Clay ranks #47 in Alabama for household income
Clay is ranked on 32 lists against the 196 Alabama towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
The lists Clay does best on
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Clay marked.
Clay lands in the top half on 11 of 20 lists
Each dot is Clay’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Clay does best come first.
More kids than 90% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Clay’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Clay out-ranks 2 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every AL list, and where Clay lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#75
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#53
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#63
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#80
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#48
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#85
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#170 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#60
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#104 
People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#95
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#111
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#86
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#74
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#20 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#127
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#93
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#104
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
#52 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Brighton · 1.1 yrs
#125
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#185
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#160
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#180 Climate
Snowiest#1 Fort Payne · 5.0 in
Least snow#1 Madison · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Gulf Shores · 44.0°
#141
Hottest summers#1 Prattville · 92.4°
#173
Coolest summers#1 Henagar · 85.9°
#18
Longest growing season#1 Mobile · 292 days
#159
Wettest#1 Loxley · 66 in
#40 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Orange Beach · 14.7 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Mountain Brook · 19.9 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Orange Beach · 52.8 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Southside · 5.8
The number on the right is Clay’s spot. All of Alabama’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every AL list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.