Postal Codes

35903 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 35903 covers Gadsden, Alabama, with a population of about 17,180 and a median household income of $50,063.

Population
17,180252 per square mile
Median age
43.95.2 points above the US average
Median household income
$50,06319% below the Alabama median
Poverty rate
16.5%4.1 points above the US average
Typical home value
$147,609up 19.2% in five years
Median rent
$82315% below the Alabama median
Degree or higher
16%19 points below the US average
Homeownership
66.6%1.6 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
341

Where 35903 is

Gadsden, Alabama — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population17,180
Median age43.9
Family households57.3%
Born outside the US2.7%
Speaks a language other than English at home4.5%
White (non-Hispanic)61.8%
Black (non-Hispanic)30.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)1.1%
Hispanic or Latino4.1%
Veterans6.3%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$50,063
Income per person$30,330
Poverty rate16.5%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance21.1%

Household income distribution

Under $10k3.5%
$10–15k7.0%
$15–20k8.7%
$20–25k6.8%
$25–30k5.6%
$30–35k4.5%
$35–40k3.8%
$40–45k5.8%
$45–50k4.2%
$50–60k6.3%
$60–75k12.0%
$75–100k10.2%
$100–125k7.9%
$125–150k4.6%
$150–200k6.3%
$200k or more2.7%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed7,080
Mean adjusted gross income$50,781
Returns declaring $200,000 or more1.6%
Returns, under $25k37.3%
Returns, $25k–$50k29.7%
Returns, $50k–$75k13.7%
Returns, $75k–$100k8.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k9.6%
Returns, $200k or more1.6%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$170,000
Median gross rent$823
Rent as a share of household income31.9%
Owner-occupied66.6%
Vacant homes18%
Median year built1972

What the homes are

Detached house80.6%
Attached house0.8%
2 to 4 units5%
5 to 19 units4.1%
20 or more units3.4%
Mobile home6.1%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$147,609as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 6.5%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 19.2%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 70.5%
Typical home value since 2000
200220142026$147,609$59,660

$59,660 in 2002 to $147,609 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate5.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher16%
High school diploma or higher86.6%
Works from home3.8%
Drives to work alone87.8%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more13.3%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity45.4% 12 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes17.3% 5.3 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes17.7% 4.5 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure47.1% 13 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health27.5% 7.2 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)11.4% same as the national average of 11.3%
Depression24% 2.1 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity34.1% 8.7 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis32.8% 7.7 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking13.4% 2.6 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication78.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)8.2% 0.5 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.8% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8% 1.8 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year80.8% 4.1 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.3% 0.6 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability18.2% 3.4 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening67% 2.7 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD9.3% 2.7 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist54% 7.3 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability41.3% 10.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support26.4% 1.6 pts above the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity23.9% 6.8 pts above the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps19.3% 5 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability8.5% 1.8 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol41.4% 5.2 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity17.4% 3.6 pts above the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability11.6% 3.2 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport12.1% 2.9 pts above the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness36.8% 2.4 pts above the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use76.1% same as the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)18.5% 1.7 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability20.2% 6.2 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)16.2% 2.7 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability5.7% 1.7 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat12.4% 3.6 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours46.8% 10.4 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.7% 1.3 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost16.8% 3.8 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability7.2% 1.6 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments341
People employed7,318
Annual payroll$284,175,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 64.3% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively High across the 8 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss63 out of 100
Community resilience41.6 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Tornado96.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind86.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire84.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide79.9Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought76.8Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake70.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning68.9Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave67.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding64.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail57.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane56.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave51.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm32.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather30.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Alabama and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPAlabamaUnited States
Median household income$50,063$62,027$78,538
Income per person$30,330$34,835$43,289
Poverty rate16.5%15.6%12.4%
Median home value$170,000$195,100$303,400
Median gross rent$823$963$1,348
Homeownership66.6%69.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher16%27.8%35%
Unemployment rate5.1%4.8%5.2%
Works from home3.8%7.8%13.5%
Born outside the US2.7%3.8%13.9%
Median age43.939.338.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationGADSDEN, AL US8.5 km away
Rain in a year58 in
Snow in a year0 in

Average high and low by month

January52.8°F / 32.8°F5.7 in rain
February57.3°F / 36.2°F5.18 in rain, 0.1 in snow
March66°F / 43.3°F5.4 in rain
April74.9°F / 50.4°F5.07 in rain
May82°F / 59.4°F4.79 in rain
June87.8°F / 67.9°F4.56 in rain
July90.9°F / 71.2°F4.71 in rain
August90.3°F / 70.4°F4.49 in rain
September85.3°F / 64.3°F4.5 in rain
October75.4°F / 52.5°F3.51 in rain
November64°F / 41.3°F4.25 in rain
December55.6°F / 35.7°F5.48 in rain, 0.1 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket11% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket29% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 3 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Etowah County School District78.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Gadsden City School District12.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Cherokee County School District8.9% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability28more vulnerable than 28% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Household characteristics24more vulnerable than 24% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status15more vulnerable than 15% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport26more vulnerable than 26% of US census tracts
Walkability4.3 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

35905 Gadsden, AL7.2 km away
35901 Gadsden, AL7.2 km away
35902 Gadsden, AL9.7 km away
35904 Gadsden, AL13.7 km away
35907 Gadsden, AL14.5 km away
35906 Rainbow City, AL17.8 km away
36279 Wellington, AL18.1 km away
35954 Attalla, AL18.1 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Etowah County91.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Cherokee County8.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area68.22 sq mi
Water area2.64 sq mi
Population density252 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude33.9845, -85.9077

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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