Ridgeville, Alabama

Ridgeville is a town in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1969 and is part of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census the population was 83,^[3] down from 158 in 2000. It is noteworthy for being the only community in Etowah County to have a black majority. Since 1970, it has also been the least populated community wholly within the county.

Ridgeville, Alabama
Town
Ridgeville in 2012
Location of Ridgeville in Etowah County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 34°3′26″N 86°6′12″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Etowah
Area [1]
• Total	0.82 sq mi (2.13 km2)
• Land	0.82 sq mi (2.13 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	659 ft (201 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	83
• Density	101.10/sq mi (39.05/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	35954
Area code	256
FIPS code	01-64656
GNIS feature ID	2407216[2]

Geography

Ridgeville is located in central Etowah County at 34°3′26″N 86°6′12″W (34.057110, -86.103232).^[4] It is 9 miles (14 km) by road northwest of Gadsden, the county seat.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.81 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	177		—
1980	182		2.8%
1990	178		−2.2%
2000	158		−11.2%
2010	112		−29.1%
2020	83		−25.9%
[6] 2010[7] 2020[8]

2020 Census

Ridgeville town, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010[7]	Pop 2020[8]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	36	19	32.14%	22.89%
Black or African American alone (NH)	64	49	57.14%	59.04%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	2	0	1.79%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	3	0.00%	3.61%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	3	2	2.68%	2.41%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7	10	6.25%	12.05%
Total	112	83	100.00%	100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 158 people, 64 households, and 44 families residing in the town. The population density was 208.0 inhabitants per square mile (80.3/km²). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 98.7 per square mile (38.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.11% Black or African American, 18.99% White and 1.90% from two or more races.

There were 64 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were married couples living together, 32.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $16,875. Males had a median income of $34,286 versus $11,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,464. About 45.3% of families and 46.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 57.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 55.6% of those 65 or over.