Wadley, Alabama

Town in Randolph County · population 659 (2020 Census)

Median home: $198,600
Jan low / Jul high: 32° / 89°
Snow a year: 2 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 20
Median age: 21.5

Wadley is a town of 659 people in Randolph County, Alabama. The median home is worth $198,600, above the typical Alabama town ($161,250). It ranks better for young professionals than 93% of Alabama towns, more of a college town than 84% of Alabama towns.

How Wadley 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 Wadley is worth $198,600, above the typical Alabama town ($161,250). Median rent is $494 a month. 56.9% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Wadley	Typical Alabama town
Median home value	$198,600	$161,250
Median rent	$494	$834
Median household income	—	$56,250
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.8×
Homeownership	56.9%	71.3%
Median year built	1970	1981
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Wadley

People	Wadley	Typical Alabama town
Median age	21.5	39.9
Age 65 and over	13.8%	18.1%
Under 18	14.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.9%	17.3%
Below the poverty line	27.2%	16.7%
Veterans	1.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	5.3%	—
Work from home	2.1%	5.1%
Average commute	30.1 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	87.6%	86.7%

Weather in Wadley

July highs average 88.7°F and January lows 32.2°F. About 53.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 1.6 inches of snow (typical Alabama town: 0.6 in). Expect about 64 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 73 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 Rock Mills station (16.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

20 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wadley since 1950, compared with 30 for the typical Alabama town. 5 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF3, struck on March 15, 2025 about 4.9 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 19 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on March 15, 2025.

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 2.75 inches on April 25, 1988.

Severe weather in Randolph County since 1996

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

Randolph County has been included in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 26, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3618: Hurricane Helene
May 5, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4710: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
April 26, 2021	Severe Storm	DR-4596: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
December 10, 2020	Hurricane	DR-4573: Hurricane Zeta
September 14, 2020	Hurricane	EM-3545: Hurricane Sally

Jobs and pay in Randolph County

Randolph County had 4,883 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $43,183 a year. Unemployment was 2.4% in 2023; in Wadley itself the ACS puts it at 6.3%.

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 Wadley

1 public school with 406 students, about 18.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Wadley High School	PK-12	406	18.5

Towns near Wadley

Roanoke, AL
11.6 mi · 5,311 people · home $154,300
Wedowee, AL
13.6 mi · 737 people · home $179,700
New Site, AL
14.2 mi · 773 people · home $171,900
Rock Mills, AL
16.8 mi · 603 people · home $74,100
Lineville, AL
16.9 mi · 2,489 people · home $175,500
La Fayette, AL
18.3 mi · 2,684 people · home $85,900
Ashland, AL
18.4 mi · 1,984 people · home $159,300
Jacksons' Gap, AL
22.1 mi · 747 people · home $114,100

Wadley questions

Is Wadley, Alabama a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Wadley scores better for retirees than 32% of Alabama towns and quieter than 13%. 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 21.5).

How much does a house cost in Wadley?

The median owner-occupied home in Wadley is valued at $198,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of —. Median rent is $494 a month.

What is the weather like in Wadley?

July highs average 88.7°F and January lows 32.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 53.0 inches of precipitation a year and 1.6 inches of snow.

Does Wadley get tornadoes?

20 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wadley since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF3 on March 15, 2025. The typical Alabama town has had 30.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Wadley's Census boundary (GEOID 0179344). 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.