Florence is #1 in Alabama for graduation rate
Florence is ranked on 35 lists against the 196 Alabama towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 7.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Florence marked.
More homes per newcomer than 100% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Florence’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Florence lands in the top half on 15 of 23 lists
Each dot is Florence’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Florence does best come first.
3 spots from the top 10 for affordable rent
Lists where Florence sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Florence out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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 Florence lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#9 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#20
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#21
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#10 People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#42
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#37
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#160
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#97
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#154 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Brighton · 1.1 yrs
#102
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#64
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#128
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
#13 Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#99
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#64
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#86
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#95
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#109
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#124
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#52 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#64
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#63
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#10
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
#73 
Safety
Safest#1 Southside · 5.8
#86 
The number on the right is Florence’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.