| Counties of Alabama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | State of Alabama |
| Number | 67 |
| Populations | Greatest: 664,744 (Jefferson) Least: 7,127 (Greene) Average: 76,981 (2024) |
| Areas | Largest: 1,590 sq mi (4,100 km2) (Baldwin) Smallest: 535 sq mi (1,390 km2) (Etowah) Average: 782 sq mi (2,030 km2) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions |
|
The U.S. state ofAlabama has 67counties.[1] Each county serves as the local level of Alabama government within its borders. The land enclosed by the present state borders was joined to the United States of America gradually. Following theAmerican Revolutionary War, West Florida was ceded to Spain by treaty while the remainder was organized primarily as theMississippi Territory, and later theAlabama Territory.[2] The territorial assembly established some of the earliest county divisions that have survived to the present, including the earliest county formation, that ofWashington County, created on June 4, 1800.[3] In 1814, theTreaty of Fort Jackson opened the territory to American settlers, which in turn led to a more rapid rate of county creation. Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state in 1819.[4] The Alabama state legislature formed additional counties from former native lands as theIndian Removal Act took effect and settlers populated different areas of Alabama.[5] In 1820, Alabama had 29 counties. By 1830 there were 36 and Native Americans still occupied large areas of land in northeast and far western Alabama. By 1840, 49 counties had been created; 52 by 1850; 65 by 1870; and the present 67 counties by 1903.[6]Houston County was the last county created in the state, on February 9, 1903.[3]
According to 2024 U.S. Census data, the average population of Alabama's 67 counties is 76,981, withJefferson County as the most populous (664,744), andGreene County (7,127) the least.[7] The average land area is 756 sq mi (1,958 km2). The largest county isBaldwin (1,590 sq mi, 4,118 km2) and the smallest isEtowah (535 sq mi, 1,386 km2).[8] TheConstitution of Alabama requires that any new county in Alabama cover at least 600 square miles (1,600 km2) in area, effectively limiting the creation of new counties in the state.[9]
The Alabama Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division issuesstandard automobile license plates that bear a one- or two-digit number identifying the county in which the vehicle is registered. This number is given in the fourth column in the table below. The first three prefixes are reserved for the state's historically most populous counties, and thereafter proceed alphabetically. Individual license plate numbers are assigned sequentially in each licensing office. The numbers are in the formatXAA1111 orXXAA111, depending on whether the prefix is one or two digits. Overflow registrations are accommodated by substituting a letter for one of the registration numbers, such that XXZ999Z is followed by XXA0A0A.[10]
TheFederal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code links in the table point to U.S. Census "quick facts" pages for each county. Alabama'sFIPS state code is01.
| County | FIPS code[11] | County seat[3] | License # [12] | Est.[3] | Formed from[13] | Etymology[6][14] | Density | Population (2024)[15] | Land Area[16] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autauga County | 001 | Prattville | 4 | 1818 | Montgomery County | The Autauga or Atagi people, Native Americans who were a sub-group of theAlibamu | 103.4 | 61,464 | 594.44 sq mi (1,540 km2) |  |
