You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Alabama.
The median household income in Shelby County, the richest county in Alabama is $97,961, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 67 counties in the Heart of Dixie. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Alabama? The richest county in Alabama is Shelby County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Sumter County, according to the Census data.
$97,961 median income · $359,370 median home price
$78,775 median income · $369,803 median home price
$86,499 median income · $311,719 median home price
$83,629 median income · $319,480 median home price
$78,243 median income · $269,858 median home price
$72,481 median income · $260,499 median home price
$65,824 median income · $344,151 median home price
$77,463 median income · $254,927 median home price
$68,845 median income · $234,072 median home price
$62,656 median income · $255,134 median home price
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 richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Alabama county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Alabama, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Alabama for each of the criteria from one to 67, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Alabama.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Heart of Dixie.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Alabama. The median Alabama home is 39 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Alabama
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | 230,211 | $97,961 | $359,370 |
| 2 | Baldwin County | 246,989 | $78,775 | $369,803 |
| 3 | Madison County | 405,718 | $86,499 | $311,719 |
| 3 | Limestone County | 111,233 | $83,629 | $319,480 |
| 5 | Elmore County | 89,526 | $78,243 | $269,858 |
| 6 | Autauga County | 59,947 | $72,481 | $260,499 |
| 7 | Lee County | 181,134 | $65,824 | $344,151 |
| 7 | St. Clair County | 94,166 | $77,463 | $254,927 |
| 9 | Morgan County | 124,471 | $68,845 | $234,072 |
| 10 | Cullman County | 90,566 | $62,656 | $255,134 |
| 11 | Tuscaloosa County | 237,552 | $66,231 | $229,616 |
| 12 | Blount County | 59,518 | $64,190 | $230,362 |
| 13 | Marshall County | 99,748 | $62,571 | $241,702 |
| 15 | Lawrence County | 33,276 | $66,071 | $223,086 |
| 15 | Jefferson County | 667,755 | $66,388 | $215,144 |
| 15 | Tallapoosa County | 40,938 | $59,356 | $269,000 |
| 17 | Chilton County | 45,992 | $65,603 | $217,253 |
| 18 | Lauderdale County | 95,830 | $62,649 | $223,857 |
| 19 | Cleburne County | 15,426 | $55,345 | $230,137 |
| 20 | Colbert County | 58,022 | $60,628 | $197,333 |
| 20 | Coffee County | 54,920 | $68,353 | $175,288 |
| 22 | Houston County | 108,140 | $58,626 | $200,765 |
| 23 | Henry County | 17,647 | $59,931 | $190,852 |
| 25 | Cherokee County | 25,443 | $53,863 | $225,416 |
| 25 | Winston County | 23,682 | $57,256 | $202,083 |
| 25 | Mobile County | 412,590 | $58,880 | $194,293 |
| 27 | Talladega County | 81,021 | $57,776 | $181,265 |
| 28 | Washington County | 15,143 | $61,042 | $169,325 |
| 29 | Bibb County | 22,130 | $52,541 | $214,089 |
| 29 | Coosa County | 10,300 | $57,355 | $180,903 |
| 31 | Clay County | 14,192 | $55,250 | $181,444 |
| 32 | Randolph County | 22,510 | $52,338 | $205,008 |
| 33 | Montgomery County | 226,718 | $59,386 | $164,623 |
| 34 | Etowah County | 103,105 | $54,563 | $180,673 |
| 35 | Russell County | 58,811 | $51,197 | $196,108 |
| 35 | Jackson County | 53,053 | $51,908 | $191,415 |
| 37 | Calhoun County | 116,090 | $55,029 | $171,219 |
| 37 | Franklin County | 31,966 | $53,338 | $176,949 |
| 39 | Dale County | 49,599 | $54,963 | $159,481 |
| 40 | DeKalb County | 72,269 | $51,204 | $172,017 |
| 40 | Geneva County | 26,887 | $52,771 | $162,101 |
| 42 | Covington County | 37,628 | $52,456 | $156,569 |
| 43 | Marion County | 29,184 | $50,088 | $159,893 |
| 44 | Walker County | 64,841 | $56,509 | $131,100 |
| 45 | Pike County | 32,987 | $48,677 | $164,687 |
| 46 | Fayette County | 16,053 | $49,488 | $145,035 |
| 47 | Hale County | 14,829 | $39,250 | $176,171 |
| 48 | Chambers County | 34,192 | $49,656 | $141,428 |
| 49 | Barbour County | 24,643 | $46,042 | $148,560 |
| 50 | Escambia County | 36,629 | $48,225 | $142,992 |
| 51 | Pickens County | 18,721 | $46,274 | $143,708 |
| 51 | Lamar County | 13,693 | $50,000 | $133,416 |
| 53 | Crenshaw County | 13,122 | $48,560 | $138,753 |
| 54 | Clarke County | 22,543 | $49,249 | $136,491 |
| 55 | Marengo County | 18,851 | $43,825 | $138,311 |
| 56 | Lowndes County | 9,833 | $37,052 | $143,774 |
| 57 | Wilcox County | 10,172 | $40,640 | $140,996 |
| 58 | Monroe County | 19,388 | $42,292 | $137,223 |
| 58 | Choctaw County | 12,380 | $47,813 | $128,421 |
| 60 | Macon County | 18,691 | $43,707 | $128,356 |
| 61 | Butler County | 18,630 | $44,755 | $113,980 |
| 62 | Perry County | 8,031 | $37,654 | $128,590 |
| 62 | Conecuh County | 11,275 | $41,327 | $126,368 |
| 64 | Greene County | 7,424 | $29,200 | $132,681 |
| 65 | Bullock County | 10,058 | $31,310 | $125,153 |
| 66 | Dallas County | 36,858 | $35,627 | $89,767 |
| 66 | Sumter County | 11,878 | $33,310 | $102,029 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 67 Alabama counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Alabama For 2026
Living in Alabama can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Alabama are Shelby County, Baldwin County, Madison County, Limestone County, Elmore County, Autauga County, Lee County, St. Clair County, Morgan County, and Cullman County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Alabama? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Alabama FAQs
What is the richest county in Alabama?
Shelby County is the richest county in Alabama for 2026, with a median household income of $97,961. Baldwin County and Madison County are next.
What are the richest counties in Alabama?
The richest counties in Alabama are Shelby County, Baldwin County, Madison County, Limestone County, Elmore County, Autauga County, Lee County, St. Clair County, Morgan County, and Cullman County. We ranked all 67 Alabama counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Shelby County?
The median household in Shelby County earns $97,961 a year, against a Alabama statewide median of $63,999. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Alabama?
The median home across the ten richest Alabama counties is $290,788, versus $236,453 statewide. In Shelby County, the typical home runs $359,370.
What is the poorest county in Alabama?
Sumter County is the poorest county in Alabama by this ranking, coming in last of the 67 counties we scored on income and home prices.
