Alabama covers 50,744 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 5,039,877 people - 1,144,375 of whom live in rural areas (USDA-ERS). The state capital is Montgomery and the largest cities are Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 68.9% of the state's population is White, 26.8% is African-American, 1.6% is Asian, 0.7% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 4.8% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Alabama Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Alabama

8.9% of Alabama residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Alabama residents in 2021 was $46,479, with the rural capita income at $39,275. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Alabama is 17.5%, compared with 14.1% in urban areas of the state. 17.6% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 11.7% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Alabama is 3.5%, while in urban Alabama it is 3.4% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
Phone: 334.206.5396
Facilitates and supports activities which improve access to health care services for rural Alabamians, with special concern for children, the elderly, minorities and other medically underserved vulnerable populations. Part of the Alabama Department of Public Health.
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