Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Alabama

The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.

In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.

But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.

According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.

Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.

Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.

In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Alabama using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.

Read on to find out where the most loyal Alabama residents live.

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#50. DeKalb County

– Population: 71,680
– Born in Alabama: 48,260 (67.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 17,989 (25.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 154 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 5,277 (7.4% of population)

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#49. Henry County

– Population: 17,282
– Born in Alabama: 11,701 (67.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,275 (30.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 151 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 155 (0.9% of population)

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#48. Barbour County

– Population: 24,877
– Born in Alabama: 17,052 (68.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 6,938 (27.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 111 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 776 (3.1% of population)

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#47. Morgan County

– Population: 123,102
– Born in Alabama: 84,792 (68.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 30,837 (25.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,147 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 6,326 (5.1% of population)

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#46. Marshall County

– Population: 97,923
– Born in Alabama: 67,718 (69.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 22,481 (23.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 725 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 6,999 (7.1% of population)

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#45. Marion County

– Population: 29,203
– Born in Alabama: 20,221 (69.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 8,504 (29.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 173 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 305 (1.0% of population)

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#44. Pickens County

– Population: 18,925
– Born in Alabama: 13,240 (70.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,802 (25.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 102 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 781 (4.1% of population)

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#43. Franklin County

– Population: 32,011
– Born in Alabama: 22,541 (70.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 6,524 (20.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 176 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,770 (8.7% of population)

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#42. Lauderdale County

– Population: 94,329
– Born in Alabama: 66,690 (70.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 25,044 (26.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 379 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,216 (2.3% of population)

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#41. Elmore County

– Population: 87,694
– Born in Alabama: 62,074 (70.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 22,911 (26.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 901 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,808 (2.1% of population)

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#40. Calhoun County

– Population: 116,162
– Born in Alabama: 82,232 (70.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 29,722 (25.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,510 (1.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,698 (2.3% of population)

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#39. Chambers County

– Population: 34,612
– Born in Alabama: 24,667 (71.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 9,350 (27.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 87 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 508 (1.5% of population)

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#38. Tuscaloosa County

– Population: 231,558
– Born in Alabama: 165,535 (71.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 56,298 (24.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,554 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 8,171 (3.5% of population)

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#37. Montgomery County

– Population: 228,132
– Born in Alabama: 163,759 (71.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 50,703 (22.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 2,625 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 11,045 (4.8% of population)

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#36. Sumter County

– Population: 12,196
– Born in Alabama: 8,800 (72.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,192 (26.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 60 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 144 (1.2% of population)

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#35. Mobile County

– Population: 413,878
– Born in Alabama: 304,758 (73.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 92,886 (22.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 3,041 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 13,193 (3.2% of population)

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#34. Jefferson County

– Population: 672,265
– Born in Alabama: 503,326 (74.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 138,137 (20.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4,444 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 26,358 (3.9% of population)

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#33. Macon County

– Population: 19,198
– Born in Alabama: 14,432 (75.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,447 (23.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 92 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 227 (1.2% of population)

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#32. St. Clair County

– Population: 91,719
– Born in Alabama: 69,373 (75.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 20,644 (22.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 367 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,335 (1.5% of population)

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#31. Cullman County

– Population: 88,284
– Born in Alabama: 67,572 (76.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 18,200 (20.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 465 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,047 (2.3% of population)

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#30. Winston County

– Population: 23,655
– Born in Alabama: 18,155 (76.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,822 (20.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 230 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 448 (1.9% of population)

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#29. Colbert County

– Population: 57,270
– Born in Alabama: 43,985 (76.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 12,082 (21.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 215 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 988 (1.7% of population)

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#28. Escambia County

– Population: 36,755
– Born in Alabama: 28,265 (76.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 8,018 (21.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 203 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 269 (0.7% of population)

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#27. Etowah County

– Population: 103,348
– Born in Alabama: 80,540 (77.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 19,682 (19.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 670 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,456 (2.4% of population)

