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Alabama: cities where rent takes the smallest share of income

Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.

In short: Alabama: Mountain Brook has the lowest share of income going to rent (8.7%) among the 80 largest places.
Huntsville (222,791 residents)Mobile (203,416 residents)Birmingham (198,173 residents)Montgomery (197,494 residents)Tuscaloosa (111,038 residents)Hoover (92,642 residents)Auburn (80,594 residents)Dothan (71,514 residents)Madison (60,106 residents)Decatur (57,361 residents)Florence (41,701 residents)Prattville (39,482 residents)Vestavia Hills (38,616 residents)Phenix City (38,499 residents)Alabaster (33,917 residents)Gadsden (33,374 residents)Opelika (32,820 residents)Northport (31,218 residents)Enterprise (29,505 residents)Daphne (29,453 residents)Athens (29,002 residents)Homewood (27,829 residents)Trussville (26,673 residents)Bessemer (25,400 residents)Pelham (24,827 residents)Fairhope (24,190 residents)Foley (24,026 residents)Albertville (22,813 residents)Oxford (22,063 residents)Mountain Brook (22,029 residents)Helena (21,769 residents)Anniston (21,271 residents)Cullman (19,319 residents)Prichard (18,961 residents)Troy (17,716 residents)Calera (17,714 residents)Tillmans Corner (17,677 residents)Millbrook (17,189 residents)Selma (17,057 residents)Muscle Shoals (16,951 residents)Gardendale (16,534 residents)Hueytown (16,414 residents)Saraland (16,404 residents)Gulf Shores (16,401 residents)Chelsea (16,260 residents)Center Point (15,914 residents)Hartselle (15,847 residents)Scottsboro (15,712 residents)Fort Payne (14,927 residents)Talladega (14,760 residents)Alexander City (14,606 residents)Jasper (14,442 residents)Jacksonville (14,437 residents)Ozark (14,327 residents)Pell City (13,587 residents)Moody (13,488 residents)Irondale (13,464 residents)McCalla (13,253 residents)Eufaula (12,584 residents)Sylacauga (12,309 residents)Leeds (12,028 residents)Meridianville (11,150 residents)Boaz (10,814 residents)Russellville (10,799 residents)Saks (10,681 residents)Spanish Fort (10,662 residents)Pike Road (10,574 residents)Rainbow City (10,284 residents)Valley (10,277 residents)Clay (10,273 residents)Forestdale (9,742 residents)Fairfield (9,728 residents)Southside (9,483 residents)Pleasant Grove (9,442 residents)Fultondale (9,384 residents)Sheffield (9,340 residents)Meadowbrook (9,117 residents)Tuscumbia (9,115 residents)Clanton (8,958 residents)Tuskegee (8,938 residents)
Map of Alabama: the 80 largest cities

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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.

Mountain Brook#1
8.7%yearly rent as share of income
80cities ranked
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Ranking

CITY (80 largest of Alabama) Official statistics Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year (via Census Reporter) · Data: ACS 2020–2024

Among the 80 largest places in Alabama, Mountain Brook has the lowest share of income going to rent (8.7%), followed by Meadowbrook and Hartselle. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.

What the ranking shows

Across the 80 places in Alabama that we cover, the median is 19.0% and the average 19.8%; the figure runs from 8.7% (Mountain Brook) to 32.8% (Clay). That is a spread of 3.8 times between the two ends.

How to use it

The first five are Mountain Brook, Meadowbrook, Hartselle, Madison, Jasper. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.

