Rainsville is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, home to about 5,702 people across 21 square miles. Its ZIP code is 35986, and parts of 35968 are in Rainsville too.
Homes sold for a median of $159 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Mostly Rainsville; also Shiloh
Mostly Fort Payne; part is in Rainsville
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Rainsville. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Rainsville’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)83 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)52 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Atlanta, GA96 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL517 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Rainsville; 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.
Rainsville had 5,505 residents in the 2020 census, up 22% since 2000.
It’s the 109th largest of 591 towns in Alabama by population.
DeKalb County grew from 23,558 residents in 1900 to 71,608 in 2020.
DeKalb 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 32°F. About 58.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ft Payne, AL weather station (8 miles away).
20,004 jobs at 1,165 businesses in DeKalb County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
50 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Rainsville.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 7 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 1 |
| Dentists | 6 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 21 |
| Mental health providers | 5 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 3 |
| Optometrists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 5 |
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 (1 nearby)
Grocery stores
Pharmacies
Libraries (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 3 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 1956.
Colleges and universities
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by DeKalb County. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainview SchoolRainsville | Pre-K–12 | 1,167 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Dekalb Annex SchoolRainsville | K–12 | — | Special Education | 0.5 mi |
| Dekalb Technical CenterRainsville | 10–12 | — | Career and Technical | 0.5 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone Christian AcademyRainsville | Pre-K–12 | 369 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 1.2 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 Fort Payne, Pine Ridge, Shiloh, Sylvania and Henagar.
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.