Sumter County, Alabama Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Sumter County, 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 Sumter County, Alabama. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Sumter County, Alabama. The estimated population of Sumter County, Alabama is 12,482 people, with a median age of 35.8.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
12,482
 -0.9% -4.60%
2020
12,595
 -1.58% -
2019
12,797
 -1.45% -
2018
12,985
 -0.76% -
2017
13,084
 - -

Population of Sumter County, 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
24.8%
24.6%
 +0.81%
Black/African American
71.1%
70.7%
 +0.57%
Native
0.1%
0.5%
 -80.00%
Hispanic
1.2%
0.3%
 +300.00%
Asian
1.3%
3%
 -56.67%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1%
0.5%
 +100.00%
Other
0.4%
0.4%
 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 Sumter County, 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 35.8 +0.28% 35.5 +2.31% 36 -0.83%
2020 35.7 +0.28% 34.7 +7.1% 36.3 -5.22%
2019 35.6 -0.56% 32.4 -5.54% 38.3 -1.79%
2018 35.8 -0.28% 34.3 -0.58% 39 +2.09%
2017 35.9 - 34.5 - 38.2 -

The median age of Sumter County, 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 9 711 +1.07% 727 -12.9% 717 628
10 to 19 1,033 -30.64% 878 +24.94% 731 1,062
20 to 29 1,102 +8.43% 1,336 -9.43% 1,185 1,203
30 to 39 506 +26.21% 682 -10.07% 647 602
40 to 49 605 -26.06% 674 -5.15% 461 634
50 to 59 914 -21.93% 911 -6.92% 712 845
60 to 69 639 +15.76% 853 -2.88% 739 805
70+ 523 +7.52% 990 -3.35% 557 954

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Sumter County, Alabama is $27,099.00.

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 Sumter County.

  • Under 25
    $19,693.00
  • 25 to 44
    $41,534.00
  • 45 to 64
    $27,360.00
  • 65 and over
    $26,310.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Sumter County, 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 Sumter County, Alabama is currently $43,404.00.

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.

0.75% of households in Sumter County 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 Sumter County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    45.76%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.21%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    15.85%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    8.36%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    5.07%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.00%
  • $200,000 or more
    0.75%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Sumter County is $17,481.00.

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

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

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Sumter County 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
    12.52%
  • Bachelor's degree
    18.02%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.93%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    51.30%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.23%

Employment

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

The total population of Sumter County over the age of 16 is 10,261.

Of those people, a total of 45.90% 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 Sumter County is 42.60%.

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 917 44.30% 21.90%
20 to 24 years 1,628 44.00% 2.40%
25 to 29 years 760 66.20% 17.50%
30 to 34 years 477 72.10% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 1,174 71.90% 9.60%
45 to 54 years 1,259 58.80% 5.40%
55 to 59 years 991 53.50% 0.80%
60 to 64 years 711 49.40% 2.60%
65 to 74 years 1,349 16.20% 0.00%
75 years and over 995 5.70% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Sumter County. 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 2,730 50.30% 1.30%
Black or African American 7,166 45.20% 9.40%
American Indian and Alaska Native 16 56.30% 0.00%
Asian 163 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 44 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 142 63.40% 5.60%
Hispanic or Latino 105 56.20% 3.40%
Not Hispanic or Latino 2,673 49.30% 1.40%

Occupations

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

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Sumter County is 4,376, with median earnings of $22,134.00.

Women in Sumter County, Alabama earning approximately 59.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 4,376 $22,134.00
Male 1,899 $30,018.00
Female 2,477 $17,917.00

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 309 $37,250.00
Business and Financial 28 $64,375.00
Computer and Mathematical 40 $8,125.00
Architecture and Engineering 43 $54,180.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 2 $0.00
Community and Social Service 107 $40,865.00
Legal 3 $0.00
Educational and Library 191 $29,157.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 124 $2,499.00
Healthcare Practitioners 112 $26,061.00
Healthcare Support 201 $10,250.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 104 $24,018.00
Law Enforcement 107 $52,569.00
Food Preparation and Serving 422 $11,236.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 188 $22,813.00
Personal Care and Service 73 $15,139.00
Sales 395 $21,080.00
Office and Administrative Support 701 $16,478.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 83 $42,887.00
Construction and Extraction 186 $36,848.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 227 $38,641.00
Production 345 $22,135.00
Transportation and Material Moving 205 $23,250.00

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 137 $66,964.00 172 $21,250.00
Business and Financial 13 $0.00 15 $65,781.00
Computer and Mathematical 15 $0.00 25 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 43 $54,180.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 2 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 17 $58,438.00 90 $40,577.00
Legal 0 $0.00 3 $0.00
Educational and Library 15 $0.00 176 $28,721.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 52 $0.00 72 $12,907.00
Healthcare Practitioners 19 $91,625.00 93 $25,341.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 201 $10,250.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 35 $20,069.00 69 $25,855.00
Law Enforcement 92 $53,611.00 15 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 23 $0.00 399 $11,397.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 78 $23,684.00 110 $17,016.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 73 $15,139.00
Sales 201 $26,696.00 194 $20,864.00
Office and Administrative Support 163 $10,873.00 538 $17,163.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 46 $43,750.00 37 $9,511.00
Construction and Extraction 186 $36,848.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 227 $38,641.00 0 $0.00
Production 285 $21,942.00 60 $33,095.00
Transportation and Material Moving 169 $24,250.00 36 $17,115.00

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 4,808 households in Sumter County, with an average household size of 2.44 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 2,871 families in Sumter County with an average family size of 3.18 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 1,593 333 945 1,937
Average Household Size 3.13 2.84 3.6 1.23
Total Families 1,593 333 945 0
Average Household Size 3.11 2.57 3.51 0

Poverty

Of the 2,871 families in Sumter County, 20.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Sumter County:

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 6,340 housing units in Sumter County, Alabama.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,808 75.84%
Vacant 1,532 24.16%

19.76% of the total 6,340 housing units in Sumter County are rental units. This is approximately 1,253 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,170 are occupied by the owner - or 50.00% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Sumter County is $627.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Sumter County 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
    385
  • Less than $500
    525
  • $500 to $999
    545
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    150
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    33
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Sumter County is $69,800.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    1,290
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    777
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    399
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    189
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    205
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    251
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    59
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    334
  • 1940 to 1949
    170
  • 1950 to 1959
    703
  • 1960 to 1969
    575
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,465
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,139
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,003
  • 2000 to 2009
    695
  • 2010 to 2013
    250
  • 2014 or later
    6

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 Sumter County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    390
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,738
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,387
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,293

Commuting to Work

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

24.8 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Sumter County.

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
    379
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    975
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    395
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    293
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    236
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    229
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    668
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    177
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    85
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    274
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    361
  • 90 or more minutes
    79

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Sumter County, 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.

Places in Sumter County, Alabama

We have data for 15 places in Sumter County, Alabama. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.