Elba ranks #18 in Alabama for cheap rent
Elba 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 4.
More seniors than 97% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Elba’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Elba does best on
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Elba marked.
Elba lands in the top half on 5 of 21 lists
Each dot is Elba’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Elba does best come first.
1 spot from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Elba sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Elba 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
#20
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#18
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#23
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#175
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#168
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#170
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#171
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#165
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#51
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#26 
Safety
Safest#1 Southside · 5.8
#94 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#145 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#55
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#115
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#147
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#98
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#162 People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#172
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#180
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#17
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#6
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#160 
The number on the right is Elba’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.