Elevation of Tuscaloosa
225ft
above sea level · 69 m
Tuscaloosa is a city in Alabama with 114,316 people, the 5th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 102nd lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 33.21° N · 87.57° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 33° 12′ 35″ N · 87° 34′ 9″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 446,956 E · 3,674,695 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 114,316 people
- 63.0 sq mi of land · 1,816 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from April 2023: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Tuscaloosa had 114,316 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 13% more than in April 2020, when it had 101,001. Its 63.0 sq mi of land work out to 1,816 people/sq mi; the state average is 103 people/sq mi.
It’s the 5th most populous of the 593 places the Census counts in Alabama (cities, towns and CDPs), after Huntsville (233,627), and holds 2.2% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Tuscaloosa County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 2.9 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Tuscaloosa sits at 225 ft (69 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Tuscaloosa is 637 ft below it.
The state capital, Montgomery, is 94 mi away in a straight line and 13 ft higher than Tuscaloosa.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Atlanta (Georgia), 187 mi away in a straight line and 825 ft higher.
Of the 5 cities in Alabama with a page, Tuscaloosa is the 2nd lowest. The others are Huntsville (639 ft), Birmingham (609 ft), Montgomery (238 ft), and Mobile (9 ft).
The highest point in Alabama is Cheaha Mountain, at 2,407 ft according to the USGS: 2,182 ft above Tuscaloosa, 103 mi away in a straight line.
- 148 Tuscaloosa 225 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Tuscaloosa.
What is the elevation of Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa is 225 feet (69 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Tuscaloosa?
Latitude 33.20984 and longitude -87.56917, in decimal degrees (33° 12′ 35″ N · 87° 34′ 9″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 446,956 E and 3,674,695 N, on NAD83.
How does Tuscaloosa rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 102nd lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Tuscaloosa in?
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Which is higher, Tuscaloosa or Montgomery?
Montgomery. Tuscaloosa sits at 225 ft and Montgomery at 238 ft: a difference of 13 ft, 94 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know