Rainbow City, Etowah County, Alabama Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Rainbow City, Alabama, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Rainbow City, Alabama. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Rainbow City, Alabama. The estimated population of Rainbow City, Alabama is 10,093 people, with a median age of 36.8.

We can look at the total population in Rainbow City over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
10,093
+5.12%
+5.58%
2020
9,601
+0.13%
-
2019
9,589
+0.08%
-
2018
9,581
+0.22%
-
2017
9,560
- -

Population of Rainbow City, Alabama by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
78.1%
79.7%
-2.01%
Black/African American
11.3%
14.3%
-20.98%
Native
0%
0%
0.00%
Hispanic
5.9%
3.7%
+59.46%
Asian
2.4%
2.2%
+9.09%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
-100.00%
Two Or More Races
2.3%
0%
0.00%
Other
0%
0%
0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Rainbow City, Alabama by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 36.8 -6.12% 38.9 -2.26% 35.1 -6.4%
2020 39.2 +3.16% 39.8 -1% 37.5 +4.75%
2019 38 -6.17% 40.2 -6.94% 35.8 -3.76%
2018 40.5 +2.53% 43.2 +5.88% 37.2 -5.1%
2017 39.5 - 40.8 - 39.2 -

The median age of Rainbow City, Alabama gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 594 -30.72% 587 +29.46% 407 776
10 to 19 572 -3.69% 739 +21.18% 517 903
20 to 29 596 -2.94% 508 +34.11% 570 678
30 to 39 501 +49.21% 735 -2.22% 792 709
40 to 49 640 -20.62% 671 -7.53% 514 606
50 to 59 713 -0.07% 586 +19.24% 687 687
60 to 69 509 -8.55% 617 -17.92% 461 497
70+ 448 +17.76% 544 +40.07% 498 791

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Rainbow City, Alabama is $51,765.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Rainbow City.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $42,917.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,647.00
  • 65 and over
    $47,885.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Rainbow City, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Rainbow City, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Rainbow City, Alabama is currently $76,913.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

5.42% of households in Rainbow City are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Rainbow City against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.59%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.20%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    13.80%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    16.27%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.09%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.63%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.42%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Rainbow City is $31,139.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Rainbow City by the total population of Rainbow City.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Rainbow City, Alabama, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Rainbow City to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    10.38%
  • Bachelor's degree
    32.68%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.40%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    41.97%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.56%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Rainbow City that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Rainbow City over the age of 16 is 7,808.

Of those people, a total of 57.90% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Rainbow City is 53.10%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 318 17.90% 0.00%
20 to 24 years 500 84.80% 2.40%
25 to 29 years 748 72.20% 6.50%
30 to 34 years 908 82.60% 33.60%
35 to 44 years 882 89.70% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 1,727 69.50% 5.00%
55 to 59 years 478 52.50% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 569 44.10% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 853 19.70% 6.00%
75 years and over 825 10.30% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Rainbow City. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 6,566 56.10% 9.60%
Black or African American 759 65.90% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 198 76.80% 9.90%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 180 77.20% 0.00%
Two or more races 105 42.90% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 422 58.50% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 6,343 56.60% 9.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Rainbow City as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Rainbow City is 4,144, with median earnings of $34,705.00.

Women in Rainbow City, Alabama earning approximately 78.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 4,144 $34,705.00
Male 2,031 $41,496.00
Female 2,113 $32,547.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 361 $46,917.00
Business and Financial 108 $49,375.00
Computer and Mathematical 113 $90,117.00
Architecture and Engineering 39 $79,485.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 31 $24,063.00
Community and Social Service 27 $48,438.00
Legal 13 $0.00
Educational and Library 304 $34,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 32 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 373 $80,019.00
Healthcare Support 119 $9,315.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 11 $0.00
Law Enforcement 36 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 296 $14,773.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 103 $29,512.00
Personal Care and Service 44 $0.00
Sales 622 $21,338.00
Office and Administrative Support 633 $35,443.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 227 $41,450.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 115 $61,212.00
Production 307 $29,040.00
Transportation and Material Moving 86 $51,111.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 256 $49,286.00 105 $45,250.00
Business and Financial 49 $163,482.00 59 $47,292.00
Computer and Mathematical 88 $91,094.00 25 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 39 $79,485.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 17 $0.00 14 $0.00
Community and Social Service 27 $48,438.00 0 $0.00
Legal 13 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 61 $56,683.00 243 $32,163.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 32 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 45 $195,987.00 328 $73,289.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 119 $9,315.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 11 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 36 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 121 $17,948.00 175 $13,693.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 103 $29,512.00 0 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 44 $0.00
Sales 355 $21,694.00 267 $20,781.00
Office and Administrative Support 98 $57,153.00 535 $34,063.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 205 $40,350.00 22 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 115 $61,212.00 0 $0.00
Production 192 $34,231.00 115 $25,075.00
Transportation and Material Moving 86 $51,111.00 0 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 3,798 households in Rainbow City, with an average household size of 2.65 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 2,464 families in Rainbow City with an average family size of 3.4 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 1,659 218 587 1,334
Average Household Size 3.17 3.51 4.29 1.14
Total Families 1,659 218 587 0
Average Household Size 3.17 2.99 4.18 0

Poverty

Of the 2,464 families in Rainbow City, 9.10% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Rainbow City:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 4,558 housing units in Rainbow City, Alabama.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 3,798 83.33%
Vacant 760 16.67%

32.25% of the total 4,558 housing units in Rainbow City are rental units. This is approximately 1,470 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 2,221 are occupied by the owner - or 48.73% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Rainbow City is $847.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Rainbow City that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    107
  • Less than $500
    137
  • $500 to $999
    988
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    307
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    26
  • $3,000 or more
    12

Property Value

The median value of a property in Rainbow City is $169,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Rainbow City that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    122
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    145
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    535
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    592
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    396
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    320
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    111
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Rainbow City. The chart below shows the number of properties in Rainbow City that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    12
  • 1940 to 1949
    0
  • 1950 to 1959
    149
  • 1960 to 1969
    455
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,375
  • 1980 to 1989
    848
  • 1990 to 1999
    828
  • 2000 to 2009
    713
  • 2010 to 2013
    178
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Rainbow City that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    223
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,153
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,551
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    871

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Rainbow City get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Rainbow City that commute to work in a particular way.

20.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Rainbow City.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    194
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    395
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    936
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    673
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    603
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    211
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    252
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    45
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    81
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    367
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    81
  • 90 or more minutes
    49

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Rainbow City, Alabama in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.