Locust Fork, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Locust Fork, Alabama changed since 2009?
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The median household income has fallen from $51,971 to $50,000 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $125,400 to $181,400. 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 | 1,404 | 1,402 | -0% |
| Median household income | $51,971 | $50,000 | -4% |
| Median home value | $125,400 | $181,400 | +45% |
| Median rent | $858 | $1,121 | +31% |
| Median age | 38.1 yrs | 43.8 yrs | +5.7 yrs |
| Average commute | 37.7 min | 33.5 min | -4.2 min |
| College educated | 13.2% | 18.2% | +5.0 points |
| Working from home | 4.3% | 5.7% | +1.4 points |
| Poverty rate | 5.7% | 18.7% | +13.0 points |
| Unemployment | 7.8% | 4.5% | -3.3 points |
| Homeownership | 92.4% | 84.5% | -7.9 points |
| Rent as share of income | 40.5% | 47.5% | +7.0 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 0.4% | 0.9% | +0.5 points |
| Broadband at home | 79.2% | 91.3% | +12.1 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Locust Fork earned $51,971 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had fallen to $50,000, a change of -4 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $51,971 | $42,437 |
| 2010 | $55,313 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $47,500 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $49,438 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $50,234 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $53,487 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $57,143 | $45,598 |
| 2016 | $56,250 | $46,825 |
| 2017 | $53,417 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $56,500 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $57,344 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $37,292 | $54,336 |
| 2021 | $33,775 | $57,233 |
| 2022 | $44,688 | $62,334 |
| 2023 | $42,045 | $65,373 |
| 2024 | $50,000 | $67,652 |
The median home in Locust Fork was worth $125,400 in 2009. Values slid as low as $104,800 in 2018 before recovering, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $181,400.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $125,400 | $125,974 |
| 2010 | $125,300 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $122,800 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $122,900 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $121,000 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $117,600 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $115,400 | $139,232 |
| 2016 | $115,800 | $141,274 |
| 2017 | $111,300 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $104,800 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $106,600 | $153,437 |
| 2020 | $126,700 | $160,202 |
| 2021 | $131,100 | $169,466 |
| 2022 | $145,400 | $197,546 |
| 2023 | $169,600 | $213,508 |
| 2024 | $181,400 | $231,263 |
Locust Fork counted 1,404 residents in 2009 and 1,402 in 2024. The population peaked around 1,645 in 2020.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 1,404 |
| 2010 | 1,009 |
| 2011 | 1,042 |
| 2012 | 1,115 |
| 2013 | 1,118 |
| 2014 | 1,208 |
| 2015 | 1,441 |
| 2016 | 1,404 |
| 2017 | 1,386 |
| 2018 | 1,631 |
| 2019 | 1,478 |
| 2020 | 1,645 |
| 2021 | 1,532 |
| 2022 | 1,316 |
| 2023 | 1,312 |
| 2024 | 1,402 |
Renters here paid a median of $858 a month in 2009 and $1,121 by 2024. Rents have grown noticeably faster than local incomes over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $858 |
| 2010 | $769 |
| 2011 | $583 |
| 2012 | $592 |
| 2013 | $794 |
| 2014 | $725 |
| 2015 | $775 |
| 2016 | $921 |
| 2017 | $934 |
| 2018 | $864 |
| 2019 | $890 |
| 2020 | $1,067 |
| 2021 | $1,069 |
| 2022 | $1,026 |
| 2023 | $1,054 |
| 2024 | $1,121 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 13.2% to 18.2%. Meanwhile remote work went from 4.3% of workers to 5.7%. Broadband reached 91.3% of households, from 79.2% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 13.2% | 4.3% | |
