 2023 | 11.5 |
| 2024 | 9.5 |
About 7.1% of residents live below the poverty line, down from 37.5% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 26.9%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 37.5% | |
| 2010 | 31% | |
| 2011 | 29% | 17.1% |
| 2012 | 46.9% | 31.7% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | 44.1% |
| 2014 | 34.3% | 43.9% |
| 2015 | 44.9% | 49.5% |
| 2016 | 42.1% | 50.5% |
| 2017 | 35.7% | 30.3% |
| 2018 | 29.7% | 27.5% |
| 2019 | 24.9% | 26.3% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | 16.7% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | 18.3% |
| 2022 | 10.3% | 26.9% |
| 2023 | 6.5% | |
| 2024 | 7.1% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Beatrice scores 0.51, down from 0.61 - incomes here have grown more equal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.6 |
| 2011 | 0.6 |
| 2012 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 0.5 |
| 2014 | 0.6 |
| 2015 | 0.6 |
| 2016 | 0.6 |
| 2017 | 0.6 |
| 2018 | 0.6 |
| 2019 | 0.5 |
| 2020 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | 0.4 |
| 2024 | 0.5 |
87.3% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, up from 86.5% in 2009. The typical renter puts 22.9% of household income toward rent. About 42.2% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 86.5% | 32.5% | 17.2% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | 43.3% | 25.6% |
| 2011 | 81.9% | 23.6% | 33.3% |
| 2012 | 76.6% | 24.3% | 33.2% |
| 2013 | 74.8% | 24.2% | 44.5% |
| 2014 | 75.2% | 20.5% | 45.9% |
| 2015 | 73.3% | 22.9% | 42.6% |
| 2016 | 79.6% | 44.3% | |
| 2017 | 79.1% | 41.3% | |
| 2018 | 80.7% | 37% | |
| 2019 | 81.4% | 46.7% | |
| 2020 | 85.3% | 52.4% | |
| 2021 | 77.1% | 43.5% | |
| 2022 | 76.7% | 48.3% | |
| 2023 | 83.8% | 44.7% | |
| 2024 | 87.3% | 42.2% |
0.5% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 1.2% in 2023. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 73.6% of the town, down from 77.4% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 77.4% | |
| 2010 | 74.1% | |
| 2011 | 74.8% | |
| 2012 | 74.1% | |
| 2013 | 83.8% | |
| 2014 | 77.2% | |
| 2015 | 79.3% | |
| 2016 | 77.7% | |
| 2017 | 78.9% | |
| 2018 | 75.8% | |
| 2019 | 74.7% | |
| 2020 | 76.5% | |
| 2021 | 81% | |
| 2022 | 77.1% | |
| 2023 | 1.2% | 70.4% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | 73.6% |