At A Glance

• 43% increase in motor vehicle accident mortality for rural Alabamians compared to urban (Source: Alabama Department of Transportation, 2023 Facts Report)
• 55 out of 67 of Alabama's counties are considered rural.(Source: US Census Bureau, 2022)
• 2,123,399 residents, or 42.3% of the entire Alabama population, live in rural areas.(Source: Us Census Bureau, 2022)
• The average percentage of uninsured Alabama residents aged 18 to 64 who live in rural areas is 16.4 percent compared to 14.1 percent of residents who live in urban areas.(Source: CDC, BRFSS, 2022)

Access to Healthcare Poses a Challenge in Rural Alabama

• There are 54 rural county hospitals that serve residents in 42 out of the 55 rural counties in Alabama. (Source: Alabama Hospital Association, 2023)
• Only 15 rural counties in Alabama have labor and delivery units. (Source: March of Dimes, AHA Annual Survey, 2022)
• 28% of women in Alabama have no birthing hospital within 30 minutes of their residence. (Source: Alabama Office of EMS, 2022)
• The average response time from call to arrival to the scene for the state is less than 7 minutes. The average response time for urban counties is 0-5 minutes, and the average response time for rural counties is 11-15 minutes. However, it can take up to 30 minutes for some rural counties such as Perry and Clarke. (Source: Alabama Office of EMA, 2022)
• In rural areas throughout Alabama, 89.8% of women live over 30 minutes from a birthing hospital compared to 26% of women living in urban areas. (Source: March of Dimes, AHA Annual Survey, 2022)
• Alabama has six critical access hospitals.
• In rural counties, there are 3.2 dentists per 10,000 residents, compared to 5.5 dentists per 10,000 residents in urban counties in Alabama. (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024)
• Hospitals in rural Alabama counties have 21.4 general hospital beds per 10,000 residents compared to 34.6 general hospital beds per 10,000 residents in urban counties. (Source: Alabama Hospital Association, 2023)