| 2010 | 17.1% | 2.7% | |
| 2011 | 16.2% | 2.5% | |
| 2012 | 16.6% | 2.7% | |
| 2013 | 17.9% | ||
| 2014 | 19.5% | 0.8% | |
| 2015 | 18.1% | 0.7% | |
| 2016 | 17.3% | 0.6% | |
| 2017 | 15.5% | 1.5% | 79.2% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | 3.6% | 83.3% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | 2.8% | 80.7% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | 5.4% | 86.6% |
| 2021 | 16% | 6.4% | 88.7% |
| 2022 | 17.7% | 5% | 90.2% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | 2.3% | 87.2% |
| 2024 | 18.2% | 5.7% | 91.3% |
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 Locust Fork was 38.1 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 43.8 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 38.1 |
| 2010 | 36.9 |
| 2011 | 39.3 |
| 2012 | 41.8 |
| 2013 | 43.4 |
| 2014 | 43.6 |
| 2015 | 40.7 |
| 2016 | 43.1 |
| 2017 | 43.7 |
| 2018 | 41.4 |
| 2019 | 43.6 |
| 2020 | 47.5 |
| 2021 | 46.1 |
| 2022 | 47.7 |
| 2023 | 47.3 |
| 2024 | 43.8 |
Getting to work took an average of 37.7 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 33.5 minutes.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 37.7 |
| 2010 | 36.8 |
| 2011 | 34.6 |
| 2012 | 35.5 |
| 2013 | 38.3 |
| 2014 | 39.1 |
| 2015 | 39.4 |
| 2016 | 40.9 |
| 2017 | 39.1 |
| 2018 | 35.4 |
| 2019 | 36.5 |
| 2020 | 34.9 |
| 2021 | 33 |
| 2022 | 34.2 |
| 2023 | 33.1 |
| 2024 | 33.5 |
About 18.7% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 5.7% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 4.5%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 5.7% | |
| 2010 | 11.4% | |
| 2011 | 12.8% | 7.8% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | 9.6% |
| 2013 | 19.3% | 10.2% |
| 2014 | 20.6% | 10.5% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | 8.5% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | 8.5% |
| 2017 | 15.5% | 7.4% |
| 2018 | 13.5% | 7.5% |
| 2019 | 12.9% | 8.1% |
| 2020 | 18.5% | 5.5% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | 5.4% |
| 2022 | 19% | 5.4% |
| 2023 | 17.6% | 5.7% |
| 2024 | 18.7% | 4.5% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Locust Fork scores 0.48, up from 0.35 - incomes here have grown more unequal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.4 |
| 2011 | 0.4 |
| 2012 | 0.4 |
| 2013 | 0.4 |
| 2014 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | 0.3 |
| 2017 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 0.4 |
| 2021 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | 0.5 |
| 2024 | 0.5 |
84.5% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 92.4% in 2009. The typical renter puts 47.5% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 8.5% of housing units sit vacant.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 92.4% | 40.5% | 6.9% |
| 2010 | 88.3% | 42.9% | 10.9% |
| 2011 | 84.9% | 26.3% | 9.3% |
| 2012 | 90.4% | 45.4% | 6.6% |
| 2013 | 88.7% | 29.8% | 5.8% |
| 2014 | 88.5% | 32.5% | 6% |
| 2015 | 86% | 25% | 6.4% |
| 2016 | 87% | 26.6% | 8% |
| 2017 | 85.8% | 22.9% | 8% |
| 2018 | 85.7% | 14.5% | 7.6% |
| 2019 | 85.7% | 14.4% | 8.8% |
| 2020 | 81.5% | 29.2% | 4.6% |
| 2021 | 80.1% | 42.8% | 3.6% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | 49% | 4.7% |
| 2023 | 80.4% | 48.2% | 5.9% |
| 2024 | 84.5% | 47.5% | 8.5% |
0.9% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 0.4% in 2014. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 7.5% of the town, up from 2.6% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2.6% | |
| 2010 | 2.7% | |
| 2011 | 2.3% | |
| 2012 | 2.4% | |
| 2013 | 3% | |
| 2014 | 0.4% | 3.6% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | 4% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | 2.9% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | 3.3% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | 2.5% |
| 2022 | 1% | 3.8% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | 7.6% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | 7.5% |