Cuba, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Cuba, Alabama changed since 2009?
Compare Cuba with another town »
The population has shrunk about 25 percent, from 490 to 368 people; the median household income has risen from $29,271 to $91,250 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $82,600 to $197,900; and the share of people working from home has climbed from 0.0% to 1.3%. 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 | 490 | 368 | -25% |
| Median household income | $29,271 | $91,250 | +212% |
| Median home value | $82,600 | $197,900 | +140% |
| Median rent | $681 | $532 | -22% |
| Median age | 31.3 yrs | 50.8 yrs | +19.5 yrs |
| Average commute | 25.1 min | 36.9 min | +11.8 min |
| College educated | 42.6% | 41.6% | -1.0 points |
| Working from home | 0.0% | 1.3% | +1.3 points |
| Poverty rate | 13.7% | 7.9% | -5.8 points |
| Unemployment | 10.7% | 3.2% | -7.5 points |
| Homeownership | 87.6% | 78.6% | -9.0 points |
| Rent as share of income | 50.0% | 33.1% | -16.9 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 1.4% | 1.9% | +0.5 points |
| Broadband at home | 72.9% | 83.9% | +11.0 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Cuba earned $29,271 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $91,250, a change of +212 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $29,271 | $42,437 |
| 2010 | $32,857 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $31,917 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $36,875 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $35,938 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $40,625 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $40,673 | $45,598 |
| 2016 | $40,147 | $46,825 |
| 2017 | $41,406 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $51,875 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $51,250 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $40,750 | $54,336 |
| 2021 | $54,063 | $57,233 |
| 2022 | $73,333 | $62,334 |
| 2023 | $75,074 | $65,373 |
| 2024 | $91,250 | $67,652 |
The median home in Cuba was worth $82,600 in 2009. Values slid as low as $74,000 in 2013 before recovering, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $197,900.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $82,600 | $125,974 |
| 2010 | $83,400 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $82,200 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $79,200 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $74,000 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $76,300 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $76,200 | $139,232 |
| 2016 | $82,700 | $141,274 |
| 2017 | $95,000 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $108,100 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $103,500 | $153,437 |
| 2020 | $110,400 | $160,202 |
| 2021 | $115,600 | $169,466 |
| 2022 | $160,400 | $197,546 |
| 2023 | $181,800 | $213,508 |
| 2024 | $197,900 | $231,263 |
Cuba counted 490 residents in 2009 and 368 in 2024. The population peaked around 509 in 2015.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 490 |
| 2010 | 396 |
| 2011 | 391 |
| 2012 | 330 |
| 2013 | 411 |
| 2014 | 344 |
| 2015 | 509 |
| 2016 | 496 |
| 2017 | 438 |
| 2018 | 410 |
| 2019 | 422 |
| 2020 | 294 |
| 2021 | 378 |
| 2022 | 327 |
| 2023 | 369 |
| 2024 | 368 |
Renters here paid a median of $681 a month in 2009 and $532 by 2024. Local incomes have grown faster than rents over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $681 |
| 2010 | $475 |
| 2011 | $675 |
| 2012 | $825 |
| 2013 | $475 |
| 2014 | $470 |
| 2015 | $480 |
| 2016 | $498 |
| 2017 | $669 |
| 2018 | $725 |
| 2019 | $692 |
| 2020 | $800 |
| 2021 | $842 |
| 2022 | $918 |
| 2023 | $483 |
| 2024 | $532 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 42.6% to 41.6%. Meanwhile remote work went from 0.0% of workers to 1.3%, one of the biggest shifts in how people here live and work. Broadband reached 83.9% of households, from 72.9% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 42.6% | ||
