Cottondale ranks #2 in Alabama for low property taxes
Cottondale is ranked on 28 lists against the 196 Alabama towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 2.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Cottondale marked.
Fewer kids than 99% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Cottondale’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Cottondale lands in the top half on 6 of 17 lists
Each dot is Cottondale’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Cottondale does best come first.
Cottondale out-ranks 0 of its 1 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.
Where Cottondale lands in every AL ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Brighton · 1.1 yrs
#45
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#92
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#2
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#68 Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#130
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#168
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#110
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#95
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#138
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#124
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#80 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#99 
People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#155
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#169
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#29
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#126
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#191 Schools
Best schools#1 Mountain Brook · +44.3 pts
#130
Highest graduation rate#1 Florence · 98%
#175 Climate
Snowiest#1 Fort Payne · 5.0 in
Least snow#1 Madison · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Gulf Shores · 44.0°
#71
Hottest summers#1 Prattville · 92.4°
#42
Coolest summers#1 Henagar · 85.9°
#162
Longest growing season#1 Mobile · 292 days
#65
Wettest#1 Loxley · 66 in
#129 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#20
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#150
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
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 Cottondale’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.