Carolina, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Carolina, Alabama changed since 2009?
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The population has grown about 1 percent, from 333 to 337 people; the median household income has fallen from $66,750 to $60,250 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $91,700 to $152,500. 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 | 333 | 337 | +1% |
| Median household income | $66,750 | $60,250 | -10% |
| Median home value | $91,700 | $152,500 | +66% |
| Median rent | $605 | $669 | +11% |
| Median age | 38.2 yrs | 46.6 yrs | +8.4 yrs |
| Average commute | 22.1 min | 24.0 min | +1.9 min |
| College educated | 32.9% | 25.5% | -7.4 points |
| Working from home | 1.1% | 0.0% | -1.1 points |
| Poverty rate | 1.8% | 32.3% | +30.5 points |
| Unemployment | 8.1% | 3.3% | -4.8 points |
| Homeownership | 100.0% | 81.5% | -18.5 points |
| Rent as share of income | 50.0% | 21.8% | -28.2 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 0.8% | 1.5% | +0.7 points |
| Broadband at home | 70.1% | 82.3% | +12.2 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Carolina earned $66,750 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had fallen to $60,250, a change of -10 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $66,750 | $42,437 |
| 2010 | $55,000 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $60,809 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $55,125 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $51,458 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $46,667 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $50,278 | $45,598 |
| 2016 | $52,344 | $46,825 |
| 2017 | $58,750 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $46,250 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $46,250 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $46,250 | $54,336 |
| 2021 | $50,714 | $57,233 |
| 2022 | $48,750 | $62,334 |
| 2023 | $51,250 | $65,373 |
| 2024 | $60,250 | $67,652 |
The median home in Carolina was worth $91,700 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $152,500.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $91,700 | $125,974 |
| 2010 | $88,100 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $92,000 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $100,000 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $110,400 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $119,400 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $100,000 | $139,232 |
| 2016 | $119,600 | $141,274 |
| 2017 | $150,400 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $102,500 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $118,800 | $153,437 |
| 2020 | $88,000 | $160,202 |
| 2021 | $89,100 | $169,466 |
| 2022 | $97,900 | $197,546 |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $213,508 |
| 2024 | $152,500 | $231,263 |
Carolina counted 333 residents in 2009 and 337 in 2024.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 333 |
| 2010 | 293 |
| 2011 | 337 |
| 2012 | 241 |
| 2013 | 227 |
| 2014 | 299 |
| 2015 | 285 |
| 2016 | 308 |
| 2017 | 343 |
| 2018 | 258 |
| 2019 | 343 |
| 2020 | 252 |
| 2021 | 255 |
| 2022 | 279 |
| 2023 | 250 |
| 2024 | 337 |
Renters here paid a median of $605 a month in 2010 and $669 by 2024. Rents have grown noticeably faster than local incomes over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $605 |
| 2011 | $442 |
| 2012 | $463 |
| 2013 | $488 |
| 2014 | $496 |
| 2015 | $613 |
| 2016 | $638 |
| 2017 | $656 |
| 2018 | $769 |
| 2019 | $771 |
| 2020 | $756 |
| 2021 | $769 |
| 2022 | $810 |
| 2023 | $681 |
| 2024 | $669 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 32.9% to 25.5%. Meanwhile remote work went from 1.1% of workers to 0.0%. Broadband reached 82.3% of households, from 70.1% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 32.9% | 1.1% | |
| 2010 | 26.7% | 1.1% | |
| 2011 | 26.8% | ||
| 2012 | 32% | 0.7% | |
| 2013 | 27.4% | 1.6% | |
| 2014 | 27.3% | 1.3% | |
| 2015 | 23.5% | 1.5% | |
| 2016 | 25.1% | 2.3% | |
| 2017 | 32.1% | 70.1% | |
| 2018 | 28.6% | 66.1% | |
| 2019 | 24.9% | 65.2% | |
| 2020 | 24.4% | 67.6% | |
| 2021 | 29.2% | 68.8% | |
| 2022 | 23.8% | 73.4% | |
| 2023 | 24.3% | 75.9% | |
| 2024 | 25.5% | 82.3% |
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 Carolina was 38.2 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 46.6 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 38.2 |
| 2010 | 48.6 |
| 2011 | 43 |
| 2012 | 49.8 |
| 2013 | 42.3 |
| 2014 | 42.4 |
| 2015 | 43.4 |
| 2016 | 38 |
| 2017 | 38.3 |
| 2018 | 38.6 |
| 2019 | 35.6 |
| 2020 | 38.7 |
| 2021 | 38.5 |
| 2022 | 38.6 |
| 2023 | 38.3 |
| 2024 | 46.6 |
Getting to work took an average of 22.1 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 24.0 minutes.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 22.1 |
| 2010 | 18.4 |
| 2011 | 17.9 |
| 2012 | 18.8 |
| 2013 | 20.3 |
| 2014 | 22 |
| 2015 | 25.1 |
| 2016 | 44.1 |
| 2017 | 42.8 |
| 2018 | 26 |
| 2019 | 42.1 |
| 2020 | 23.6 |
| 2021 | 20 |
| 2022 | 25.5 |
| 2023 | 23.7 |
| 2024 | 24 |
About 32.3% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 1.8% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 3.3%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1.8% | |
| 2010 | 4.4% | |
| 2011 | 3.3% | 8.1% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | 5.3% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| 2014 | 7% | 0.6% |
| 2015 | 7.4% | 0.7% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | 3.6% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | 2.5% |
| 2018 | 12% | 3% |
| 2019 | 11.4% | 2.9% |
| 2020 | 9.9% | 3.3% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | |
| 2022 | 17.6% | |
| 2023 | 8.8% | |
| 2024 | 32.3% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Carolina scores 0.43, up from 0.31 - incomes here have grown more unequal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.3 |
| 2011 | 0.3 |
| 2012 | 0.4 |
| 2013 | 0.4 |
| 2014 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 0.4 |
| 2016 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 0.4 |
| 2021 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | 0.4 |
| 2024 | 0.4 |
81.5% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 100.0% in 2009. The typical renter puts 21.8% of household income toward rent. About 10.1% of housing units sit vacant.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 100% | 25.9% | |
| 2010 | 92.6% | 50% | 17.6% |
| 2011 | 92.1% | 29.2% | 17% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | 28.4% | 16.8% |
| 2013 | 77.2% | 26.7% | 12.9% |
| 2014 | 80.3% | 26% | 8.3% |
| 2015 | 86.9% | 17.5% | 6.2% |
| 2016 | 85.4% | 17.5% | 1.4% |
| 2017 | 86.8% | 13.8% | 5.9% |
| 2018 | 79.8% | 13.8% | 15.5% |
| 2019 | 81.2% | 32.5% | 15.3% |
| 2020 | 75.7% | 18.6% | 21.8% |
| 2021 | 78.6% | 21.3% | 23.3% |
| 2022 | 72.7% | 19.7% | 17.9% |
| 2023 | 77.6% | 19.7% | 14.7% |
| 2024 | 81.5% | 21.8% | 10.1% |
1.5% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 0.8% in 2018. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 3.6% of the town, down from 5.0% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5% | |
| 2012 | 7.9% | |
| 2013 | 8.8% | |
| 2014 | 7.7% | |
| 2015 | 6% | |
| 2016 | 0.3% | |
| 2017 | 0.3% | |
| 2018 | 0.8% | 7% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | 5.5% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | 10.7% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | 12.9% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | 16.5% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | 2% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | 3.6% |