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Compare towns

Red Level vs Powell

220 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3.5× in Red Level) and household income (+59% in Powell).

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Red Level, ALHomes around $139KAlabama · 621 people
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Powell, ALHomes around $198KAlabama · 912 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Red LevelHomes around $139K
Housing$139K typical home43% below the AL typical home SchoolsBetter than 72%of AL districts All about Red Level →
PowellHomes around $198K
Housing$198K typical home18% below the AL typical home All about Powell →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid3.5×
Red Level has the more walkable street grid
Red Level 29.8Powell 8.6
Household income+59%
Households in Powell earn more
Powell $61,786Red Level $38,750
Property tax bill+50%
Tax bills are bigger in Powell
Powell $450Red Level $300
Rent+28%
Rent runs higher in Powell
Powell $931Red Level $730
Average commute6 min
Powell has the shorter commute
Red Level 28 minPowell 22 min
Work in town+10 pts
More of Powell’s workers stay in town
Powell 11.4%Red Level 1.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $340 more a month in Powell

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Red Level$760/mo
Typical home $139K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.30% · or rent about $730/mo · Housing →
Powell$1,100/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.39% · or rent about $931/mo · Housing →

The difference: $340 a month, about $4,100 a year, between Powell and Red Level.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Alabama ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
B+Red LevelBetter than 72% of districts in the state –PowellNot graded
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Red LevelPowell
Snow a year0″1″
January low35°F30°F
July high91°F88°F
Growing season (days)230d217d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd72nd
Outdoors & history
Red LevelPowell
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Archive photos23
Famous people born here2—
Community
Red LevelPowell
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

220 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Red LevelALPowellAL
Red Level ↔ Powell220 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Red LevelPowell
People
Population 621Lowest 912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -5.7% AL: +5.1%
Median age 35.6±14.7Lowest 9% below AL 36.9±10.4Highest 6% below AL
Powell and Red Level are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28%±4.1Highest AL: 22.2% 19.8%±6.3Lowest AL: 22.2%
Red Level and Powell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.2%±7.6Lowest AL: 17.8% 13.7%±4.4Highest AL: 17.8%
Powell and Red Level are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.9%Highest AL: 28.4% 8.4%Lowest AL: 28.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.2%±7Highest AL: 6.3% 1.3%±1.4Lowest AL: 6.3%
Red Level and Powell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $38,750±$8kLowest 39% below AL $61,786±$5kHighest 3% below AL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $101,300±$19kLowest 52% below AL $116,400±$47kHighest 45% below AL
Powell and Red Level are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $730±$90Lowest 28% below AL $931±$104Highest 8% below AL
Property taxmedian, yearly $300Lowest 62% below AL $450Highest 43% below AL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.9%±34Highest AL: 48.8% 24.2%±58.1Lowest AL: 48.8%
Red Level and Powell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 28.8%Lowest AL: 15.6% 30.8%Highest AL: 15.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.8%Highest AL: 70.2% 72.1%Lowest AL: 70.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Lowest 13 yrs older than AL 1985Highest 1 yr older than AL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 9% above AL 22 minLowest 14% below AL
Work from home 4.3%±4Highest AL: 8.8% 1.7%±2.2Lowest AL: 8.8%
Red Level and Powell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Lowest 11.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 12.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Lowest 1.02Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Andalusia (41%)Fort Payne (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PowellFew work in Red Level
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.8Highest 8.6Lowest
Alabama average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Red Level neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Red Level’s Town Square.

Powell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Powell’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Red Level and Powell

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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