| Baldwin County | 003 | Bay Minette | 5 | 1809 | Washington County andWest Florida | Abraham Baldwin (1754–1807),U.S. legislator fromGeorgia | 164.6 | 261,608 | 1,589.78 sq mi (4,118 km2) |  |
| Barbour County | 005 | Clayton | 6 | 1832 | Pike County | James Barbour (1775–1842),Governor of Virginia andU.S. Senator | 27.5 | 24,358 | 884.88 sq mi (2,292 km2) |  |
| Bibb County | 007 | Centreville | 7 | 1818 | Montgomery County (as Cahawba County) | William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820), 1stGovernor of Alabama | 35.8 | 22,258 | 622.58 sq mi (1,612 km2) |  |
| Blount County | 009 | Oneonta | 8 | 1818 | Montgomery County and Creek territories | Willie Blount (1768–1835),Governor of Tennessee | 93.3 | 60,163 | 644.78 sq mi (1,670 km2) |  |
| Bullock County | 011 | Union Springs | 9 | 1866 | Barbour, Macon, Montgomery, and Pike counties | Edward Bullock (1822–1861),colonel in theConfederate States Army | 15.9 | 9,901 | 622.80 sq mi (1,613 km2) |  |
| Butler County | 013 | Greenville | 10 | 1819 | Conecuh and Monroe counties | William Butler (1759–1818),captain inCreek War | 23.5 | 18,256 | 776.83 sq mi (2,012 km2) |  |
| Calhoun County | 015 | Anniston | 11 | 1832 | St. Clair County (as Benton County) | John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), 7thU.S. Vice President | 192.2 | 116,427 | 605.87 sq mi (1,569 km2) |  |
| Chambers County | 017 | LaFayette | 12 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Henry H. Chambers (1790–1826),U.S. Senator | 56.7 | 33,813 | 596.53 sq mi (1,545 km2) |  |
| Cherokee County | 019 | Centre | 13 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Cherokee people, whose lands included Northeast Alabama | 47.2 | 26,138 | 553.70 sq mi (1,434 km2) |  |
| Chilton County | 021 | Clanton | 14 | 1868 | Autauga, Bibb, Perry, and Shelby counties (as Baker County) | William Parish Chilton (1810–1871),Alabama Supreme Court Justice andConfederate congressman | 68.2 | 47,262 | 692.85 sq mi (1,794 km2) |  |
| Choctaw County | 023 | Butler | 15 | 1847 | Sumter and Washington counties | Choctaw people, whose lands included Alabama | 13.2 | 12,052 | 913.50 sq mi (2,366 km2) |  |
| Clarke County | 025 | Grove Hill | 16 | 1812 | Washington County | John Clarke (1766–1832),general fromGeorgia | 17.9 | 22,142 | 1,238.46 sq mi (3,208 km2) |  |
| Clay County | 027 | Ashland | 17 | 1866 | Randolph and Talladega counties | Henry Clay (1777–1852),U.S. legislator fromKentucky | 23.6 | 14,239 | 603.96 sq mi (1,564 km2) |  |
| Cleburne County | 029 | Heflin | 18 | 1866 | Calhoun, Randolph, and Talladega counties | Patrick Cleburne (1828–1864),Major General inConfederate States Army | 28.4 | 15,905 | 560.10 sq mi (1,451 km2) |  |
| Coffee County | 031 | Elba andEnterprise[17] | 19 | 1841 | Dale County | John Coffee (1772–1833), military leader inWar of 1812 andCreek War | 83.0 | 56,358 | 678.97 sq mi (1,759 km2) |  |
| Colbert County | 033 | Tuscumbia | 20 | 1867 | Franklin County | George Colbert (1764–1839) andLevi Colbert (1759–1834),Chickasaw chiefs | 99.2 | 58,785 | 592.62 sq mi (1,535 km2) |  |
| Conecuh County | 035 | Evergreen | 21 | 1818 | Monroe County | TheConecuh River, which flows through the county | 13.1 | 11,109 | 850.16 sq mi (2,202 km2) |  |
| Coosa County | 037 | Rockford | 22 | 1832 | Montgomery County | TheCoosa River, which flows through the county, and is itself named after a Native American village | 15.8 | 10,291 | 650.93 sq mi (1,686 km2) |  |
