A new breakdown of U.S. Census Bureau figures shows that Dauphin Island is home to the lowest poverty rate of any zip code in Alabama. The island’s 36528 zip code recorded a poverty rate of just 1.3 percent, putting it at the top of the statewide ranking.
The Census-based analysis ranked every zip code in the state, and several other South Alabama communities also landed near the top of the list. Spanish Fort’s 36527 zip code came in at number 12 statewide with a 4.2 percent poverty rate, while Orange Beach’s 36561 checked in at number 35 with a rate of 7.0 percent.
At the other end of the spectrum, the state’s highest poverty rate also belongs to Lower Alabama. Calvert, zip code 36513, sits along the line dividing Mobile and Washington counties and posted a poverty rate of 69.5 percent — the worst figure recorded anywhere in Alabama.
The figures highlight a sharp economic contrast within the region, from the prosperous Gulf-front communities of Baldwin and Mobile counties to small rural pockets along their western edges.