Want to see why Alabama is one of the best states to retire in America?
It starts with the top ten best places to retire in the Yellowhammer State for 2026
We looked at the FBI and Census data for 56 cities with 10,000 residents to identify Alabama’s best places to spend your retirement years. We included factors like crime, affordability, rent, and how close a place is to an international airport.
Our research concluded that The Heart of Dixie’s best places to retire are some of the safest in the state. They are also some of the most affordable.
$925 median rent · $61,224 median income · #20 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Cullman County, AlabamaCullman is a city and the county seat of Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, about 50 miles north of Birmingham and about 55 miles south of Huntsville. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 14,775, with an estimated population of 15,496 in 2016.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$776 median rent · $44,198 median income · #8 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Talladega County, AlabamaTalladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2010 census the population was 15,676. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham.
The city is home to the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and the Talladega Municipal Airport, a public general aviation airport. The Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega College and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame are located nearby. The First National Bank of Talladega is the oldest bank in the State of Alabama, being founded in 1848.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$808 median rent · $40,345 median income · #11 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Etowah County, AlabamaGadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about 56 miles northeast of Birmingham and 90 miles southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,931. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 36,856, with an estimated population of 35,837 in 2016. Gadsden and Rome, Georgia, are the largest cities in the triangular area defined by the Interstate highways between Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$679 median rent · $47,479 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
DeKalb County, AlabamaFort Payne is a city in and county seat of DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 14,012.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$713 median rent · $33,197 median income · #5 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Dallas County, AlabamaSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 20,756 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$830 median rent · $53,929 median income · #14 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Jackson County, AlabamaScottsboro is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 14,770. Named for its founder Robert Scott, the city is the county seat of Jackson County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,058 median rent · $69,737 median income · #28 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaLeeds is a tri-county municipality located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby counties in the State of Alabama and is an eastern suburb of Birmingham. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 11,773.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$799 median rent · $46,668 median income · #9 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Calhoun County, AlabamaAnniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. According to 2013 Census estimates, the city had a population of 22,666. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County and one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$899 median rent · $69,922 median income · #17 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Limestone County, AlabamaAthens is a city in Limestone County, in the State of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 21,897. The city is the county seat of Limestone County and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,515 median rent · $134,369 median income · #50 cheapest rent in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaVestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of the city of Birmingham. As of the 2010 census, its population was 34,033, up from 24,476 in 2000. It moved up from the fifth largest city in Jefferson County in 2000 to the third largest in 2010, behind Birmingham and Hoover.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alabama’s statewide median.
