Madison makes Alabama’s top 10 on 9 lists
Madison is ranked on 37 lists against the 196 Alabama towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 9 and the top quarter on 17.
The lists Madison does best on
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
1 spot from the top 3 for fewest smokers
Lists where Madison sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Madison lands in the top half on 19 of 23 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
More kids than 89% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Madison 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#11
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#38
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#4
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#5
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#6
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#6
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#137 People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#7
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#64
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#132
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#164
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#22 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#77
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#13
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#41
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
#24 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#25 Safety
Safest#1 Southside · 5.8
#26 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#54
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#41
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#21 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Brighton · 1.1 yrs
#184
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#165
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#189
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
#9 
The number on the right is Madison’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.