County housing intelligence
Alabama Housing Market by County
Alabama is not one housing market. Across 67 counties, the median county home value is $156,600 and the median county rent is $776/mo. The useful question is not whether Alabama is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.
County median home value
$156,600
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$776/mo
Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.
Counties compared
67
Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.
Fast answers
Start with the housing question.
Market brief
The state-level housing signal
These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.
Purchase price
State county median vs national benchmark
Rent
State county median vs national benchmark
Owner cost
State county median vs national benchmark
Income base
State county median vs national benchmark
Tax rate
State county median vs national benchmark
The Alabama Pattern
These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.
Price geography
Shelby County, Baldwin County, Madison County sit at the top of the purchase market, while Greene County, Bullock County, Sumter County anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Shelby County, Baldwin County, Autauga County lead on rent, while Greene County, Choctaw County, Lamar County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Coosa County, Marion County, Winston County screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.
Best Counties by Housing Goal
Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.
Cheapest to buy
Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.
- 1. Greene County
$81,200
- 2. Bullock County
$81,700
- 3. Sumter County
$82,600
- 4. Lowndes County
$86,300
- 5. Perry County
$86,400
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Coosa County
2.0x home-value-to-income
- 2. Marion County
2.1x home-value-to-income
- 3. Winston County
2.1x home-value-to-income
- 4. Butler County
2.2x home-value-to-income
- 5. Crenshaw County
2.3x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Greene County
$432/mo
- 2. Choctaw County
$543/mo
- 3. Lamar County
$549/mo
- 4. Bullock County
$556/mo
- 5. Perry County
$592/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Washington County
20.6% rent burden
- 2. Chilton County
22.5% rent burden
- 3. Franklin County
22.8% rent burden
- 4. Fayette County
23.0% rent burden
- 5. Choctaw County
23.7% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Choctaw County
0.17% effective tax rate
- 2. Bibb County
0.20% effective tax rate
- 3. Clay County
0.21% effective tax rate
- 4. Washington County
0.23% effective tax rate
- 5. Lamar County
0.24% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Conecuh County
$340/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. Chambers County
$279/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Dale County
$256/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Autauga County
$250/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Escambia County
$242/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. Shelby County
$97,961 income, 3.3x value-to-income
- 2. Coosa County
$57,355 income, 2.0x value-to-income
- 3. Winston County
$57,256 income, 2.1x value-to-income
- 4. Elmore County
$78,243 income, 2.9x value-to-income
- 5. St. Clair County
$77,463 income, 2.9x value-to-income
Tradeoffs to Check
The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.
| Signal | County | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap price, weaker income base | Greene County $81,200 home value, $29,200 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | Greene County $81,200 home value, 0.55% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Dallas County $733/mo rent, 39.10% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Shelby County $326,100 home value, $97,961 income | Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation. |
Lowest home values
Best value-to-income
Compare Every Alabama County
Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Income | Value/Income | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coosa County | $115,500 | $665/mo | $57,355 | 2.0x | 0.27% |
| Marion County | $106,600 | $630/mo | $50,088 | 2.1x | 0.28% |
| Winston County | $118,900 | $803/mo | $57,256 | 2.1x | 0.32% |
| Butler County | $99,800 | $725/mo | $44,755 | 2.2x | 0.36% |
