Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Alabama? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Alabama, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Alabama suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$134,655 median income · $374,497 median home price
Located in
Madison County, Alabama
Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the State of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest in the state, and is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 42,938. Madison is bordered by Huntsville on all sides.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,250 median income · $326,736 median home price
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 170 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery. The 2010 United States Census lists the population of the city as 21,570, making Daphne the most populous city in Baldwin County. It is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,274 median income · $459,930 median home price
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 15,326. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. In 2016, Fairhope was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,042 median income · $237,699 median home price
Located in
Mobile County, Alabama
Satsuma is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,687. Known prior to 1915 as Fig Tree Island, the city was named after the Satsuma orange, which was successfully cultivated and grown in Alabama starting in 1878, a gift from Emperor Meiji of Japan. Satsuma is a part of the Mobile metropolitan statistical area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,346 median income · $379,955 median home price
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Spanish Fort is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 6,798. It is a suburb of Mobile and is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$76,290 median income · $246,208 median home price
Located in
Morgan County, Alabama
Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about 10 miles south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area.
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 14,255. Hartselle was founded in 1870 with the arrival of the South and North Alabama Railroad. It takes its name from George Hartsell, one of the railroad’s owners. The post office opened in 1873. It was formally incorporated on March 1, 1875. Most of the oldest buildings were destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1916.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$83,816 median income · $231,398 median home price
$61,509 median income · $233,993 median home price
Located in
Mobile County, Alabama
Saraland is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Mobile. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 13,405. It is a part of the Mobile metropolitan area. Saraland is the third largest city in Mobile County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$59,152 median income · $267,052 median home price
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$69,922 median income · $307,881 median home price
Located in
Limestone County, Alabama
Athens 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
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 Alabama’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Heart of Dixie
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Alabama. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Alabama, we looked at every town with at least 2,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Alabama across these criteria from one to 20, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Alabama.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Alabama.
Read on to see why Madison is the ‘burb with the most, while Prichard is probably not the best place to live in Alabama.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Alabama
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison | 60,106 | $134,655 | $374,497 |
| 2 | Daphne | 29,453 | $87,250 | $326,736 |
| 3 | Fairhope | 24,190 | $94,274 | $459,930 |
| 4 | Satsuma | 6,822 | $101,042 | $237,699 |
| 5 | Spanish Fort | 10,662 | $99,346 | $379,955 |
| 6 | Hartselle | 15,847 | $76,290 | $246,208 |
| 7 | New Hope | 2,911 | $83,816 | $231,398 |
| 8 | Saraland | 16,404 | $61,509 | $233,993 |
| 9 | Robertsdale | 7,194 | $59,152 | $267,052 |
| 10 | Athens | 29,002 | $69,922 | $307,881 |
| 11 | Smiths Station | 5,496 | $64,669 | $280,274 |
| 12 | Decatur | 57,361 | $61,563 | $224,155 |
| 13 | Arab | 8,679 | $64,333 | $241,411 |
| 14 | Chickasaw | 6,332 | $46,559 | $107,053 |
| 15 | Valley | 10,277 | $51,661 | $177,525 |
| 16 | Bay Minette | 8,295 | $44,523 | $212,243 |
| 17 | Semmes | 5,626 | $66,417 | $238,190 |
| 18 | Citronelle | 3,913 | $43,870 | $169,360 |
| 19 | Lanett | 6,814 | $42,357 | $123,281 |
| 20 | Prichard | 18,961 | $36,588 | $57,932 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 20 Alabama suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Alabama
If you’re measuring the locations in Alabama where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Alabama are Madison, Daphne, Fairhope, Satsuma, Spanish Fort, Hartselle, New Hope, Saraland, Robertsdale, and Athens.