| Covington County | 039 | Andalusia | 23 | 1821 | Henry County | Leonard Covington (1768–1813),Brigadier General inWar of 1812 andU.S. Congressman | 36.6 | 37,748 | 1,030.46 sq mi (2,669 km2) |  |
| Crenshaw County | 041 | Luverne | 24 | 1866 | Butler, Coffee, Covington, Lowndes, and Pike Counties | Anderson Crenshaw (1783–1847),Alabama Supreme Court justice and early settler | 21.5 | 13,114 | 608.84 sq mi (1,577 km2) |  |
| Cullman County | 043 | Cullman | 25 | 1877 | Blount, Morgan, and Winston counties | ColonelJohn G. Cullmann (1823–1895), founder of county seat | 126.0 | 92,604 | 734.84 sq mi (1,903 km2) |  |
| Dale County | 045 | Ozark | 26 | 1824 | Covington and Henry counties | Samuel Dale (1772–1841),Brigadier General andstate legislator | 89.2 | 50,067 | 561.15 sq mi (1,453 km2) |  |
| Dallas County | 047 | Selma | 27 | 1818 | Monroe and Montgomery counties | Alexander James Dallas (1759–1817),U.S. Secretary of Treasury | 36.3 | 35,545 | 978.69 sq mi (2,535 km2) |  |
| DeKalb County | 049 | Fort Payne | 28 | 1836 | Cherokee territory | Johann de Kalb (1721–1780),major general inAmerican Revolutionary War | 94.1 | 73,122 | 777.09 sq mi (2,013 km2) |  |
| Elmore County | 051 | Wetumpka | 29 | 1866 | Autauga, Coosa, Montgomery, and Tallapoosa counties | John Archer Elmore (1762–1834),Revolutionary War veteran | 147.2 | 91,042 | 618.48 sq mi (1,602 km2) |  |
| Escambia County | 053 | Brewton | 30 | 1868 | Baldwin and Conecuh counties | Escambia Creek, a tributary of theConecuh River | 38.8 | 36,630 | 945.08 sq mi (2,448 km2) |  |
| Etowah County | 055 | Gadsden | 31 | 1866 | Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall, and St. Clair counties (as Baine County) | Etowah Indian Mounds | 192.9 | 103,207 | 534.99 sq mi (1,386 km2) |  |
| Fayette County | 057 | Fayette | 32 | 1824 | Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834),Revolutionary War commander | 25.3 | 15,863 | 627.66 sq mi (1,626 km2) |  |
| Franklin County | 059 | Russellville | 33 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), politician, diplomat, inventor, and publisher | 50.3 | 31,874 | 633.82 sq mi (1,642 km2) |  |
| Geneva County | 061 | Geneva | 34 | 1868 | Coffee, Dale, and Henry counties | Named afterGeneva, New York, the origin of several early settlers | 47.5 | 27,259 | 574.41 sq mi (1,488 km2) |  |
| Greene County | 063 | Eutaw | 35 | 1819 | Marengo and Tuscaloosa counties | Nathanael Greene (1742–1786),Revolutionary War general | 11.0 | 7,127 | 647.11 sq mi (1,676 km2) |  |
| Hale County | 065 | Greensboro | 36 | 1867 | Greene, Marengo, Perry, and Tuscaloosa counties | Stephen F. Hale (1816–1862), lieutenant colonel inConfederate States Army | 23.5 | 15,116 | 643.94 sq mi (1,668 km2) |  |
| Henry County | 067 | Abbeville | 37 | 1819 | Conecuh County | Patrick Henry (1736–1799),Revolutionary War patriot andGovernor of Virginia | 32.3 | 18,141 | 561.75 sq mi (1,455 km2) |  |
| Houston County | 069 | Dothan | 38 | 1903 | Dale, Geneva, and Henry counties | George S. Houston (1811–1879), 24thGovernor of Alabama andU.S. Congressman | 188.6 | 109,366 | 579.82 sq mi (1,502 km2) |  |
| Jackson County | 071 | Scottsboro | 39 | 1819 | Cherokee territory | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), 7th U.S. President | 49.9 | 53,780 | 1,077.87 sq mi (2,792 km2) |  |
| Jefferson County | 073 | Birmingham | 1 | 1819 | Blount County | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), 3rd U.S. President | 598.2 | 664,744 | 1,111.28 sq mi (2,878 km2) |  |
| Lamar County | 075 | Vernon | 40 | 1867 | Fayette and Marion counties (as Jones County) | Lucius Q. C. Lamar (1825–1893),U.S. Supreme Court justice | 22.4 | 13,543 | 604.85 sq mi (1,567 km2) |  |
