City profile · Alabama · Census ACS 2023

Thomaston, AL

Thomaston's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

421
Residents
$50,625
Median income
$82,100
Median home
$936
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Thomaston.

Place dossier plate

Sheet AL-THOMASTON-AL · Thomaston, AL 421 pop · income 20th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-TOP · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 421
  • INC-MID $50,625
  • COL-BELOW 88.8
  • SAFE-TOP 99th pct
  • RANK-LOWER 20th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Rhine
  • HOME-LOW $82,100
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Rhine, GA (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Thomaston

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Thomaston on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Thomaston on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 421.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $50,625. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Thomaston - the verdict

Nationally, Thomaston sits in the 20th percentile for household income and the 99th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

20th
percentile, household income
4th
percentile, home value
1st
percentile, median rent
99th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Thomaston, AL

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 421 residents in Thomaston, a small town within Alabama. Median household income here is $50,625 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 29.0%. Typical homes in Thomaston are valued around $82,100, and the median resident age is 41.8 years. 17.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 45.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Thomaston reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 0.0 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in Alabama run below the national norm: the state registers 88.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $936 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Alabama's average monthly utility costs around $245 (state average). Workers in Thomaston report an average commute of 32.1 minutes, with 61.2% driving alone and 0.0% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 61.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Thomaston's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households to comparison shortlist to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Thomaston, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count. No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

What can the FBI record say about safety in Thomaston?

The joined FBI UCR record reports 0.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 100% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.

Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.

Review the safety ranking method →

Question 2

What does the journey to work look like in Thomaston?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 61.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 32.1 minutes.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

3. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Thomaston?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 29.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

4. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Thomaston?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Alabama, the closest population matches are Joppa (419 residents); Fulton (417 residents, $59,038 income); Nixburg (414 residents, $51,563 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Rio Oso, CA (421 residents); Larwill, IN (421 residents); Baxterville, MS (421 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Thomaston?

The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.

The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 17.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

Poverty estimate
29.0%
Bachelor's degree+
17.8%
Matched public schools
1

NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.

See how the family ranking is built →

Population change

Is Thomaston growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -20 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -6.1% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.

2020 estimate
326
2025 estimate
306
Period change
-6.1%

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

421 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$50,625 /yr

Low income · poverty 29.0% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

88.8 (US=100)

Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Alabama average

City profile score · Thomaston, AL

47/100

5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Violent crime A+
0 /100k

FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.

Cost of living A+
88.8 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share F
17.8%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income F
$50,625

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
29.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Thomaston profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 5-axis radar comparing 1 series across Violent crime, Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Poverty rate. Violent crimeCost of livingBachelor's+ shareHousehold incomePoverty rate 47 D
Thomaston profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
  • Cost of living: 90/100 (A+) · 88.8 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 28/100 (F) · 17.8%
  • Household income: 21/100 (F) · $50,625
  • Poverty rate: 1/100 (F) · 29.0%

How does Thomaston compare to other US cities?

Here's how Thomaston stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 20% higher than other cities
Home value 4% pricier than other cities
Median rent 1% pricier than other cities
Safety 99% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Zoom in to just Alabama and the picture shifts: Thomaston ranks #6 of 222 Alabama cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Thomaston against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Alabama only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Alabama-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Thomaston near the bottom of Alabama's cities

Among the 556 Alabama cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Thomaston ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Thomaston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#282 of 530
47th percentile in Alabama
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 556
0th percentile in Alabama
Median Home Value
#453 of 517
12th percentile in Alabama
Poverty Rate
#48 of 556
91st percentile in Alabama
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#227 of 556
59th percentile in Alabama
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Alabama only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

20thIncome percentile
99thSafety percentile
Gauge source note

20th percentile nationally for median household income · 99th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Thomaston's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Thomaston's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 72 Avg. percentile National median
Thomaston's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Thomaston's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$82,100 Among the most affordable more affordable than 96% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Thomaston $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Thomaston's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.6×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#603 of 15,516
More affordable than 96% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#589 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 1.6×, Thomaston sits in the affordable band: national rank #603 of 15,516 and #589 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$50,625 Thomaston, AL median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Thomaston, AL Thomaston, AL's median household income ($50,625) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Thomaston, AL-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Thomaston, AL median $50,625/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Thomaston, AL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Thomaston, AL.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 17.8%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 29.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 45.1%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
421
Median Income
$50,625
Median Home Value
$82,100
Median Age
41.8
Poverty Rate
29.0%
Labor force participation
45.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.8%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
300 residents310 residents320 residents330 residents 202020212022202320242025 326 residents 306 residents ▼ -6.1%
Thomaston's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 326 residents
2021 320 residents
2022 317 residents
2023 315 residents
2024 310 residents
2025 306 residents

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
32.1 minutes
Drive Alone
61.2%
Carpool
38.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%

Based on 139 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Alabama statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $245

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Alabama at $245 (electricity about $138 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are Alabama statewide averages, not a meter reading for Thomaston. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Alabama's BEA cost-of-living index is 88.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Thomaston is $936/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Alabama statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 61.5 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Alabama statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Thomaston sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Thomaston compares to similar-size Alabama cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Thomaston (this city) 421 $50,625
Joppa 419 N/A
Fulton 417 $59,038
Nixburg 414 $51,563
FBI UCR NCES CCD
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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