DeKalb County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,608. Its county seat is Fort Payne, and it is named after Major General Baron Johann de Kalb. DeKalb County is part of the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area.

DeKalb County was created by the Alabama legislature on January 9, 1836, from land ceded under duress to the Federal government by the Cherokee Nation prior to their forced removal to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

The county was named for Major General Baron Johann de Kalb, a hero of the American Revolution.

The city of Fort Payne, now the county seat, developed around a fort of the same name, built in the 1830s to intern Cherokee of the region prior to their removal.

In the early 19th century, Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who independently created the Cherokee syllabary, a written system for his language, lived in this area. He had been born in a Cherokee town in Tennessee and migrated here in the early 1800s. His work enabled the Cherokee to publish the first Native American newspaper, The Phoenix, which they produced in Cherokee and English.

On the whole, DeKalb County is a dry county in terms of alcohol sales and consumption. In 2005, the city of Fort Payne passed a law to authorize the legal sale of alcohol. Collinsville and Henagar later also allowed alcohol sales.

The county's eastern edge, along the state line, was the epicenter of an earthquake on April 29, 2003, measuring 4.6 on the moment magnitude scale. Power was knocked out in the area, mirrors and pictures thrown to the floor, foundations cracked, and one chimney fell to the ground. The unusual earthquake for this region was felt over a significant portion of the southeastern states, including quite strongly in northeastern Alabama and neighboring northern Georgia, and nearby eastern Tennessee (especially near Chattanooga). It was also felt slightly in western upstate South Carolina, far west-southwestern North Carolina, south and southeastern Kentucky, and east-northeastern Mississippi.

DeKalb County had one of the highest death tolls in Alabama during a massive tornadic system in April 27, 2011, the 2011 Super Outbreak. A total of 31 deaths were reported in the county, 25 of them being a result of the 2011 Rainsville tornado, the last EF5 of the outbreak..

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 779 square miles (2,020 km), of which 777 square miles (2,010 km) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km) (0.2%) is water.

• Jackson County – north
• Dade County, Georgia – northeast (EST)
• Walker County, Georgia – east (EST)
• Chattooga County, Georgia – east (EST)
• Cherokee County – southeast
• Etowah County – south
• Marshall County – west

• Little River Canyon National Preserve (part)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	5,929		—
1850	8,245		39.1%
1860	10,705		29.8%
1870	7,126		−33.4%
1880	12,675		77.9%
1890	21,106		66.5%
1900	23,558		11.6%
1910	28,261		20.0%
1920	34,426		21.8%
1930	40,104		16.5%
1940	43,075		7.4%
1950	45,048		4.6%
1960	41,417		−8.1%
1970	41,981		1.4%
1980	53,658		27.8%
1990	54,651		1.9%
2000	64,452		17.9%
2010	71,109		10.3%
2020	71,608		0.7%
2023 (est.)	72,569		1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

DeKalb County, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	58,436	57,997	54,529	90.67%	81.56%	76.15%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,064	1,029	1,019	1.65%	1.45%	1.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	478	865	715	0.74%	1.22%	1.00%
Asian alone (NH)	105	166	237	0.16%	0.23%	0.33%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	13	35	16	0.02%	0.05%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	11	41	86	0.02%	0.06%	0.12%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	767	1,286	3,262	1.19%	1.81%	4.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,578	9,690	11,744	5.55%	13.63%	16.40%
Total	64,452	71,109	71,608	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 71,608 people, 24,880 households, and 16,366 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2010, there were 71,109 people, 26,842 households, and 19,361 families living in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile (36 people/km). There were 31,109 housing units at an average density of 39.9 units per square mile (15.4 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White (non-Hispanic), 1.5% Black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 13.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 64,452 people, 25,113 households, and 18,432 families living in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32 people/km). There were 28,051 housing units at an average density of 36 units per square mile (14 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 92.55% White (non-Hispanic), 1.68% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.10% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 5.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in DeKalb County were English 78.31%, Scotch-Irish 8.29%, Scottish 3.33%, Irish 3.31%, Welsh 1.22%, and African 1.68%.

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Route 11
• State Route 35
• State Route 40
• State Route 68
• State Route 75
• State Route 117
• State Route 176
• State Route 227

• Norfolk Southern Railway

DeKalb County is strongly Republican. Eighty-four percent of its voters supported Donald Trump in 2020, and no Democrat has carried it since Southerner Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Populist appeal in the county during the period of "Redemption" meant that even during the "Solid South" era DeKalb County sometimes supported victorious Republican presidential candidates, as it did during the three Republican landslides of the 1920s.

United States presidential election results for DeKalb County, Alabama

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	25,633	86.42%	3,758	12.67%	269	0.91%
2020	24,767	84.37%	4,281	14.58%	308	1.05%
2016	21,405	82.88%	3,622	14.02%	799	3.09%
2012	18,331	76.54%	5,239	21.87%	380	1.59%
2008	17,957	74.77%	5,658	23.56%	400	1.67%
2004	16,904	69.94%	7,092	29.34%	173	0.72%
2000	12,827	63.23%	7,056	34.78%	402	1.98%
1996	9,823	54.14%	6,544	36.07%	1,776	9.79%
1992	10,519	48.73%	8,245	38.20%	2,821	13.07%
1988	11,478	60.60%	7,333	38.72%	129	0.68%
1984	12,098	62.53%	7,212	37.27%	39	0.20%
1980	9,673	51.75%	8,820	47.19%	197	1.05%
1976	6,597	40.14%	9,759	59.37%	81	0.49%
1972	9,434	71.27%	3,759	28.40%	44	0.33%
1968	5,314	35.76%	1,274	8.57%	8,271	55.66%
1964	6,746	57.69%	0	0.00%	4,948	42.31%
1960	5,585	48.82%	5,844	51.08%	12	0.10%
1956	5,684	49.56%	5,768	50.30%	16	0.14%
1952	3,997	43.37%	5,209	56.52%	11	0.12%
1948	2,743	43.31%	0	0.00%	3,590	56.69%
1944	2,627	37.52%	4,366	62.35%	9	0.13%
1940	2,810	34.02%	5,432	65.77%	17	0.21%
1936	4,620	42.92%	6,121	56.87%	23	0.21%
1932	3,496	44.88%	4,217	54.13%	77	0.99%
1928	5,761	59.27%	3,957	40.71%	2	0.02%
1924	3,434	53.35%	3,003	46.65%	0	0.00%
1920	4,852	55.17%	3,894	44.28%	49	0.56%
1916	1,190	39.35%	1,787	59.09%	47	1.55%
1912	492	19.49%	1,379	54.61%	654	25.90%
1908	1,103	43.15%	1,395	54.58%	58	2.27%
1904	1,237	40.31%	1,716	55.91%	116	3.78%

• Fort Payne (county seat)
• Henagar
• Rainsville

• Battelle
• Bootsville
• Rawlingsville

• National Register of Historic Places listings in DeKalb County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in DeKalb County, Alabama

• Landmarks of DeKalb County
• DeKalb County History

34°27′26″N 85°48′24″W / 34.45722°N 85.80667°W / 34.45722; -85.80667