Ozark ranks #28 in Alabama for cheap rent
Ozark is ranked on 34 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 Ozark does best on
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ozark marked.
Ozark lands in the top half on 7 of 22 lists
Each dot is Ozark’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Ozark does best come first.
Longer growing season than 88% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Ozark’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Ozark sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Ozark 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
#56
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#28
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#51
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
#37 Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#174
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#161
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#170
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#161
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#138
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#85
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#28 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#71 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#113
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#92
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#114 People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#126
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#153
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#43
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#37
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#109 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#106
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#109
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#126
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
Climate
Snowiest#1 Fort Payne · 5.0 in
Least snow#1 Madison · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Gulf Shores · 44.0°
#31
Hottest summers#1 Prattville · 92.4°
#31
Coolest summers#1 Henagar · 85.9°
#151
Longest growing season#1 Mobile · 292 days
#25
Wettest#1 Loxley · 66 in
#100 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 Ozark’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.