| Lauderdale County | 077 | Florence | 41 | 1818 | Cherokee andChickasaw territories | James Lauderdale (1780–1814), Colonel inWar of 1812 | 146.0 | 97,502 | 667.70 sq mi (1,729 km2) |  |
| Lawrence County | 079 | Moulton | 42 | 1818 | Cherokee territory | James Lawrence (1781–1813), naval officer inWar of 1812 | 48.6 | 33,567 | 690.68 sq mi (1,789 km2) |  |
| Lee County | 081 | Opelika | 43 | 1866 | Chambers, Macon, Russell, and Tallapoosa counties | Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Commander of theConfederate States Army | 309.2 | 187,847 | 607.54 sq mi (1,574 km2) |  |
| Limestone County | 083 | Athens | 44 | 1818 | Elk and Madison counties | Limestone Creek, named for local geological deposits | 212.4 | 118,942 | 559.94 sq mi (1,450 km2) |  |
| Lowndes County | 085 | Hayneville | 45 | 1830 | Butler, Dallas, and Montgomery counties | William Lowndes (1782–1822),U.S. Congressman fromSouth Carolina | 13.2 | 9,485 | 715.91 sq mi (1,854 km2) |  |
| Macon County | 087 | Tuskegee | 46 | 1832 | Montgomery County | Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837),U.S. legislator fromNorth Carolina | 29.8 | 18,159 | 608.89 sq mi (1,577 km2) |  |
| Madison County | 089 | Huntsville | 47 | 1808 | Cherokee andChickasaw territories | James Madison (1751–1836), 4th U.S. President | 528.1 | 423,355 | 801.59 sq mi (2,076 km2) |  |
| Marengo County | 091 | Linden | 48 | 1818 | Choctaw territory | Battle of Marengo | 19.0 | 18,512 | 976.88 sq mi (2,530 km2) |  |
| Marion County | 093 | Hamilton | 49 | 1818 | Tuscaloosa County | Francis Marion (1732–1795), military leader inAmerican Revolutionary War | 39.5 | 29,323 | 742.29 sq mi (1,923 km2) |  |
| Marshall County | 095 | Guntersville | 50 | 1836 | Blount and Jackson counties andCherokee territory | John Marshall (1755–1835),Chief Justice of the United States 1801–1835 | 180.5 | 102,156 | 565.84 sq mi (1,466 km2) |  |
| Mobile County | 097 | Mobile | 2 | 1812 | Mobile District ofWest Florida after annexation intoMississippi Territory | Mobile Bay, on which county is located, and which is itself named after the Maubila tribe of Native Americans | 335.4 | 412,339 | 1,229.44 sq mi (3,184 km2) |  |
| Monroe County | 099 | Monroeville | 51 | 1815 | Creek territory | James Monroe (1758–1831), 5th U.S. President | 18.6 | 19,057 | 1,025.67 sq mi (2,656 km2) |  |
| Montgomery County | 101 | Montgomery | 3 | 1816 | Monroe County | Lemuel P. Montgomery (1786–1814), Major inCreek War | 288.0 | 225,894 | 784.25 sq mi (2,031 km2) |  |
| Morgan County | 103 | Decatur | 52 | 1818 | Cherokee territory (as Cotaco County) | Daniel Morgan (1736–1802),U.S. Congressman | 217.6 | 126,084 | 579.34 sq mi (1,500 km2) |  |
| Perry County | 105 | Marion | 53 | 1819 | Cahawba, Dallas, Marengo, and Tuscaloosa counties | Oliver Hazard Perry (1795–1819), naval officer inWar of 1812 | 10.7 | 7,719 | 719.66 sq mi (1,864 km2) |  |
| Pickens County | 107 | Carrollton | 54 | 1820 | Tuscaloosa County | Andrew Pickens (1739–1817), General in theRevolutionary War | 21.0 | 18,508 | 881.41 sq mi (2,283 km2) |  |
| Pike County | 109 | Troy | 55 | 1821 | Henry and Montgomery counties | Zebulon Pike (1779–1813), explorer and officer inWar of 1812 | 49.3 | 33,124 | 672.09 sq mi (1,741 km2) |  |
| Randolph County | 111 | Wedowee | 56 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby counties | John Randolph (1773–1833),U.S. Senator fromVirginia | 39.7 | 23,067 | 580.55 sq mi (1,504 km2) |  |