Alabama statewide median: $63,999
Alabama statewide median: $236,453
On the map
Where to retire in Alabama
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Heart of Dixie for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Alabama to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Heart of Dixie — 574 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 56 places from across the state.
For these 56, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 56, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Cullman, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Alabama.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Alabama
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cullman | 18.50 | 19,319 | $61,224 | $261,636 | $925 |
| 2 | Talladega | 18.70 | 14,760 | $44,198 | $143,575 | $776 |
| 3 | Gadsden | 20.00 | 33,374 | $40,345 | $114,158 | $808 |
| 4 | Fort Payne | 20.20 | 14,927 | $47,479 | $203,035 | $679 |
| 5 | Selma | 20.80 | 17,057 | $33,197 | $79,209 | $713 |
| 6 | Scottsboro | 20.90 | 15,712 | $53,929 | $213,721 | $830 |
| 7 | Leeds | 21.00 | 12,028 | $69,737 | $249,223 | $1,058 |
| 8 | Anniston | 21.40 | 21,271 | $46,668 | $147,195 | $799 |
| 9 | Athens | 21.70 | 29,002 | $69,922 | $307,881 | $899 |
| 10 | Vestavia Hills | 22.60 | 38,616 | $134,369 | $561,213 | $1,515 |
| 11 | Mountain Brook | 22.80 | 22,029 | $201,479 | $1,028,341 | $1,456 |
| 12 | Irondale | 22.90 | 13,464 | $72,343 | $289,627 | $1,320 |
| 13 | Moody | 23.20 | 13,488 | $86,627 | $259,875 | $1,553 |
| 14 | Hartselle | 24.20 | 15,847 | $76,290 | $246,208 | $804 |
| 15 | Bessemer | 25.10 | 25,400 | $39,613 | $133,911 | $961 |
| 16 | Gardendale | 25.10 | 16,534 | $82,192 | $266,523 | $1,299 |
| 17 | Ozark | 25.30 | 14,327 | $48,944 | $143,766 | $694 |
| 18 | Jacksonville | 25.50 | 14,437 | $51,814 | $211,263 | $820 |
| 19 | Pelham | 25.60 | 24,827 | $101,094 | $323,686 | $1,577 |
| 20 | Sylacauga | 25.80 | 12,309 | $50,017 | $166,281 | $773 |
| 21 | Jasper | 26.00 | 14,442 | $66,238 | $168,864 | $721 |
| 22 | Fairhope | 26.60 | 24,190 | $94,274 | $459,930 | $1,689 |
| 23 | Foley | 27.20 | 24,026 | $66,336 | $301,570 | $1,242 |
| 24 | Gulf Shores | 28.20 | 16,401 | $78,188 | $450,266 | $1,483 |
| 25 | Helena | 28.40 | 21,769 | $115,139 | $363,042 | $1,574 |
| 26 | Birmingham | 28.60 | 198,173 | $46,051 | $135,870 | $1,107 |
| 27 | Hoover | 28.60 | 92,642 | $109,253 | $437,228 | $1,457 |
| 28 | Decatur | 28.60 | 57,361 | $61,563 | $224,155 | $896 |
| 29 | Alabaster | 28.60 | 33,917 | $91,357 | $303,750 | $1,372 |
| 30 | Trussville | 29.20 | 26,673 | $123,275 | $394,833 | $1,711 |
| 31 | Dothan | 29.40 | 71,514 | $55,792 | $203,928 | $960 |
| 32 | Eufaula | 30.00 | 12,584 | $47,392 | $163,743 | $698 |
| 33 | Oxford | 30.20 | 22,063 | $74,268 | $195,937 | $925 |
| 34 | Russellville | 30.50 | 10,799 | $58,231 | $178,141 | $685 |
| 35 | Opelika | 30.90 | 32,820 | $65,004 | $304,313 | $950 |
| 36 | Florence | 31.30 | 41,701 | $52,174 | $210,214 | $820 |
| 37 | Daphne | 31.30 | 29,453 | $87,250 | $326,736 | $1,388 |
| 38 | Albertville | 31.40 | 22,813 | $56,099 | $214,034 | $872 |
| 39 | Prichard | 32.10 | 18,961 | $36,588 | $57,932 | $922 |
| 40 | Saraland | 32.10 | 16,404 | $61,509 | $233,993 | $1,060 |
| 41 | Prattville | 32.40 | 39,482 | $81,337 | $262,195 | $1,313 |
| 42 | Montgomery | 33.00 | 197,494 | $56,811 | $151,228 | $1,089 |
| 43 | Huntsville | 33.30 | 222,791 | $74,714 | $287,569 | $1,171 |
| 44 | Tuscaloosa | 33.30 | 111,038 | $51,464 | $228,947 | $1,055 |
| 45 | Valley | 33.40 | 10,277 | $51,661 | $177,525 | $1,016 |
| 46 | Hueytown | 33.50 | 16,414 | $62,784 | $163,400 | $1,304 |
| 47 | Calera | 33.80 | 17,714 | $87,194 | $254,701 | $1,601 |
| 48 | Mobile | 34.70 | 203,416 | $53,558 | $194,564 | $1,068 |
| 49 | Spanish Fort | 34.80 | 10,662 | $99,346 | $379,955 | $1,390 |
| 50 | Auburn | 35.10 | 80,594 | $63,668 | $412,908 | $1,098 |
| 51 | Troy | 35.10 | 17,716 | $50,717 | $181,784 | $922 |
| 52 | Homewood | 35.40 | 27,829 | $94,485 | $558,046 | $1,463 |
| 53 | Muscle Shoals | 36.30 | 16,951 | $75,894 | $260,072 | $1,029 |
| 54 | Madison | 36.80 | 60,106 | $134,655 | $374,497 | $1,453 |
| 55 | Millbrook | 37.20 | 17,189 | $70,313 | $218,705 | $1,111 |
| 56 | Enterprise | 37.40 | 29,505 | $73,125 | $202,764 | $1,098 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 56 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Alabama Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Alabama goes to Cullman.
The best places to retire in Alabama are Cullman, Talladega, Gadsden, Fort Payne, Selma, Scottsboro, Leeds, Anniston, Athens, and Vestavia Hills.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