Sort:
# ⇅City ⇅County ⇅Yearly rent as share of income ⇅Population ⇅Median household income ⇅Median rent ⇅
1Mountain BrookJefferson County8.7%22,029$201,479$1,456
2Meadowbrook (unincorporated)Shelby County11.5%9,117$141,862$1,365
3HartselleMorgan County12.6%15,847$76,290$804
4MadisonMadison County12.9%60,106$134,655$1,453
5JasperWalker County13.1%14,442$66,238$721
6Vestavia HillsJefferson County13.5%38,616$134,369$1,515
7RussellvilleFranklin County14.1%10,799$58,231$685
8NorthportTuscaloosa County14.6%31,218$80,913$982
9ChelseaShelby County14.7%16,260$115,337$1,414
10OxfordCalhoun County14.9%22,063$74,268$925
11TuscumbiaColbert County15.2%9,115$59,143$748
12AthensLimestone County15.4%29,002$69,922$899
13BoazMarshall County16.0%10,814$49,846$663
14HooverShelby County16.0%92,642$109,253$1,457
15Muscle ShoalsColbert County16.3%16,951$75,894$1,029
16HelenaShelby County16.4%21,769$115,139$1,574
17Meridianville (unincorporated)Madison County16.6%11,150$97,434$1,348
18TrussvilleJefferson County16.7%26,673$123,275$1,711
19Spanish FortBaldwin County16.8%10,662$99,346$1,390
20Pike RoadMontgomery County16.9%10,574$117,091$1,653
21OzarkDale County17.0%14,327$48,944$694
22Fort PayneDeKalb County17.2%14,927$47,479$679
23DecaturMorgan County17.5%57,361$61,563$896
24OpelikaLee County17.5%32,820$65,004$950
25EufaulaBarbour County17.7%12,584$47,392$698
26Tillmans Corner (unincorporated)Mobile County17.9%17,677$60,837$908
27EnterpriseCoffee County18.0%29,505$73,125$1,098
28AlabasterShelby County18.0%33,917$91,357$1,372
29CullmanCullman County18.1%19,319$61,224$925
30LeedsJefferson County18.2%12,028$69,737$1,058
31Alexander CityTallapoosa County18.4%14,606$47,022$721
32ScottsboroJackson County18.5%15,712$53,929$830
33SylacaugaTalladega County18.5%12,309$50,017$773
34SouthsideEtowah County18.6%9,483$76,487$1,184
35HomewoodJefferson County18.6%27,829$94,485$1,463
36AlbertvilleMarshall County18.7%22,813$56,099$872
37PelhamShelby County18.7%24,827$101,094$1,577
38HuntsvilleMadison County18.8%222,791$74,714$1,171
39FlorenceLauderdale County18.9%41,701$52,174$820
40MillbrookElmore County19.0%17,189$70,313$1,111
41GardendaleJefferson County19.0%16,534$82,192$1,299
42JacksonvilleCalhoun County19.0%14,437$51,814$820
43DaphneBaldwin County19.1%29,453$87,250$1,388
44Pell CitySaint Clair County19.2%13,587$68,638$1,099
45PrattvilleAutauga County19.4%39,482$81,337$1,313
46AnnistonCalhoun County20.5%21,271$46,668$799
47DothanHouston County20.6%71,514$55,792$960
48SaralandMobile County20.7%16,404$61,509$1,060
49AuburnLee County20.7%80,594$63,668$1,098
50FultondaleJefferson County20.7%9,384$73,575$1,269
51TalladegaTalladega County21.1%14,760$44,198$776
52FairhopeBaldwin County21.5%24,190$94,274$1,689
53MoodySaint Clair County21.5%13,488$86,627$1,553
54Saks (unincorporated)Calhoun County21.7%10,681$49,753$898
55Forestdale (unincorporated)Jefferson County21.7%9,742$66,569$1,203
56TroyPike County21.8%17,716$50,717$922
57IrondaleJefferson County21.9%13,464$72,343$1,320
58ClantonChilton County21.9%8,958$47,520$869
59CaleraShelby County22.0%17,714$87,194$1,601
60Rainbow CityEtowah County22.3%10,284$56,398$1,048
61FoleyBaldwin County22.5%24,026$66,336$1,242
62Gulf ShoresBaldwin County22.8%16,401$78,188$1,483
63MontgomeryMontgomery County23.0%197,494$56,811$1,089
64Phenix CityRussell County23.2%38,499$50,053$967
65ValleyChambers County23.6%10,277$51,661$1,016
66Pleasant GroveJefferson County23.9%9,442$70,317$1,400
67TuskegeeMacon County23.9%8,938$38,000$757
68MobileMobile County23.9%203,416$53,558$1,068
69GadsdenEtowah County24.0%33,374$40,345$808
70McCalla (unincorporated)Jefferson County24.4%13,253$87,468$1,777
71TuscaloosaTuscaloosa County24.6%111,038$51,464$1,055
72HueytownJefferson County24.9%16,414$62,784$1,304
73FairfieldJefferson County25.0%9,728$48,456$1,008
74SheffieldColbert County25.0%9,340$39,733$829
75SelmaDallas County25.8%17,057$33,197$713
76Center PointJefferson County25.9%15,914$56,417$1,218
77BirminghamJefferson County28.8%198,173$46,051$1,107
78BessemerJefferson County29.1%25,400$39,613$961
79PrichardMobile County30.2%18,961$36,588$922
80ClayJefferson County32.8%10,273$81,920$2,240

Other rankings for Alabama

Largest Cities · Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes

Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.

FAQ

Which Alabama city has the lowest share of income going to rent?

Mountain Brook, with 8.7% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).

How many cities are ranked?

The 80 largest places in Alabama by population.

Sources

Sources

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