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#26. Pike County

– Population: 32,997
– Born in Alabama: 25,799 (78.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,786 (17.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 99 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,313 (4.0% of population)

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#25. Washington County

– Population: 15,434
– Born in Alabama: 12,081 (78.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,216 (20.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 23 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 114 (0.7% of population)

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#24. Chilton County

– Population: 45,140
– Born in Alabama: 35,456 (78.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 7,479 (16.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 366 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,839 (4.1% of population)

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#23. Covington County

– Population: 37,542
– Born in Alabama: 29,507 (78.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 7,387 (19.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 215 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 433 (1.2% of population)

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#22. Coosa County

– Population: 10,329
– Born in Alabama: 8,264 (80.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,001 (19.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 17 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 47 (0.5% of population)

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#21. Blount County

– Population: 59,077
– Born in Alabama: 47,330 (80.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 8,625 (14.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 279 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,843 (4.8% of population)

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#20. Walker County

– Population: 64,978
– Born in Alabama: 52,224 (80.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 11,656 (17.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 368 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 730 (1.1% of population)

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#19. Tallapoosa County

– Population: 41,251
– Born in Alabama: 33,468 (81.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 6,991 (16.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 88 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 704 (1.7% of population)

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#18. Talladega County

– Population: 81,105
– Born in Alabama: 65,894 (81.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 13,135 (16.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 561 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,515 (1.9% of population)

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#17. Fayette County

– Population: 16,297
– Born in Alabama: 13,325 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,840 (17.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 121 (0.7% of population)

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#16. Marengo County

– Population: 19,180
– Born in Alabama: 15,808 (82.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,064 (16.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 31 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 277 (1.4% of population)

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#15. Clay County

– Population: 14,209
– Born in Alabama: 11,811 (83.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,246 (15.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 60 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 92 (0.6% of population)

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#14. Lawrence County

– Population: 33,116
– Born in Alabama: 27,648 (83.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,061 (15.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 40 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 367 (1.1% of population)

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#13. Bullock County

– Population: 10,328
– Born in Alabama: 8,715 (84.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,176 (11.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 48 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 389 (3.8% of population)

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#12. Monroe County

– Population: 19,816
– Born in Alabama: 16,793 (84.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,844 (14.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 91 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 88 (0.4% of population)

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#11. Crenshaw County

– Population: 13,205
– Born in Alabama: 11,216 (84.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,606 (12.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 40 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 343 (2.6% of population)

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#10. Greene County

– Population: 7,706
– Born in Alabama: 6,594 (85.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 992 (12.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 17 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 103 (1.3% of population)

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#9. Bibb County

– Population: 22,251
– Born in Alabama: 19,056 (85.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,707 (12.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 244 (1.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 244 (1.1% of population)

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#8. Conecuh County

– Population: 11,576
– Born in Alabama: 9,939 (85.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,525 (13.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 16 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 96 (0.8% of population)

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#7. Perry County

– Population: 8,479
– Born in Alabama: 7,321 (86.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,094 (12.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 12 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 52 (0.6% of population)

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#6. Clarke County

– Population: 23,058
– Born in Alabama: 19,910 (86.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,945 (12.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 21 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 182 (0.8% of population)

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#5. Dallas County

– Population: 38,326
– Born in Alabama: 33,156 (86.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,616 (12.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 89 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 465 (1.2% of population)

JNix // Shutterstock

#4. Butler County

– Population: 18,981
– Born in Alabama: 16,439 (86.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,127 (11.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 93 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 322 (1.7% of population)

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#3. Wilcox County

– Population: 10,441
– Born in Alabama: 9,119 (87.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,233 (11.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 35 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 54 (0.5% of population)

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#2. Hale County

– Population: 14,742
– Born in Alabama: 12,889 (87.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,716 (11.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 45 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 92 (0.6% of population)

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#1. Lowndes County

– Population: 10,153
– Born in Alabama: 9,413 (92.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 643 (6.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 16 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 81 (0.8% of population)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.

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