Cost of living in Alabama

Alabama at a glance

Median rent

$1,007

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$63,999

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$209,900

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$788

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.7%

Census ACS, DP03

Alabama's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 11% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Alabama

These are the most populous places in Alabama, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Jefferson County

  Population

  668K

  Rent

  $1,193

  Household income

  $66,388

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,409

  Set as targetPlan

• Mobile County

  Population

  413K

  Rent

  $1,052

  Household income

  $58,880

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $888

  Set as targetPlan

• Madison County

  Population

  406K

  Rent

  $1,209

  Household income

  $86,499

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,185

  Set as targetPlan

Alabama, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819, as the 22nd state. General Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814. Alabama was established as a separate territory in 1817 and became a state two years later.

• Little River Canyon National Preserve

  A river that runs along the top of Lookout Mountain, with waterfalls, canyon rims and sandstone cliffs.

• Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

  The bend of the Tallapoosa River where Andrew Jackson's army fought the Red Stick Creek on March 27, 1814.

• Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

  Moton Field in Tuskegee, where the first African American military pilots began their flight training.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Alabama

Current owners in Alabama pay a median 0.38% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $788 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $274 in Lamar County to $1,423 in Shelby County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Alabama

Life expectancy

73.3 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

10.5%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

21.8%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

93

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Alabama as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Alabama

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.5B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.94

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.1B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Jefferson County, AL is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 67 counties in Alabama

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.