• county
  • FIPS 01049
  • Largest town: Fort Payne

DeKalb County, Alabama

DeKalb County had 73,122 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 777.1 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 67 in Alabama by population and 23rd by land area.

Population
73,122
#20 of 67 in Alabama · #765 in US
Area
777.1 sq mi
#23 of 67 in Alabama · #1,117 in US
Density
94 / sq mi
#22 of 67 in Alabama · #958 in US
Median household income
$50,614
#43 of 67 in Alabama · #2,679 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

DeKalb County within Alabama. Pin: Montgomery.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from DeKalb County

DeKalb County population, land area and income

DeKalb County had 73,122 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 777.1 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 67 in Alabama by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 94.1 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Alabama has 33,813 residents, so DeKalb County is 2.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $50,614 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

73,122

3144th1st

765th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

777 sq mi

3144th1st

1117th of 3,144 (US)

Density

94.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

958th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$50,614

3143rd1st

2679th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Alabama (67)

Population

73,122

67th1st

20th of 67 (AL)

Land area

777 sq mi

67th1st

23rd of 67 (AL)

Density

94.1 / sq mi

67th1st

22nd of 67 (AL)

Median household income

$50,614

67th1st

43rd of 67 (AL)

How DeKalb County's population changed since 2020

DeKalb County gained 1,449 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.0%. That ranks 24th of 67 in Alabama for growth. The median Alabama county changed by +0.2%, and the state as a whole by +2.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, DeKalb County recorded 3,451 births and 4,288 deaths, a natural change of -837. Net international migration added +581 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,722. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,722 people.

71.7k202071.9k202172.0k202272.6k202373.1k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
3,451
Deaths
4,288
Net international migration
+581
Net domestic migration
+1,722
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+496

Where DeKalb County is

The Census internal point of DeKalb County is at 34.460900, -85.804000. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Alabama's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with DeKalb County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Clay County: +0.2%Baldwin County: +12.2%Coffee County: +5.2%Fayette County: -2.9%Chilton County: +4.9%Perry County: -8.7%Lamar County: -2.9%Morgan County: +2.2%Bibb County: +0.4%Butler County: -4.1%Barbour County: -2.5%Franklin County: -0.6%Chambers County: -2.2%Macon County: -6.7%Marshall County: +4.6%DeKalb County: +2.0%Russell County: -0.7%Geneva County: +2.1%Houston County: +1.9%Greene County: -7.5%Talladega County: -0.1%Monroe County: -3.3%Mobile County: -0.5%Covington County: +0.6%Cullman County: +5.1%Lauderdale County: +3.7%Shelby County: +5.4%Clarke County: -3.7%Lowndes County: -7.8%St. Clair County: +5.7%Choctaw County: -4.5%Blount County: +1.8%Dallas County: -6.9%Conecuh County: -3.8%Elmore County: +3.6%Autauga County: +4.3%Henry County: +5.6%Montgomery County: -1.1%Jefferson County: -1.5%Hale County: +2.3%Jackson County: +2.4%Madison County: +8.4%Washington County: -2.0%Bullock County: -3.2%Pike County: +0.7%Crenshaw County: -0.4%Dale County: +1.6%Lee County: +7.4%Cleburne County: +5.6%Tallapoosa County: -1.4%Lawrence County: +1.5%Pickens County: -2.4%Colbert County: +2.6%Winston County: +1.6%Marion County: +0.5%Calhoun County: +0.2%Etowah County: -0.2%Randolph County: +4.4%Wilcox County: -6.3%Tuscaloosa County: +3.7%Sumter County: -4.8%Walker County: +0.2%Cherokee County: +4.6%Escambia County: -0.2%Limestone County: +14.1%Coosa County: -0.5%Marengo County: -3.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.2%
  2. < -0.5%
  3. < +1.6%
  4. < +4.3%
  5. ≥ +4.3%
no data

Orange pin: DeKalb County internal point. Dark pin: Montgomery.

Internal point

Decimal
34.460900, -85.804000
DMS
34°27'39.24"N 85°48'14.40"W
UTM
16N 609850.8E 3813910.4N
Geohash
dn4up3rmm
Plus code
866PF56W+9C

Towns in DeKalb County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in DeKalb County, 28,974 people together, or 40% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside DeKalb County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Fort Payne with 15,017.

  1. 01Fort Payne15,017
  2. 02Rainsville5,931
  3. 03Henagar2,322
  4. 04Collinsville (part)2,051
  5. 05Crossville1,829
  6. 06Sylvania1,824
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering DeKalb County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for DeKalb County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Etowah County, AL, with 103,207 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Montgomery and the nearest big city

Montgomery is 146.8 miles SSW of DeKalb County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Huntsville, AL (population 230,402), 52.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Fort Payne, AL (population 15,017), 6.5 miles away.

DeKalb County FIPS code

The FIPS code of DeKalb County is 01049: state code 01 for Alabama plus county code 049. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $50,614.

Questions people ask

What is the population of DeKalb County, Alabama?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 73,122. That is up 1,449 people (2.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 71,673.

What is the FIPS code of DeKalb County?

01049. The first two digits (01) are Alabama; the last three (049) identify the county.

What is the largest town in DeKalb County?

Fort Payne, with 15,017 residents inside DeKalb County in 2024.

Which counties border DeKalb County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Etowah County, AL; Marshall County, AL; Walker County, GA; Jackson County, AL; Cherokee County, AL; Chattooga County, GA; Dade County, GA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.