HomeAlabamaEtowah CountyRainbow City
Rainbow City, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Rainbow City is a Census city of 10,284 people across 25.65 square miles of land, in Etowah County. Median household income is $56,398, 65.6 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $8.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Rainbow City
What Rainbow City is
- Census place typecity
- Land area25.65 sq mi
- Water area0.34 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land401
- County holding the largest share of its areaEtowah County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rainbow City
How many people live in Rainbow City
- Population10,284
- Median age41.7
- Population under 182,309
- Share under 1822.5 percent
- Population 65 and over1,947
- Share 65 and over18.9 percent
- Households4,131
- Family households2,825
- Share of households that are families68.4 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rainbow City
Income and work in Rainbow City
- Median household income$56,398
- Per capita income$39,440 plus or minus $10,038
- Civilian labor force4,499
- Employed4,034
- Unemployed465 plus or minus 243
- Unemployment rate10.3 percent plus or minus 5.3
- Adults 25 and over7,157
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher83.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.8 percent plus or minus 4.3
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.9 percent plus or minus 2.9
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rainbow City
Housing in Rainbow City
- Housing units4,693
- Occupied units4,131
- Vacant units562 plus or minus 185
- Vacancy rate12.0 percent plus or minus 3.9
- Owner occupied2,711
- Renter occupied1,420 plus or minus 285
- Ownership rate65.6 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$223,000
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,048
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.3 percent
- Single family units3,158
- Share single family67.3 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more1,193 plus or minus 308
- Share in buildings of two or more25.4 percent plus or minus 6.3
- Mobile homes342 plus or minus 146
- Median year structure built1990
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rainbow City
How Rainbow City gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute3,631
- Commuting under 15 minutes896 plus or minus 228
- Share commuting under 15 minutes24.7 percent plus or minus 5.2
- Commuting 30 minutes or more1,244 plus or minus 340
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more34.3 percent plus or minus 8.0
- Drove alone78.4 percent
- Carpooled11.0 percent plus or minus 6.0
- Public transport1.4 percent plus or minus 1.4
- Walked0.0 percent
- Worked from home8.0 percent plus or minus 3.9
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rainbow City
SBA loans in Rainbow City (7(a))
- Approvals9
- Gross approval$7,961,200
- Average approval$884,578
- Median approval$872,000
- Largest approval$2,726,800
- Jobs supported179
- Jobs per approval19.9
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Median term123 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more22.2 percent
- Share to franchises22.2 percent
- Distinct lenders7
- Distinct industries by NAICS8
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Rainbow City, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rainbow City
SBA loans in Rainbow City (504)
- Approvals5
- Gross approval$2,155,000
- Average approval$431,000
- Median approval$354,000
- Largest approval$819,000
- Jobs supported28
- Loans with a final outcome4
- Charged off1
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Rainbow City, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 4 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rainbow City
Flood risk in Rainbow City
- NFIP communityCity of Rainbow City
- NFIP community number010351
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date03/16/16
The City of Rainbow City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 010351 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Etowah County, not Rainbow City
Etowah County context, not Rainbow City figures
- Establishments in Etowah County1,954
- Covered employment, Etowah County33,010
- Average annual pay, Etowah County$46,564
- Housing units permitted, Etowah County133
Every figure in this section is published for Etowah County as a whole and is not a measurement of Rainbow City.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Rainbow City questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rainbow City, Alabama?
10,284, in 4,131 households. Rainbow City city covers 25.65 square miles of land, which is 401 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Rainbow City in?
Etowah County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Rainbow City?
$56,398. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $223,000. Median gross rent is $1,048 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Rainbow City businesses?
9 7(a) approvals totaling $8.0 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, median approval $872,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $2.2 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Rainbow City, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Rainbow City borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Rainbow City. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Rainbow City in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Rainbow City appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Rainbow City, city of, community 010351, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Rainbow City figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Etowah County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Rainbow City.
Is zoning published for Rainbow City?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.