There are all types when it comes to being a snob in Alabama. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobs — as in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which Alabama cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in Alabama. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 101 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of Alabama.
The Alabamian in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
$201,479 median income · $1,028,341 median home · #1 income in Alabama
Located in
Jefferson County, Alabama
Mountain Brook is a town in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States and an upper-middle-class suburb of Birmingham. Its estimated 2015 population is 20,691. It is one of the state’s most affluent places.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,369 median income · $561,213 median home · #3 income in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Vestavia 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
$94,485 median income · $558,046 median home · #12 income in Alabama
Located in
Jefferson County, Alabama
Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain due south of the city center. Its estimated 2015 population is 25,708.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,655 median income · $374,497 median home · #2 income in Alabama
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
$109,253 median income · $437,228 median home · #7 income in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. The largest suburb around Birmingham, the population of the city was 84,848 as of the 2015 US Census estimate. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area and is also included in the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL Combined Statistical Area. Hoover-s neighborhoods and planned communities are located along the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,275 median income · $394,833 median home · #4 income in Alabama
Located in
St. Clair County, Alabama
Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its estimated 2015 population was 21,023.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,274 median income · $459,930 median home · #13 income in Alabama
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
$115,337 median income · $384,778 median home · #5 income in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,139 median income · $363,042 median home · #6 income in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Helena is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the state of Alabama. Helena is considered a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,793. Helena is highly regarded as a place to live and raise children; Business Week named Helena the 13th “Best Place to Raise Your Kids” in 2007. It has the eighth-lowest crime rate per population in the U.S., and the city was ranked in Money magazine’s 2007 list of “Best Places to Live: Top 100” in the U.S., placing at number 91. The Alabama League of Municipalities awarded Helena the 2008 Municipal Achievement Award.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,346 median income · $379,955 median home · #10 income in Alabama
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
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 the snobs live in Alabama
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Heart of Dixie
