Muscle Shoals, AL · standard
ZIP Code 35661
Colbert County, Alabama - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 16,617
- 115/sq mi
- $74,310
- Median income
- $191,800
- Median home value
- 23.8%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Muscle Shoals pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 46%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 41st pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 115
- people per sq mi
- 70%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 35661 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 35661 (Muscle Shoals, AL) rose +8.9% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 210.8 in 2023 to 229.6 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 35661 is a mid-sized community (a standard USPS delivery area) in Muscle Shoals, Colbert County, Alabama, home to 16,617 residents across 144.9 square miles, a density of 115 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 35661 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $74,310 (22% above the average Alabama ZIP), while per-capita income is $34,403. The poverty rate is 14.4%, with unemployment at 3.9%; those measures add context to the income figure. Median home value is $191,800 (8% above the average Alabama ZIP) and median rent is $1,006; 70.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 23.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 41.2, and the average commute is 22 minutes. The page also surfaces 5 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 4 more in Colbert County, so 35661 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 35661
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Muscle Shoals, AL
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 35661.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
123 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
65 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
58 establishments
- Finance and insurance 47
Finance and insurance
47 establishments
- Construction 45
Construction
45 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 35661, Muscle Shoals, AL · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
16,617
Population
144.9
Area (sq mi)
115
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 35661?
41.2
Median Age
45.5%
Male
54.5%
Female
1.8%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$74,310
Median Household Income
+22% vs state ZIP avg
$34,403
Per Capita Income
14.4%
Poverty Rate
3.9%
Unemployment Rate
21.7 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
9,054
Total Housing Units
8,007
Occupied Units
1,047
Vacant Units
2.38
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$191,800
Median Home Value
+8% vs state ZIP avg
$1,006
Median Rent
1990
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+8.9%
YoY Change (2024)
230
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+130%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 35661 have increased 8.9% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +130% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +4.3% | 152 |
| 2021 | +9.1% | 166 |
| 2022 | +23.4% | 204 |
| 2023 | +3.2% | 211 |
| 2024 | +8.9% | 230 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 560 business establishments in ZIP 35661, employing approximately 13,845 people with a combined annual payroll of $646,741,000.
560
Businesses
13,845
Employees
$646.7M
Annual Payroll
15
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 123 | 22.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 65 | 11.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 58 | 10.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 47 | 8.4% |
| Construction | 45 | 8.0% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 44 | 7.9% |
| Manufacturing | 35 | 6.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 33 | 5.9% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 27 | 4.8% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 22 | 3.9% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 22 | 3.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 18 | 3.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 9 | 1.6% |
| Information | 8 | 1.4% |
| Educational services | 3 | 0.5% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 35661 vs 35646 →
ZIP 35661 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35630
Florence (35630)
32,629 residents
- 35661
Muscle Shoals (35661)
16,617 residents
- 35645
Killen (35645)
14,060 residents
- 35634 9,711
Florence (35634)
9,711 residents
- 35660 9,042
Sheffield (35660)
9,042 residents
- 35646 4,635
Leighton (35646)
4,635 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 35661 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 35661 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35645
Killen (35645)
$87,958 median income
- 35661
Muscle Shoals (35661)
$74,310 median income
- 35634
Florence (35634)
$71,452 median income
- 35646
Leighton (35646)
$71,217 median income
- 35630
Florence (35630)
$46,304 median income
- 35660
Sheffield (35660)
$40,065 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 35661 ranks #2 of 6 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.