| Russell County | 113 | Phenix City | 57 | 1832 | Barbour, Bullock, Lee and Macon counties | Gilbert C. Russell (1782–1861), officer inCreek War | 91.8 | 58,837 | 641.14 sq mi (1,661 km2) |  |
| St. Clair County | 115 | Ashville andPell City | 59 | 1818 | Shelby County | Arthur St. Clair (1736–1818), President ofContinental Congress | 153.4 | 96,927 | 631.90 sq mi (1,637 km2) |  |
| Shelby County | 117 | Columbiana | 58 | 1818 | Montgomery County | Isaac Shelby (1750–1826),Governor of Kentucky | 300.6 | 235,969 | 784.93 sq mi (2,033 km2) |  |
| Sumter County | 119 | Livingston | 60 | 1832 | Choctaw territory | Thomas Sumter (1734–1832),U.S. Congressman fromSouth Carolina | 12.8 | 11,607 | 903.89 sq mi (2,341 km2) |  |
| Talladega County | 121 | Talladega | 61 | 1832 | St. Clair and Shelby counties | Talatigi,Creek Indian name for the county seat, meaning "border town" | 110.1 | 81,375 | 736.78 sq mi (1,908 km2) |  |
| Tallapoosa County | 123 | Dadeville | 62 | 1832 | Montgomery and Shelby counties | Tallapoosa River | 56.8 | 40,699 | 716.52 sq mi (1,856 km2) |  |
| Tuscaloosa County | 125 | Tuscaloosa | 63 | 1818 | Montgomery County andChoctaw territory | Iroquoian name for theBlack Warrior River | 182.5 | 241,212 | 1,321.75 sq mi (3,423 km2) |  |
| Walker County | 127 | Jasper | 64 | 1823 | Blount, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa counties | John Williams Walker (1783–1823),U.S. Senator fromAlabama | 82.5 | 65,260 | 791.19 sq mi (2,049 km2) |  |
| Washington County | 129 | Chatom | 65 | 1800 | Adams andPickering counties ofMississippi Territory | George Washington (1732–1799), 1st U.S. President | 13.9 | 15,018 | 1,080.21 sq mi (2,798 km2) |  |
| Wilcox County | 131 | Camden | 66 | 1819 | Dallas and Monroe counties | Joseph M. Wilcox (1790–1814), lieutenant inCreek War | 11.1 | 9,865 | 888.50 sq mi (2,301 km2) |  |
| Winston County | 133 | Double Springs | 67 | 1850 | Walker County (as Hancock County) | John A. Winston (1812–1871), 15thGovernor of Alabama | 38.9 | 23,869 | 612.98 sq mi (1,588 km2) |  |
| County[6] | Named for[6] | Changed to[3] |
|---|---|---|
| Baine County | David W. Baine, Colonel in theCivil War | Etowah County in 1868 |
| Baker County | Alfred Baker, a local landowner | Chilton County in 1874 |
| Benton County | Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri | Calhoun County in 1858, honoring Benton's rivalJohn C. Calhoun ofSouth Carolina after Benton's renunciation of slavery |
| Cahawba County | former state capital ofCahawba | Bibb County in 1820 |
| Cotaco County | Cotaco Creek, a tributary of theTennessee River | Morgan County in 1821 |
| Hancock County | John Hancock, signer of theDeclaration of Independence | Winston County in 1858 |
| Jones County | Josiah Jones, a local political leader | Covington County (its former name) in 1868 after Jones refused the honor |
| Jones County | E.P. Jones, a local landowner | Sanford County, which subsequently becameLamar County in 1877 |
| Sanford County | H.C. Sanford, a local landowner | Lamar County in 1877 |
| County | Established | Dissolved | Named for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur County | December 7, 1821 | December 28, 1825 | CommodoreStephen Decatur of theUnited States Navy. | Created in 1822 withWoodville as its county seat. Abolished several years later, divided betweenMadison County andJackson County. |
| Elk County[18] | May 9, 1817 | January 26, 1818 | Elk River | Established byMississippi Territory prior to Mississippi–Alabama split; abolished prior to Alabama statehood |
