Chatom, Alabama

Town in Washington County · population 1,104 (2020 Census)

Median home: $174,100
Jan low / Jul high: 36° / 91°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 12
Median age: 52.3

Chatom is a town of 1,104 people in Washington County, Alabama. The median home is worth $174,100, above the typical Alabama town ($161,250). It ranks quieter than 99% of Alabama towns, better for first-time buyers than 96% of Alabama towns, better for retirees than 76% of Alabama towns.

Chatom in our rankings:

How Chatom ranks

Percentile among Alabama towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Alabama towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Chatom is worth $174,100, above the typical Alabama town ($161,250). Median rent is $382 a month. 75.2% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Alabama towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Chatom	Typical Alabama town
Median home value	$174,100	$161,250
Median rent	$382	$834
Median household income	—	$56,250
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.8×
Homeownership	75.2%	71.3%
Median year built	1981	1981
Seasonal / vacation homes	4.6%	—

Who lives in Chatom

People	Chatom	Typical Alabama town
Median age	52.3	39.9
Age 65 and over	34.1%	18.1%
Under 18	20.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.1%	17.3%
Below the poverty line	32.5%	16.7%
Veterans	8.0%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	24.9%	5.1%
Average commute	25.7 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	85.3%	86.7%

Weather in Chatom

July highs average 91.2°F and January lows 36.0°F. About 60.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.1 inches of snow (typical Alabama town: 0.6 in). Expect about 79 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 46 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Jackson station (19.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chatom since 1950, compared with 30 for the typical Alabama town. 5 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF3, struck on November 30, 2022 about 7.3 miles from the town center. The most recent was on November 30, 2022.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 10 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on May 2, 2003.

Severe weather in Washington County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Washington County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Washington County has been included in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 26, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3618: Hurricane Helene
December 10, 2020	Hurricane	DR-4573: Hurricane Zeta
September 14, 2020	Hurricane	EM-3545: Hurricane Sally
March 29, 2020	Biological	DR-4503: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3472: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Washington County

Washington County had 5,197 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $86,857 a year. Unemployment was 2.6% in 2023; in Chatom itself the ACS puts it at 3.1%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Chatom

3 public schools with 726 students, about 16.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Washington County High School	5-12	420	17.5
Chatom Elementary School	PK-4	306	15.3
Washington County Career Technical Center	7-12	—	—

Towns near Chatom

Leroy, AL
16.2 mi · 766 people · home $219,500
Jackson, AL
21.4 mi · 4,748 people · home $130,900
Citronelle, AL
25.7 mi · 3,946 people · home $193,500
Waynesboro, MS
27.0 mi · 4,567 people · home $86,200
Gilbertown, AL
27.7 mi · 739 people · home $160,400
Leakesville, MS
28.7 mi · 3,775 people · home $114,300
Mount Vernon, AL
29.7 mi · 1,354 people · home $111,900

Chatom questions

Is Chatom, Alabama a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Chatom scores better for retirees than 76% of Alabama towns and quieter than 99%. 34.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 52.3).

How much does a house cost in Chatom?

The median owner-occupied home in Chatom is valued at $174,100 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of —. Median rent is $382 a month.

What is the weather like in Chatom?

July highs average 91.2°F and January lows 36.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 60.2 inches of precipitation a year and 0.1 inches of snow.

Does Chatom get tornadoes?

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chatom since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF3 on November 30, 2022. The typical Alabama town has had 30.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Chatom's Census boundary (GEOID 0114008). Comparisons use the median of Alabama towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.