Sheffield makes Alabama’s top 10 on 2 lists
Sheffield is ranked on 35 lists against the 196 Alabama towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 5.
Faster-rising prices than 100% of Alabama
Not better or worse, just Sheffield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Sheffield does best on
Each list ranks every AL town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Sheffield marked.
Sheffield lands in the top half on 10 of 23 lists
Each dot is Sheffield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AL, the right end is last. Areas where Sheffield does best come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for walkable streets
Lists where Sheffield sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Sheffield out-ranks 0 of its 2 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 Sheffield 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.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Pelham · 36.7%
#10
Most trails#1 Pelham · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#47
Most walkable#1 Brighton · 159 / sq mi
#4 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jackson · 14.1 min
#15 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Brighton · 1.1 yrs
#42
Cheapest rent#1 Eutaw · $442/mo
#68
Lowest property tax#1 Holt · $223/yr
#64
Rent easiest to afford#1 Muscle Shoals · 26.1%
#35 Health
Healthiest#1 Mountain Brook · 99 / 100
#163
Lowest obesity#1 Mountain Brook · 27%
#122
Fewest smokers#1 Mountain Brook · 7%
#170
Most active#1 Mountain Brook · 15%
#131
Fewest uninsured#1 Mountain Brook · 4%
#138
Lowest depression#1 Brighton · 20%
#166
Closest to a top hospital#1 Enterprise · 0.7 mi
#43 Safety
Safest#1 Southside · 5.8
#62 
People
Most educated#1 Mountain Brook · 88.6%
#125
Youngest#1 Livingston · 20.7
#173
Oldest#1 Centre · 59.3
#24
Most residents 65+#1 Centre · 38%
#14
Most kids#1 East Brewton · 38.3%
#169 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Orange Beach · 49.8%
#89
Most new homes#1 Triana · 47.2 per 1,000
#127
S
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sheffield · +87.7%
#1
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Chickasaw · 31.9 per home
#65 Schools
Best schools#1 Mountain Brook · +44.3 pts
#142
Highest graduation rate#1 Florence · 98%
#191 
The number on the right is Sheffield’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.