| 2010 | 44.9% | ||
| 2011 | 36.5% | ||
| 2012 | 36% | ||
| 2013 | 29.4% | ||
| 2014 | 27.2% | ||
| 2015 | 35.6% | ||
| 2016 | 43.5% | ||
| 2017 | 48.9% | 72.9% | |
| 2018 | 54% | 77.2% | |
| 2019 | 54.9% | 76.2% | |
| 2020 | 43.5% | 0.9% | 78.1% |
| 2021 | 50.4% | 0.7% | 84.3% |
| 2022 | 45.6% | 0.7% | 84.6% |
| 2023 | 41.3% | 0.6% | 85.4% |
| 2024 | 41.6% | 1.3% | 83.9% |
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 Cuba was 31.3 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 50.8 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 31.3 |
| 2010 | 30.8 |
| 2011 | 34.8 |
| 2012 | 35.3 |
| 2013 | 39.8 |
| 2014 | 45 |
| 2015 | 39.4 |
| 2016 | 45.5 |
| 2017 | 46.2 |
| 2018 | 49 |
| 2019 | 47.7 |
| 2020 | 55.1 |
| 2021 | 46.1 |
| 2022 | 54.9 |
| 2023 | 54.9 |
| 2024 | 50.8 |
Getting to work took an average of 25.1 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 36.9 minutes.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 25.1 |
| 2010 | 25.3 |
| 2011 | 33 |
| 2012 | 36 |
| 2013 | 28.5 |
| 2014 | 29.7 |
| 2015 | 28.2 |
| 2016 | 27.4 |
| 2017 | 28.9 |
| 2018 | 28.2 |
| 2019 | 30.5 |
| 2020 | 31 |
| 2021 | 32.3 |
| 2022 | 34.9 |
| 2023 | 36.1 |
| 2024 | 36.9 |
About 7.9% of residents live below the poverty line, down from 13.7% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 3.2%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 13.7% | |
| 2010 | 9.8% | |
| 2011 | 11.8% | 10.7% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | 12% |
| 2013 | 19.5% | 9.3% |
| 2014 | 18% | 7.8% |
| 2015 | 21% | 8.7% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | 9.4% |
| 2017 | 18.5% | 10.6% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | 6.6% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | 8.2% |
| 2020 | 16% | 9.2% |
| 2021 | 17.2% | 4% |
| 2022 | 7% | 1.4% |
| 2023 | 6.2% | 3.7% |
| 2024 | 7.9% | 3.2% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Cuba scores 0.43, down from 0.46 - incomes here have grown more equal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.5 |
| 2011 | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 0.5 |
| 2014 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 0.4 |
| 2016 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | 0.4 |
| 2024 | 0.4 |
78.6% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 87.6% in 2009. The typical renter puts 33.1% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 18.4% of housing units sit vacant.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 87.6% | 50% | 27.9% |
| 2010 | 91% | 24.4% | 33.3% |
| 2011 | 92.1% | 32.5% | 26% |
| 2012 | 90.7% | 32.5% | 27.1% |
| 2013 | 82.5% | 50% | 20.2% |
| 2014 | 77.7% | 32.5% | 19.7% |
| 2015 | 71.9% | 50% | 19.6% |
| 2016 | 67.3% | 50% | 15.8% |
| 2017 | 67.5% | 42.5% | 15.8% |
| 2018 | 78.2% | 17.9% | 15.5% |
| 2019 | 77.2% | 17.9% | 11.2% |
| 2020 | 79.3% | 25% | 9.6% |
| 2021 | 78.9% | 17.8% | 16.2% |
| 2022 | 82.7% | 16.3% | 19.2% |
| 2023 | 84.3% | 20% | 17.8% |
| 2024 | 78.6% | 33.1% | 18.4% |
1.9% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 1.4% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 14.7% of the town, up from 6.7% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1.4% | 6.7% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | 9.8% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | 10.5% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | 13.9% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | 32.4% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | 32.3% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | 29.5% |
| 2016 | 2% | 26% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | 12.3% |
| 2018 | 1% | 14.6% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | 12.8% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | |
| 2021 | 1.1% | 10.6% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | 12.2% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | 12.5% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | 14.7% |