Delta, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Delta, Alabama changed since 2010?
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The population has shrunk about 5 percent, from 237 to 225 people; the median household income has risen from $52,975 to $75,969 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $28,600 to $109,700. 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 2010; 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 | 2010 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 237 | 225 | -5% |
| Median household income | $52,975 | $75,969 | +43% |
| Median home value | $28,600 | $109,700 | +284% |
| Median age | 31.9 yrs | 46.3 yrs | +14.4 yrs |
| Average commute | 40.9 min | 47.6 min | +6.7 min |
| College educated | 0.0% | 34.8% | +34.8 points |
| Working from home | 0.0% | 0.0% | +0.0 points |
| Poverty rate | 13.9% | 42.7% | +28.8 points |
| Unemployment | 10.1% | 27.6% | +17.5 points |
| Homeownership | 75.3% | 100.0% | +24.7 points |
| Rent as share of income | 50.0% | 50.0% | +0.0 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 5.4% | 4.3% | -1.1 points |
| Broadband at home | 89.5% | 100.0% | +10.5 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Delta earned $52,975 a year in 2010. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $75,969, a change of +43 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $42,437 | |
| 2010 | $52,975 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $52,500 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $41,175 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $41,213 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $40,234 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $45,598 | |
| 2016 | $46,825 | |
| 2017 | $103,783 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $106,927 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $108,300 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $54,336 | |
| 2021 | $57,233 | |
| 2022 | $62,334 | |
| 2023 | $65,373 | |
| 2024 | $75,969 | $67,652 |
The median home in Delta was worth $28,600 in 2010. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $109,700.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $125,974 | |
| 2010 | $28,600 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $48,800 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $48,600 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $60,800 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $154,500 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $139,232 | |
| 2016 | $141,274 | |
| 2017 | $182,600 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $181,900 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $153,437 | |
| 2020 | $160,202 | |
| 2021 | $169,466 | |
| 2022 | $197,546 | |
| 2023 | $213,508 | |
| 2024 | $109,700 | $231,263 |
Delta counted 237 residents in 2010 and 225 in 2024. The population peaked around 307 in 2011.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 237 |
| 2011 | 307 |
| 2012 | 291 |
| 2013 | 305 |
| 2014 | 149 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 260 |
| 2017 | 221 |
| 2018 | 219 |
| 2019 | 282 |
| 2020 | 118 |
| 2021 | 158 |
| 2022 | 130 |
| 2023 | 233 |
| 2024 | 225 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 0.0% to 34.8%. Meanwhile remote work went from 0.0% of workers to 0.0%. Broadband reached 100.0% of households, from 89.5% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6.5% | |
| 2014 | 10.9% | |
| 2015 | 7.5% | |
| 2016 | 7.8% | |
| 2017 | 8% | 89.5% |
| 2018 | 81.9% | |
| 2019 | 74.6% | |
| 2020 | 8.3% | 60.6% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | 64.1% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | 68.8% |
| 2023 | 26.2% | 78.7% |
| 2024 | 34.8% | 100% |
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 Delta was 31.9 years old in 2010. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 46.3 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 31.9 |
| 2011 | 32.2 |
| 2012 | 53.8 |
| 2013 | 46.3 |
| 2014 | 62.6 |
| 2015 | 60.5 |
| 2016 | 53.9 |
| 2017 | 52 |
| 2018 | 51.9 |
| 2019 | 51.6 |
| 2020 | 51.8 |
| 2021 | 32.4 |
| 2022 | 32.5 |
| 2023 | 34.2 |
| 2024 | 46.3 |
Getting to work took an average of 40.9 minutes in 2012; it now takes about 47.6 minutes.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 40.9 |
| 2013 | 39.1 |
| 2016 | 43.6 |
| 2017 | 44.8 |
| 2018 | 45.8 |
| 2019 | 47.6 |
About 42.7% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 13.9% in 2010. Unemployment stands at 27.6%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 13.9% | |
| 2011 | 14% | 10.1% |
| 2012 | 17.2% | 21.4% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | 27.6% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | |
| 2021 | 62% | |
| 2022 | 61.5% | |
| 2023 | 41.2% | |
| 2024 | 42.7% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Delta scores 0.29, up from 0.15 - incomes here have grown more unequal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.1 |
| 2011 | 0.2 |
| 2012 | 0.2 |
| 2013 | 0.2 |
| 2014 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | 0.3 |
| 2017 | 0.2 |
| 2018 | 0.1 |
| 2019 | 0.3 |
| 2020 | 0.3 |
| 2021 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | 0.4 |
| 2024 | 0.3 |
100.0% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, up from 75.3% in 2010. The typical renter puts 50.0% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 35.3% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 75.3% | 50% | 41.7% |
| 2011 | 83.6% | 50% | 18.3% |
| 2012 | 80% | 50% | 28.6% |
| 2013 | 76.8% | 31.7% | |
| 2014 | 90.2% | 51.9% | |
| 2015 | 100% | 46.5% | |
| 2016 | 100% | 49.6% | |
| 2017 | 100% | 41.4% | |
| 2018 | 100% | 53.9% | |
| 2019 | 100% | 25.8% | |
| 2020 | 100% | 38.8% | |
| 2021 | 100% | 51.1% | |
| 2022 | 100% | 54.3% | |
| 2023 | 100% | 18.3% | |
| 2024 | 100% | 35.3% |
4.3% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 5.4% in 2015. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 7.8% of the town, level with 7.4% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7.4% | |
| 2015 | 5.4% | 5% |
| 2016 | 6.5% | 3.5% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | 4.5% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | 7.8% |
| 2019 | 4.3% |