Official Federal Data
Macon County, Alabama
FIPS 01087 · Auburn-Opelika, AL · Population 18,691
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$43,707 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$765M ▲
GDP
21.1% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 18,691 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$43,707 ▲
Per Capita
$26,341 ▲
Mean Household
$63,220 ▲
Poverty Rate
24.3% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Macon County$43,707
Alabama$63,999
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 15.4%
18-34 · 33.3%
35-54 · 16.9%
55-64 · 13.1%
65+ · 21.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
84.6%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 5.0 pts
21.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 14.6 pts
9.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
18,691
Population
8,295
Labor Force
Employed
7,600
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4% ▼ 0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.6%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 24.3%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 14.6 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 348 workers (35.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $27,796.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $765M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $64,939 while Retail Trade averages $27,796, a 2.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
141
Cluster Employment
4.29x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
4.29x 141
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers concentrates at 4.29x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Attraction whitespace: 4 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$102,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$734 ▲
Rent/Mo
61.5% ▼
Owner-Occ
25% ▼
Vacancy
2.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$720/mo
1 Bedroom
$758/mo
2 Bedroom
$995/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,222/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,501/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,093/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.3x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- Elevated vacancy: 25% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,093/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
11,837 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
74%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
21.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
84.6% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
38,131/yr
10,026/yr
8,117/yr
6,393/yr
5,998/yr
3,892/yr
3,705/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
28.6%
Service
23.4%
Sales & Office
19.1%
Construction / Maint.
6.3%
Production / Transport
22.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 7,600 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Low participation: 52.5% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 24,536 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Macon County shows meaningful potential for gasoline stations and fuel dealers attraction, with a 4.29x concentration and 141 jobs in this sub-sector.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Macon County, Alabama, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Macon County, Alabama?
18,691 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Macon County, Alabama?
$43,707 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Macon County, Alabama?
4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Macon County, Alabama?
$765M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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