Fort Mitchell, AL · standard
ZIP Code 36856
Russell County, Alabama - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 3,719
- 43/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $75,381
- Median income Near-median income area
- $258,700
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 25.1%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Fort Mitchell pairs an above-median household income with above-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 45%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 41%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 43
- people per sq mi
- 88%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 36856 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 36856 covers 85.7 square miles in Fort Mitchell, Russell County, Alabama (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 3,719 residents on file, a density of 43 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 36856 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $75,381 (24% above the average Alabama ZIP), while per-capita income is $31,557. The poverty rate is 10.3%, with unemployment at 8.7%; those measures add context to the income figure. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $258,700 (46% above the average Alabama ZIP), while 87.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and median rent is $2,114.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 25.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 31.7, and the average commute is 31 minutes. The page also surfaces 5 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Russell County, so 36856 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 36856
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Fort Mitchell, AL
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 36856.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
11 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
7 establishments
- Health care and social assistance 4
Health care and social assistance
4 establishments
- Construction 3
Construction
3 establishments
- Other services (except public administration) 3
Other services (except public administration)
3 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 36856, Fort Mitchell, 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
3,719
Population
85.7
Area (sq mi)
43
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 36856?
31.7
Median Age
47.0%
Male
53.0%
Female
3.6%
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?
$75,381
Median Household Income
+24% vs state ZIP avg
$31,557
Per Capita Income
10.3%
Poverty Rate
8.7%
Unemployment Rate
30.6 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 36856 ranks among Alabama ZIPs
Fort Mitchell, AL household income vs. every Alabama ZIP code
Median household income among 587 reporting Alabama ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$75,381 Top 20% higher than 80% of 587 Alabama ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Alabama ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
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?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
3,052housing units
3,052
Total Housing Units
2,912
Occupied Units
140
Vacant Units
2.99
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$258,700
Median Home Value
+46% vs state ZIP avg
$2,114
Median Rent
2011
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 38 business establishments in ZIP 36856, employing approximately 308 people with a combined annual payroll of $9,593,000.
38
Businesses
308
Employees
$9.6M
Annual Payroll
5
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 11 | 28.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 7 | 18.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 4 | 10.5% |
| Construction | 3 | 7.9% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3 | 7.9% |
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 36856 vs 36859 →
ZIP 36856 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 31903
Columbus (31903)
20,128 residents
- 36869
Phenix City (36869)
18,751 residents
- 31905
Fort Benning (31905)
16,044 residents
- 36856 3,719
Fort Mitchell (36856)
3,719 residents
- 31814 272
Louvale (31814)
272 residents
- 36859 34
Holy Trinity (36859)
34 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 36856 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 36856 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 36856
Fort Mitchell (36856)
$75,381 median income
- 31905
Fort Benning (31905)
$75,236 median income
- 36869
Phenix City (36869)
$50,061 median income
- 31903
Columbus (31903)
$32,401 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 36856 ranks the highest of 4 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 36856, both outside AL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (3,719 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Russell County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 36856 in?
ZIP code 36856 (Fort Mitchell) is located in Russell County, Alabama. Russell County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/russell-al.
What is the population of ZIP code 36856?
ZIP code 36856 in Fort Mitchell, AL has a population of 3,719 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 36856?
The median household income in ZIP 36856 is $75,381, which is 1% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 36856?
The median home value in ZIP 36856 is $258,700, which is 7% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 36856?
The largest racial group in ZIP 36856 is African American at 47.2%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 15.4% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 36856?
ZIP code 36856 has 38 business establishments employing approximately 308 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 36856?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 36856 are: Retail trade (11), Accommodation and food services (7), Health care and social assistance (4). There are 5 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 36856?
In ZIP code 36856, 46.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 25.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 36856?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 36856 is 30.6 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 36856?
In ZIP code 36856, approximately 87.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.4% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 36856?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 36856 is 10.3% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 36856's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 36856 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Fort Mitchell, AL ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.