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Cost of living, pay and housing

33.32° N · 87.90° W · GEOID 0130736

Gordo

Pickens County, Alabama · part of the Tuscaloosa, AL metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

AlabamaGordo, ALGordoGordo

The short answer

Gordo is home to 1,723 people. Median household income is $47,569 a year and median rent is $528 a month, 13.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $118,900, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$528
61% below the median place
Median household income
$47,569
41% below the median place
Median home value
$118,900
63% below the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
3% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Gordo

  • Median rent is $528 a month, lower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.
  • The median resident is 23.8 years old, younger than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Households average 3.44 people, larger than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • The population has fallen 5% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 95% of places its size.
  • Public schools here have 20.4 students per teacher, more than in 93% of places its size.
01

Moving to Gordo

Pickens County loses about 10.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in501
Moved out641
Net−140

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Tuscaloosa County, AL239333−94
Lowndes County, MS4938+11

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$47K
Leavers$48K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Pickens County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Pickens County report $46,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $47,500.
Income you would need
$21,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $528 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,132 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $118,900.
Getting to work
30 minutes each way on average; 5.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Albion, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in8
$46,928
34% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$47,544
32% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-10.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.2%26% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%15% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-10.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$46,92834% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$47,54432% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $528, 61% below the median place.

Gordo13.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$21,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.3%
35% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
34% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$44,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Gordo, $528 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Gordo.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Gordo? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$506
84% below the median place
Vacant homes1
23.3%
230% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.4%
53% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$52861% below
Rent to income113.3%35% below
Property tax rate10.4%53% below
Home price to income12.5x34% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure87.713% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$92143% below
HUD area median income4County figure$67,00038% below
Property tax paid (median)1$50684% below
Median home value1$118,90063% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure10.7%235% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.0%5% above
Homeownership161.3%8% below
Renters paying 30%+156.8%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,13240% below
Vacant homes123.3%230% above
Median year built119700% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$23,293
42% below the median place
Median household income1
$47,569
41% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$47,56941% below
Income per person1$23,29342% below
Unemployment1County figure4.7%3% below
Average annual pay6County figure$53,10220% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure3,68198% below
Poverty rate114.9%39% above
Mean commute130 min22% above
Works from home1County figure5.0%60% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 23.8, 39% below the median place.

Median age1
23.8
39% below the median place
Household size1
3.4
38% above the median place
Population change since 20207
-5.0%
below the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband84.6% −8%
Bachelor's or higher17.3% −46%
High school or higher87.7% −5%
No health insurance5.6% −13%
All 9 people measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,7236646th largest
Population change since 20207-5.0%below (median 1.1%)
Median age123.839% below
Bachelor's or higher117.3%46% below
High school or higher187.7%5% below
Household size13.438% above
Born abroad1County figure2.9%67% below
No health insurance15.6%13% below
Homes with broadband184.6%8% below
05

Life in Gordo

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

  • Old Jail listed 1974

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.6 +14%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k11.6 5.5×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k23.2 2.1×
Libraries per 10k11.6 13.3×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars6.9 −67%
Shops26.7 −12%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.7 −47%
Child care centers1.4 −39%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools12
2
78% below the median place
Public school students12
1,018
79% below the median place
Students per teacher12
20.4
32% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12278% below
Public school students121,01879% below
Students per teacher1220.432% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure6.967% below
Shops per 10k9County figure26.712% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure10.747% below
Child care centers per 10k9Metro figure1.439% below
Parks per 10k1011.614% above
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k1011.6above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1023.2108% above
Libraries per 10k1011.6above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 44.7, 52% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Gordo. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk14
44.7
52% below the median place
Annual precipitation13
56.4 in
29% above the median place
Wildfire risk14
27.9
54% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureGordoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure92°F5% above
January average low13County figure34°F34% above
Average temperature13County figure63°F15% above
Annual precipitation13County figure56.4 in29% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure44.752% below
Hurricane risk14County figure69.32% below
Tornado risk14County figure76.26% below
Wildfire risk14County figure27.954% below
Heat wave risk14County figure79.712% below
Median air quality index15Metro figure415% below
Good air days15Metro figure73.6%7% above
08

Gordo in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 13% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$528/mo (2024)$670/mo$550 to $820/mo+4.1%
Median household income$47,569 (2024)$61,500$52,000 to $72,500+4.3%
Median home value$118,900 (2024)$159,000$116,000 to $219,000+5.0%
Population1,553 (2025)1,5301,460 to 1,590−0.3%

The median home would be worth 2.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Gordo

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Albion, MI$775$39,885Compare
Williamsburg, KY$793$38,147Compare
Mila Doce, TX$640$50,921Compare
Doffing, TX$785$32,318Compare
Doffing, TXMila Doce, TXWilliamsburg, KYAlbion, MIGordo, ALGordoAlbionWilliamsburgMila DoceDoffingGordoAlbionWilliamsburgMila DoceDoffing

Common questions

Is Gordo a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Median rent is $528 a month, lower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places. The median resident is 23.8 years old, younger than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places. On cost, space and class size it scores 73 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Gordo expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $118,900.

What salary do you need to live in Gordo?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $21,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Gordo?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Albion, MI, Williamsburg, KY, Mila Doce, TX and Doffing, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Gordo with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Gordo itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/gordo-alabama

Citytistics. “Gordo, Alabama.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/gordo-alabama/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.