Fayette County, Alabama

Fayette County
Fayette County
County
	Fayette County courthouse in Fayette
	Location within the U.S. state of Alabama
	Alabama's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 33°43′12″N 87°44′19″W / 33.72°N 87.738611111111°W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Founded	December 20, 1824
Named for	Marquis de Lafayette
Seat	Fayette
Largest city	Fayette
Area
• Total	629 sq mi (1,630 km2)
• Land	628 sq mi (1,630 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	16,321
• Estimate (2023)	15,967
• Density	26/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
	County Number 32 on Alabama Licence Plates;

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,321.^[1] Its county seat is Fayette. Its name is in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette^[2] (or de la Fayette), who aided General George Washington in the American Revolutionary War.

History

Fayette County was established on December 20, 1824, during Lafayette's historic tour of the 24 United States

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 629 square miles (1,630 km²), of which 628 square miles (1,630 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.3%) is water.^[3]

Sheriffs Department

Sheriff-Byron Yerby

Adjacent counties

Marion County (north)
Walker County (east)
Tuscaloosa County (southeast)
Pickens County (southwest)
Lamar County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	3,547		—
1840	6,942		95.7%
1850	9,681		39.5%
1860	12,850		32.7%
1870	7,136		−44.5%
1880	10,135		42.0%
1890	12,823		26.5%
1900	14,132		10.2%
1910	16,248		15.0%
1920	18,365		13.0%
1930	18,443		0.4%
1940	21,651		17.4%
1950	19,388		−10.5%
1960	16,148		−16.7%
1970	16,252		0.6%
1980	18,809		15.7%
1990	17,962		−4.5%
2000	18,495		3.0%
2010	17,241		−6.8%
2020	16,321		−5.3%
2023 (est.)	15,967	^[4]	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[5] 1790–1960^[6] 1900–1990^[7] 1990–2000^[8] 2010–2020^[1]

2020 census

**Fayette County, Alabama – Racial and Ethnic Composition**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000^[9]	Pop 2010^[10]	Pop 2020^[11]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	15,994	14,832	13,552	86.48%	86.03%	83.03%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,199	1,958	1,720	11.89%	11.36%	10.54%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	35	47	43	0.19%	0.27%	0.26%
Asian alone (NH)	28	37	49	0.15%	0.21%	0.30%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	1	0.00%	0.00%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	1	11	29	0.01%	0.06%	0.18%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	86	152	531	0.46%	0.88%	3.25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	152	204	396	0.82%	1.18%	2.43%
Total	18,495	17,241	16,321	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,321 people, 6,802 households, and 4,774 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 17,241 people, 7,493 households, and 5,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 people/km²). There were 8,472 housing units at an average density of 14 units per square mile (5.4 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.92% White, 11.93% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of 2012 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Fayette County were:

44.9% English
16.9% "American"
4.1% Irish

There were 7,493 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,539, and the median income for a family was $34,560. Males had a median income of $29,239 versus $20,606 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,439. About 13.10% of families and 17.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.30% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Life expectancy

Of 3,143 counties in the United States in 2013, Fayette County ranked 2,882 in the longevity of male residents and 3,091 of female residents. Males in Fayette County lived an average of 71.2 years and females lived an average of 75.3 years compared to the national average for longevity of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females. The average longevity of men in Fayette County increased by 2.0 years from 1985 to 2013 compared to a national average for the same period of an increased life span for men of 5.5 years. The average longevity, however, for females in Fayette County declined by 4.2 years between 1985 and 2013 compared to the national average for the same period of an increased life span of 3.1 years for women. High rates of smoking and obesity and a low rate of physical activity appear to be contributing factors to the low level of longevity for both sexes.^[13]

One study concluded that Fayette County between 1985 and 2010 was one of the few U.S. counties which saw a decline in the longevity of women and that the decline in female longevity in Fayette Country was the largest of any county in the nation.^[14]

Education

Transportation

Major highways

Airport

Richard Arthur Field (Municipal)- A 5,000 ft (1,500 m) paved runway with JET A and 100LL fuel service. Located about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the city center.

Rail

Government

Fayette County is reliably Republican at the presidential level. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Bill Clinton, who won it by a plurality in 1996.

United States presidential election results for Fayette County, Alabama^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,300	83.28%	1,395	15.91%	71	0.81%
2016	6,712	81.37%	1,362	16.51%	175	2.12%
2012	6,054	76.07%	1,817	22.83%	87	1.09%
2008	5,883	73.93%	1,994	25.06%	80	1.01%
2004	5,534	69.16%	2,408	30.09%	60	0.75%
2000	4,582	58.68%	3,064	39.24%	162	2.07%
1996	3,191	44.26%	3,381	46.90%	637	8.84%
1992	3,604	42.55%	3,830	45.22%	1,036	12.23%
1988	4,338	57.40%	3,186	42.16%	33	0.44%
1984	4,654	64.63%	2,533	35.18%	14	0.19%
1980	3,315	48.83%	3,389	49.92%	85	1.25%
1976	2,165	34.44%	4,076	64.83%	46	0.73%
1972	4,240	83.53%	836	16.47%	0	0.00%
1968	827	13.26%	676	10.84%	4,735	75.91%
1964	3,203	71.34%	0	0.00%	1,287	28.66%
1960	1,923	45.73%	2,274	54.08%	8	0.19%
1956	1,948	49.59%	1,956	49.80%	24	0.61%
1952	1,481	39.19%	2,287	60.52%	11	0.29%
1948	580	35.76%	0	0.00%	1,042	64.24%
1944	913	35.51%	1,648	64.10%	10	0.39%
1940	737	25.88%	2,091	73.42%	20	0.70%
1936	732	24.41%	2,244	74.82%	23	0.77%
1932	733	26.47%	2,013	72.70%	23	0.83%
1928	1,686	59.83%	1,131	40.13%	1	0.04%
1924	977	41.26%	1,358	57.35%	33	1.39%
1920	1,865	56.36%	1,413	42.70%	31	0.94%
1916	697	39.69%	1,026	58.43%	33	1.88%
1912	434	28.52%	762	50.07%	326	21.42%
1908	678	43.80%	731	47.22%	139	8.98%
1904	599	39.43%	712	46.87%	208	13.69%