Gadsden is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, home to about 33,374 people across 37 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 35901, 35903 and 35904, and parts of 35906 and 35954 are in Gadsden too.
Homes sold for a median of $121 per square foot across 3 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 0 of 3 were seller’s markets.
Mostly Gadsden; also Coats Bend and Tidmore Bend
Mostly Gadsden; also Hokes Bluff and Glencoe
Mostly Gadsden; also Lookout Mountain
Mostly Rainbow City; part is in Gadsden
Mostly Attalla; part is in Gadsden
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Gadsden. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Gadsden’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)54 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Atlanta, GA91 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL548 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Gadsden; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Gadsden had 33,945 residents in the 2020 census, down 13% since 2000.
It’s the 16th largest of 591 towns in Alabama by population.
Etowah County grew from 27,361 residents in 1900 to 103,436 in 2020.
Etowah County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 91°F in summer, and winter lows average 33°F. About 57.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 0 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Gadsden, AL weather station (about a mile away).
28,155 jobs at 1,954 businesses in Etowah County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
624 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Gadsden’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 73 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 146 |
| Dentists | 48 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 143 |
| Mental health providers | 125 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 67 |
| Optometrists | 11 |
| Chiropractors | 11 |
| Pharmacies | 25 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (12 nearby)
Grocery stores (4 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 4 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1867.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Gadsden City, Etowah County. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donehoo Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 225 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| Etowah County Special Education Learning CenterGadsden | Pre-K | 1 | Special Education | 1.3 mi |
| Eura Brown Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 340 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Floyd Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 384 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| Gaston Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–6 | 290 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| Highland Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–6 | 216 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| Hokes Bluff Elementary SchoolHokes Bluff | Pre-K–5 | 610 | Public | 6.6 mi |
| Mitchell Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 262 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Thompson Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 288 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Walnut Park Elementary SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–5 | 218 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| Adams Elementary SchoolGadsden | K–5 | 433 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| W E Striplin Elementary SchoolGadsden | K–5 | 400 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Therapeutic Academic ProgramGadsden | 1–5 | — | Alternative Education | 1.7 mi |
| C I T Y ProgramGadsden | 6–12 | — | Alternative Education | 1.1 mi |
| Downtown Educational CenterGadsden | 6–12 | — | Alternative Education | 1.2 mi |
| Gadsden Middle SchoolGadsden | 6–8 | 438 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Litchfield Middle SchoolGadsden | 6–8 | 252 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Sansom Middle SchoolGadsden | 6–8 | 339 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| Gaston High SchoolGadsden | 7–12 | 380 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| Gadsden City High SchoolGadsden | 9–12 | 1,361 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Hokes Bluff High SchoolHokes Bluff | 9–12 | 371 | Public | 6.4 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coosa Christian SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–12 | 276 | Baptist | 4.3 mi |
| Holy Comforter Episcopal Day SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–11 | 25 | Episcopal | 1.9 mi |
| St James Catholic SchoolGadsden | Pre-K–8 | 118 | Roman Catholic | 0.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Rainbow City, Attalla, Hokes Bluff, Coats Bend, Tidmore Bend, Lookout Mountain, Reece City, Ivalee, Glencoe, Carlisle-Rockledge, Ballplay and Ridgeville.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.