Do you think we’d just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in Alabama with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 101 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, it’s not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 101 places in each category with scores from one to 101. We then averaged each place’s ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in Alabama. So let’s all flip a table in honor of Mountain Brook (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, let’s remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
The full plate
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In Alabama For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snob Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Brook | 1.00 | 22,029 | $201,479 | $1,028,341 | 89.0% |
| 2 | Vestavia Hills | 3.00 | 38,616 | $134,369 | $561,213 | 65.0% |
| 3 | Homewood | 6.00 | 27,829 | $94,485 | $558,046 | 71.0% |
| 4 | Madison | 6.33 | 60,106 | $134,655 | $374,497 | 64.0% |
| 5 | Hoover | 6.67 | 92,642 | $109,253 | $437,228 | 62.0% |
| 6 | Trussville | 8.00 | 26,673 | $123,275 | $394,833 | 47.0% |
| 7 | Fairhope | 8.33 | 24,190 | $94,274 | $459,930 | 54.0% |
| 8 | Chelsea | 8.33 | 16,260 | $115,337 | $384,778 | 49.0% |
| 9 | Helena | 9.00 | 21,769 | $115,139 | $363,042 | 51.0% |
| 10 | Spanish Fort | 10.00 | 10,662 | $99,346 | $379,955 | 49.0% |
| 11 | Orange Beach | 10.00 | 8,407 | $97,736 | $678,809 | 40.0% |
| 12 | Pelham | 11.83 | 24,827 | $101,094 | $323,686 | 46.0% |
| 13 | Daphne | 14.33 | 29,453 | $87,250 | $326,736 | 43.0% |
| 14 | Alabaster | 16.67 | 33,917 | $91,357 | $303,750 | 40.0% |
| 15 | Gulf Shores | 16.83 | 16,401 | $78,188 | $450,266 | 39.0% |
| 16 | Springville | 17.00 | 5,081 | $84,231 | $321,266 | 40.0% |
| 17 | Auburn | 20.00 | 80,594 | $63,668 | $412,908 | 64.0% |
| 18 | Huntsville | 21.50 | 222,791 | $74,714 | $287,569 | 46.0% |
| 19 | Northport | 23.50 | 31,218 | $80,913 | $266,846 | 39.0% |
| 20 | Irondale | 23.67 | 13,464 | $72,343 | $289,627 | 42.0% |
| 21 | Calera | 24.50 | 17,714 | $87,194 | $254,701 | 37.0% |
| 22 | Prattville | 24.83 | 39,482 | $81,337 | $262,195 | 37.0% |
| 23 | Gardendale | 27.17 | 16,534 | $82,192 | $266,523 | 31.0% |
| 24 | Athens | 29.17 | 29,002 | $69,922 | $307,881 | 31.0% |
| 25 | Opelika | 29.33 | 32,820 | $65,004 | $304,313 | 36.0% |
| 26 | Moody | 29.50 | 13,488 | $86,627 | $259,875 | 30.0% |
| 27 | Guntersville | 29.67 | 8,916 | $67,929 | $301,985 | 33.0% |
| 28 | Satsuma | 31.33 | 6,822 | $101,042 | $237,699 | 28.0% |
| 29 | Headland | 32.67 | 5,217 | $79,063 | $224,992 | 34.0% |
| 30 | Hartselle | 36.33 | 15,847 | $76,290 | $246,208 | 28.0% |
| 31 | Southside | 37.50 | 9,483 | $76,487 | $269,901 | 23.0% |
| 32 | Cullman | 37.67 | 19,319 | $61,224 | $261,636 | 33.0% |
| 33 | Fultondale | 38.50 | 9,384 | $73,575 | $228,868 | 30.0% |
| 34 | Clay | 38.83 | 10,273 | $81,920 | $250,060 | 23.0% |
| 35 | Muscle Shoals | 39.33 | 16,951 | $75,894 | $260,072 | 24.0% |
| 36 | Rainsville | 39.33 | 5,702 | $74,046 | $227,373 | 29.0% |
| 37 | Millbrook | 39.83 | 17,189 | $70,313 | $218,705 | 31.0% |
| 38 | Foley | 40.00 | 24,026 | $66,336 | $301,570 | 24.0% |
| 39 | Leeds | 40.33 | 12,028 | $69,737 | $249,223 | 27.0% |
| 40 | Wetumpka | 43.00 | 7,437 | $57,763 | $278,368 | 27.0% |
| 41 | Montevallo | 44.67 | 7,556 | $56,626 | $248,376 | 30.0% |
| 42 | Smiths Station | 44.83 | 5,496 | $64,669 | $280,274 | 22.0% |
| 43 | Tuscaloosa | 45.50 | 111,038 | $51,464 | $228,947 | 39.0% |
| 44 | Pleasant Grove | 46.67 | 9,442 | $70,317 | $225,144 | 24.0% |
| 45 | Arab | 46.67 | 8,679 | $64,333 | $241,411 | 25.0% |
| 46 | Saraland | 47.83 | 16,404 | $61,509 | $233,993 | 26.0% |
| 47 | Oxford | 48.50 | 22,063 | $74,268 | $195,937 | 26.0% |
| 48 | Enterprise | 50.00 | 29,505 | $73,125 | $202,764 | 25.0% |
