A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Arab$1,350/mo

Typical home $244K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.36% · or rent about $718/mo · Housing →

Jasper$1,130/mo

Typical home $204K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.34% · or rent about $721/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Arab and Jasper.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Arab places higher on 14 of 24 AL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Alabama ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

DArabSafer than 13% of U.S. towns DJasperSafer than 7% of U.S. towns

Schools

AArabBetter than 94% of districts in the state A−JasperBetter than 75% of districts in the state

Health

CArabHealthier than 30% of U.S. towns CJasperHealthier than 29% of U.S. towns

14Arab

9Jasper

Lists won, of 24 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 196 towns #189#60 Most remote workersWork · 193 towns #70#152 Highest graduation rateSchools · 193 towns #2#71 Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 71 towns #27#43 Lowest depressionHealth · 196 towns #166#124 Most library borrowingLibraries · 71 towns #31#46 Best schoolsSchools · 180 towns #14#50 Shortest commuteGetting around · 195 towns #166#132

Left end = #1 in Alabama. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Arab’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

ArabJasper

Snow a year1″1″

January low33°F 31°F

July high89°F 90°F

Growing season (days)244d 220d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)36th 70th

Outdoors & history

ArabJasper

Trails0 mi 2 mi

Conserved land1.2%1.2%

Settled1882 1815

National Register places—5

Archive photos6 30

Famous people born here2 19

Community

ArabJasper

Library hours a week40 hrs 41 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

55 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ArabAL JasperAL

Arab ↔ Jasper55 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Alabama average

ArabJasper

People

Population 8,679Lowest 14,442Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.1%Highest AL: +5.1% +1.5%Lowest AL: +5.1%

Median age 35.9±1.8Highest 9% below AL 35.7±2.8Lowest 9% below AL

Arab and Jasper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 27%±2.4Highest AL: 22.2% 25.7%±3.3Lowest AL: 22.2%

Arab and Jasper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.5%±1.2Lowest AL: 17.8% 20.8%±2.9Highest AL: 17.8%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.9%Lowest AL: 28.4% 28.2%Highest AL: 28.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±0.8Highest AL: 6.3% 3.5%±1.3Lowest AL: 6.3%

Arab and Jasper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $64,333±$5kLowest about the AL average $66,238±$10kHighest 3% above AL

Jasper and Arab are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $215,200±$8kLowest about the AL average $215,700±$18kHighest about the AL average

Jasper and Arab are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $718±$37Lowest 29% below AL $721±$142Highest 28% below AL

Jasper and Arab are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $768Highest about the AL average $742Lowest 6% below AL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.8%±6Highest AL: 48.8% 31.4%±8Lowest AL: 48.8%

Arab and Jasper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 13.3%Lowest AL: 15.6% 15.9%Highest AL: 15.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70%Highest AL: 70.2% 66.4%Lowest AL: 70.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 7 yrs older than AL 1977Lowest 9 yrs older than AL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 15% above AL 27 minLowest 5% above AL

Work from home 8.2%±2.4Highest AL: 8.8% 3.4%±1.8Lowest AL: 8.8%

Work in townworking residents 17.2%Lowest 27.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.3 miLowest 33.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.04Lowest 1.53Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Huntsville (25%)Birmingham (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JasperFew work in Arab

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.2% 1.2%

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 1.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 5Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.0Highest 33.8Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #14 of 180 in AL #50 of 180 in AL

School district Arab CityJasper City · Walker County

High school in town Arab High SchoolJasper High School

Students per teacherat that high school 14.8Lowest 16.0Highest

Alabama average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Arab neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Arab’s Town Square.

Jasper neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jasper’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Arab

+ Compare

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Tuscumbia9,115 people · $197K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Arab vs Jasper

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Arab

Arab places higher on 14 of 24 AL lists

What daily life feels like in each

55 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Arab and Jasper

Towns like Arab

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