The 10 Best Counties To Live In Alabama For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Alabama have the most for people looking to make the move to Alabama.

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: April 4, 2022

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Alabama a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Alabama.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Heart Of Dixie based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Alabama, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 67 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Heart Of Dixie for 2022.

Shelby County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Alabama. And you might want to avoid Greene County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Alabama, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Alabama and the cheapest places to live in Alabama.

The Best Counties To Live In Alabama For 2022

1. Shelby County

Alabaster, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Rivers Langley; SaveRiver | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Birmingham

Population: 216,350
Median Income: $78,889.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $220,700.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (9th best)
More on Shelby County: Photos | Data

2. Madison County

Huntsville, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Larry Wilbourn | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Huntsville

Population: 367,686
Median Income: $66,887.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $190,200.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (17th best)
More on Madison County: Photos | Data

3. Elmore County

Millbrook, AL

Source: Wikipedia User SaveRivers | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Prattville

Population: 81,526
Median Income: $62,324.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $171,100.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (13th best)
More on Elmore County: Photos | Data

4. Autauga County

Millbrook, AL

Source: Wikipedia User SaveRivers | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Prattville

Population: 55,639
Median Income: $57,982.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $161,200.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (2nd best)
More on Autauga County: Photos | Data

5. Baldwin County

Bay Minette, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Pruitt | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Daphne

Population: 218,289
Median Income: $61,756.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $211,600.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (10th best)
More on Baldwin County: Photos | Data

6. St. Clair County

Argo, AL

Source: Wikipedia User DwayneP | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Trussville

Population: 88,929
Median Income: $62,531.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $165,900.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (28th best)
More on St. Clair County: Photos | Data

7. Lauderdale County

Florence, AL

Source: Wikipedia User themidnite (original), Ya | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Florence

Population: 92,870
Median Income: $48,428.0 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $149,500.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (18th best)
More on Lauderdale County: Photos | Data

8. Limestone County

Athens, AL

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Huntsville

Population: 96,921
Median Income: $64,270.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $167,800.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (24th best)
More on Limestone County: Photos | Data

9. Jefferson County

Argo, AL

Source: Wikipedia User DwayneP | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Birmingham

Population: 658,615
Median Income: $55,088.0 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $165,000.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (40th best)
More on Jefferson County: Photos | Data

10. Lee County

Auburn, AL

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Auburn

Population: 163,461
Median Income: $52,930.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $173,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (19th best)
More on Lee County: Photos | Data

Methodology: How do you determine which Alabama county is the best?

To give you the best county in Alabama, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates
Best Places To Raise A Family In Alabama

We then ranked each county in Alabama across each of the criteria from one to 67, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Alabama”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Heart Of Dixie.

Read on to see why Shelby County is the best county, while Greene County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Alabama.

Summary: The Best Counties In Alabama To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Alabama can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Alabama according to the data:

  1. Greene County
  2. Wilcox County
  3. Escambia County

For more Alabama reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Alabama

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Shelby County 1 216,350 $78,889.0 $220,700.0
Madison County 2 367,686 $66,887.0 $190,200.0
Elmore County 3 81,526 $62,324.0 $171,100.0
Autauga County 4 55,639 $57,982.0 $161,200.0
Baldwin County 5 218,289 $61,756.0 $211,600.0
St. Clair County 6 88,929 $62,531.0 $165,900.0
Lauderdale County 7 92,870 $48,428.0 $149,500.0
Limestone County 8 96,921 $64,270.0 $167,800.0
Jefferson County 9 658,615 $55,088.0 $165,000.0
Lee County 10 163,461 $52,930.0 $173,700.0
Colbert County 11 54,957 $47,962.0 $125,400.0
Tuscaloosa County 12 208,854 $54,283.0 $179,000.0
Coffee County 13 52,238 $56,799.0 $153,700.0
Cherokee County 14 26,035 $42,509.0 $138,500.0
Coosa County 15 10,696 $43,571.0 $89,200.0
Morgan County 16 119,352 $52,923.0 $143,900.0
Mobile County 17 413,977 $49,625.0 $138,400.0
Calhoun County 18 114,324 $50,128.0 $121,600.0
Etowah County 19 102,721 $44,934.0 $124,400.0
Henry County 20 17,123 $51,715.0 $119,000.0
Blount County 21 57,755 $48,922.0 $135,300.0
Houston County 22 105,319 $49,069.0 $141,800.0
Chambers County 23 33,427 $43,875.0 $103,800.0
Montgomery County 24 226,451 $51,963.0 $130,000.0
Cullman County 25 83,345 $48,388.0 $135,200.0
Lawrence County 26 32,969 $47,125.0 $113,800.0
Marshall County 27 96,137 $50,216.0 $141,300.0
Dale County 28 49,293 $45,644.0 $113,800.0
Pike County 29 33,274 $39,218.0 $131,600.0
Clay County 30 13,285 $42,678.0 $116,100.0
Cleburne County 31 14,952 $46,320.0 $118,700.0
Randolph County 32 22,732 $45,141.0 $119,500.0
Crenshaw County 33 13,826 $42,611.0 $84,400.0
Lamar County 34 13,854 $42,688.0 $95,400.0
Washington County 35 16,336 $42,331.0 $88,100.0
Tallapoosa County 36 40,450 $48,160.0 $108,300.0
Jackson County 37 51,765 $42,578.0 $107,900.0
Russell County 38 57,938 $42,208.0 $126,300.0
Butler County 39 19,726 $44,850.0 $98,100.0
Talladega County 40 80,244 $43,969.0 $112,300.0
Bibb County 41 22,374 $51,721.0 $96,400.0
Clarke County 42 23,866 $37,345.0 $106,600.0
Chilton County 43 44,147 $52,141.0 $104,500.0
Fayette County 44 16,406 $41,469.0 $92,400.0
Walker County 45 63,802 $45,833.0 $109,600.0
Covington County 46 37,096 $42,566.0 $99,600.0
Geneva County 47 26,383 $41,569.0 $108,400.0
Marengo County 48 19,138 $33,029.0 $82,200.0
Conecuh County 49 12,219 $35,444.0 $83,900.0
Perry County 50 9,104 $23,875.0 $80,100.0
Barbour County 51 25,026 $34,990.0 $86,500.0
Dekalb County 52 71,430 $42,267.0 $113,600.0
Pickens County 53 20,049 $40,362.0 $100,000.0
Franklin County 54 31,587 $41,174.0 $103,000.0
Marion County 55 29,818 $40,978.0 $87,700.0
Choctaw County 56 12,755 $36,634.0 $75,900.0
Winston County 57 23,712 $40,991.0 $87,300.0
Macon County 58 18,437 $35,450.0 $82,400.0
Hale County 59 14,754 $30,793.0 $91,500.0
Lowndes County 60 9,936 $33,634.0 $66,500.0
Bullock County 61 10,173 $33,866.0 $74,800.0
Dallas County 62 38,184 $33,317.0 $84,100.0
Sumter County 63 12,595 $26,150.0 $67,300.0
Monroe County 64 21,006 $31,969.0 $100,900.0
Escambia County 65 36,775 $35,558.0 $100,800.0
Wilcox County 66 10,552 $35,063.0 $67,200.0
Greene County 67 8,221 $26,688.0 $76,200.0
Download The Entire Alabama Ranking Data
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Alabama.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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