| 49 | Florence | 51.33 | 41,701 | $52,174 | $210,214 | 34.0% |
| 50 | Semmes | 51.33 | 5,626 | $66,417 | $238,190 | 19.0% |
| 51 | Jasper | 52.67 | 14,442 | $66,238 | $168,864 | 29.0% |
| 52 | Jacksonville | 53.50 | 14,437 | $51,814 | $211,263 | 31.0% |
| 53 | Glencoe | 53.50 | 5,353 | $68,517 | $207,535 | 23.0% |
| 54 | Troy | 54.17 | 17,716 | $50,717 | $181,784 | 39.0% |
| 55 | Decatur | 54.50 | 57,361 | $61,563 | $224,155 | 22.0% |
| 56 | Montgomery | 55.33 | 197,494 | $56,811 | $151,228 | 34.0% |
| 57 | Mobile | 55.50 | 203,416 | $53,558 | $194,564 | 31.0% |
| 58 | Dothan | 56.00 | 71,514 | $55,792 | $203,928 | 28.0% |
| 59 | Pinson | 56.17 | 7,832 | $76,410 | $216,703 | 14.0% |
| 60 | Tuscumbia | 56.50 | 9,115 | $59,143 | $196,275 | 26.0% |
| 61 | Lincoln | 57.67 | 7,305 | $57,145 | $229,657 | 19.0% |
| 62 | Oneonta | 58.00 | 6,971 | $53,980 | $213,540 | 25.0% |
| 63 | Robertsdale | 59.67 | 7,194 | $59,152 | $267,052 | 11.0% |
| 64 | Scottsboro | 60.50 | 15,712 | $53,929 | $213,721 | 23.0% |
| 65 | Albertville | 60.83 | 22,813 | $56,099 | $214,034 | 21.0% |
| 66 | Hueytown | 64.83 | 16,414 | $62,784 | $163,400 | 20.0% |
| 67 | Tallassee | 67.33 | 5,134 | $66,752 | $192,630 | 12.0% |
| 68 | Clanton | 68.67 | 8,958 | $47,520 | $217,129 | 18.0% |
| 69 | Birmingham | 68.83 | 198,173 | $46,051 | $135,870 | 31.0% |
| 70 | Brewton | 70.67 | 5,186 | $50,721 | $149,232 | 24.0% |
| 71 | Russellville | 71.33 | 10,799 | $58,231 | $178,141 | 15.0% |
| 72 | Center Point | 71.67 | 15,914 | $56,417 | $152,329 | 18.0% |
| 73 | Boaz | 73.17 | 10,814 | $49,846 | $209,918 | 16.0% |
| 74 | Hamilton | 73.17 | 6,922 | $54,871 | $172,641 | 16.0% |
| 75 | Valley | 73.83 | 10,277 | $51,661 | $177,525 | 17.0% |
| 76 | Fort Payne | 74.17 | 14,927 | $47,479 | $203,035 | 17.0% |
| 77 | Fairfield | 74.83 | 9,728 | $48,456 | $93,495 | 26.0% |
| 78 | Sylacauga | 75.00 | 12,309 | $50,017 | $166,281 | 18.0% |
| 79 | Demopolis | 75.00 | 6,908 | $34,802 | $152,101 | 27.0% |
| 80 | Andalusia | 75.83 | 8,766 | $42,611 | $170,025 | 21.0% |
| 81 | Anniston | 77.33 | 21,271 | $46,668 | $147,195 | 21.0% |
| 82 | Bay Minette | 77.50 | 8,295 | $44,523 | $212,243 | 14.0% |
| 83 | Ozark | 77.67 | 14,327 | $48,944 | $143,766 | 19.0% |
| 84 | Tuskegee | 78.33 | 8,938 | $38,000 | $91,299 | 29.0% |
| 85 | Attalla | 78.33 | 5,775 | $59,215 | $141,964 | 11.0% |
| 86 | Eufaula | 80.17 | 12,584 | $47,392 | $163,743 | 16.0% |
| 87 | Roanoke | 81.50 | 5,336 | $47,105 | $148,369 | 17.0% |
| 88 | Midfield | 83.50 | 5,045 | $52,755 | $82,421 | 16.0% |
| 89 | Sheffield | 86.67 | 9,340 | $39,733 | $133,841 | 18.0% |
| 90 | Monroeville | 88.00 | 5,802 | $32,513 | $139,433 | 18.0% |
| 91 | Talladega | 88.17 | 14,760 | $44,198 | $143,575 | 13.0% |
| 92 | Greenville | 88.50 | 7,163 | $40,822 | $116,098 | 17.0% |
| 93 | Selma | 89.50 | 17,057 | $33,197 | $79,209 | 20.0% |
| 94 | Atmore | 89.67 | 8,334 | $38,862 | $154,610 | 11.0% |
| 95 | Bessemer | 90.50 | 25,400 | $39,613 | $133,911 | 15.0% |
| 96 | Chickasaw | 90.50 | 6,332 | $46,559 | $107,053 | 13.0% |
| 97 | Gadsden | 91.50 | 33,374 | $40,345 | $114,158 | 15.0% |
| 98 | Lanett | 93.00 | 6,814 | $42,357 | $123,281 | 10.0% |
| 99 | Opp | 94.33 | 6,709 | $41,347 | $118,904 | 9.0% |
| 100 | Tarrant | 97.00 | 5,925 | $42,070 | $77,451 | 7.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 101 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in Alabama are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in Alabama are Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Madison, Hoover, Trussville, Fairhope, Chelsea, Helena, and Spanish Fort. Not sold on Alabama? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