| Crenshaw County | $114,000 | $661/mo | $48,560 | 2.3x | 0.32% |
| Lamar County | $114,000 | $549/mo | $50,000 | 2.3x | 0.24% |
| Lowndes County | $86,300 | $710/mo | $37,052 | 2.3x | 0.39% |
| Macon County | $102,000 | $734/mo | $43,707 | 2.3x | 0.50% |
| Perry County | $86,400 | $592/mo | $37,654 | 2.3x | 0.33% |
| Walker County | $135,900 | $756/mo | $56,509 | 2.4x | 0.26% |
| Wilcox County | $98,800 | $745/mo | $40,640 | 2.4x | 0.32% |
| Barbour County | $112,900 | $688/mo | $46,042 | 2.5x | 0.41% |
| Chilton County | $161,300 | $871/mo | $65,603 | 2.5x | 0.33% |
| Clarke County | $121,700 | $782/mo | $49,249 | 2.5x | 0.33% |
| Conecuh County | $105,300 | $834/mo | $41,327 | 2.5x | 0.31% |
| Fayette County | $125,900 | $667/mo | $49,488 | 2.5x | 0.28% |
| Franklin County | $136,000 | $676/mo | $53,338 | 2.5x | 0.32% |
| Geneva County | $130,700 | $784/mo | $52,771 | 2.5x | 0.34% |
| Marengo County | $107,400 | $716/mo | $43,825 | 2.5x | 0.38% |
| Sumter County | $82,600 | $775/mo | $33,310 | 2.5x | 0.43% |
| Bullock County | $81,700 | $556/mo | $31,310 | 2.6x | 0.41% |
| Choctaw County | $123,400 | $543/mo | $47,813 | 2.6x | 0.17% |
| Dale County | $143,500 | $889/mo | $54,963 | 2.6x | 0.32% |
| Lawrence County | $172,300 | $753/mo | $66,071 | 2.6x | 0.29% |
| Talladega County | $149,200 | $785/mo | $57,776 | 2.6x | 0.36% |
| Washington County | $159,700 | $655/mo | $61,042 | 2.6x | 0.23% |
| Blount County | $175,200 | $776/mo | $64,190 | 2.7x | 0.30% |
| Chambers County | $135,800 | $871/mo | $49,656 | 2.7x | 0.39% |
| Dallas County | $94,600 | $733/mo | $35,627 | 2.7x | 0.41% |
| Henry County | $161,000 | $769/mo | $59,931 | 2.7x | 0.34% |
| Pickens County | $123,900 | $648/mo | $46,274 | 2.7x | 0.29% |
| Tallapoosa County | $158,500 | $765/mo | $59,356 | 2.7x | 0.30% |
| Bibb County | $145,700 | $733/mo | $52,541 | 2.8x | 0.20% |
| Calhoun County | $156,600 | $826/mo | $55,029 | 2.8x | 0.42% |
| Clay County | $156,700 | $619/mo | $55,250 | 2.8x | 0.21% |
| Coffee County | $188,600 | $1,018/mo | $68,353 | 2.8x | 0.36% |
| Colbert County | $171,000 | $887/mo | $60,628 | 2.8x | 0.40% |
| Escambia County | $136,500 | $766/mo | $48,225 | 2.8x | 0.39% |
| Greene County | $81,200 | $432/mo | $29,200 | 2.8x | 0.55% |
| Autauga County | $207,200 | $1,263/mo | $72,481 | 2.9x | 0.30% |
| Covington County | $152,100 | $746/mo | $52,456 | 2.9x | 0.26% |
| Elmore County | $223,900 | $1,071/mo | $78,243 | 2.9x | 0.27% |
| Monroe County | $120,600 | $666/mo | $42,292 | 2.9x | 0.32% |
| Montgomery County | $171,900 | $1,092/mo | $59,386 | 2.9x | 0.41% |
| St. Clair County | $226,300 | $1,084/mo | $77,463 | 2.9x | 0.32% |
| Cleburne County | $165,600 | $798/mo | $55,345 | 3.0x | 0.29% |
| DeKalb County | $152,700 | $693/mo | $51,204 | 3.0x | 0.32% |
| Etowah County | $167,100 | $847/mo | $54,563 | 3.1x | 0.39% |
| Houston County | $183,300 | $945/mo | $58,626 | 3.1x | 0.31% |
| Jackson County | $159,500 | $780/mo | $51,908 | 3.1x | 0.30% |
| Morgan County | $212,000 | $864/mo | $68,845 | 3.1x | 0.34% |
| Cullman County | $199,100 | $908/mo | $62,656 | 3.2x | 0.26% |
| Lauderdale County | $200,300 | $838/mo | $62,649 | 3.2x | 0.38% |
| Marshall County | $201,500 | $795/mo | $62,571 | 3.2x | 0.36% |
| Mobile County | $190,700 | $1,052/mo | $58,880 | 3.2x | 0.47% |
| Pike County | $157,600 | $856/mo | $48,677 | 3.2x | 0.27% |
| Russell County | $165,700 | $939/mo | $51,197 | 3.2x | 0.38% |
| Cherokee County | $179,700 | $762/mo | $53,863 | 3.3x | 0.38% |
| Hale County | $127,600 | $715/mo | $39,250 | 3.3x | 0.32% |
| Shelby County | $326,100 | $1,401/mo | $97,961 | 3.3x | 0.44% |
| Limestone County | $281,000 | $970/mo | $83,629 | 3.4x | 0.32% |
| Madison County | $299,200 | $1,209/mo | $86,499 | 3.5x | 0.40% |
| Randolph County | $181,600 | $708/mo | $52,338 | 3.5x | 0.25% |
| Jefferson County | $240,000 | $1,193/mo | $66,388 | 3.6x | 0.59% |
| Tuscaloosa County | $248,700 | $1,037/mo | $66,231 | 3.8x | 0.32% |
| Baldwin County | $316,900 | $1,277/mo | $78,775 | 4.0x | 0.30% |
| Lee County | $262,200 | $1,058/mo | $65,824 | 4.0x | 0.48% |
Questions This Page Answers
Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.
What is the typical home value in Alabama by county?
What is the typical rent in Alabama by county?
Which Alabama counties are most affordable to buy in?
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.