Key Contact for Alabama

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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Alabama Nonmetro Population

4,893,186

Estimated population

1,178,960 (24.1%)

People living in nonmetro areas

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020 estimate

Alabama Rural Healthcare Facilities

5

Critical Access Hospitals

137

Rural Health Clinics

120

Federally Qualified Health Centers*

49

Short Term/PPS Hospitals*

*Sites located outside of Urbanized Areas according to data.HRSA.gov. July 2022.

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Alabama

8.3% of Alabama residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2021). 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).