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Excel vs Ranburne

186 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.6× in Ranburne) and kids under 18 (+13.3 pts in Excel).

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Excel, ALKnown for its schoolsAlabama · 524 people
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Ranburne, ALKnown for its schoolsAlabama · 556 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

ExcelKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 22%of AL districts All about Excel →
RanburneKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 77%of AL districts All about Ranburne →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker8.6×
Ranburne is more of a job hub
Ranburne 1.03Excel 0.12
Kids under 18+13.3 pts
Excel has more kids
Excel 30.9%Ranburne 17.6%
Property tax bill+37%
Tax bills are bigger in Ranburne
Ranburne $643Excel $469
Typical home built12 yrs
Ranburne’s homes are older
Excel 1986Ranburne 1974
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $550 more a month in Ranburne

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.

Excel$840/mo
Typical home $154K (Census) · tax rate 0.31% · or rent about $582/mo · Housing →
Ranburne$1,390/mo
Typical home $254K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.27% · or rent about $919/mo · Housing →

The difference: $550 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Ranburne and Excel.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
C−ExcelBetter than 22% of districts in the state A−RanburneBetter than 77% of districts in the state
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
ExcelRanburne
Snow a year0″1″
January low39°F32°F
July high92°F90°F
Growing season (days)270d222d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th66th
Outdoors & history
ExcelRanburne
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—2
Community
ExcelRanburne
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

186 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ExcelALRanburneAL
Excel ↔ Ranburne186 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.

ExcelRanburne
People
Population 524Lowest 556Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -23% AL: +5.1% —
Median age 38±18.9Lowest 3% below AL 41.8±6.9Highest 6% above AL
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 30.9%±8.4Highest AL: 22.2% 17.6%±3.1Lowest AL: 22.2%
Age 65+ 12.4%±6.7Lowest AL: 17.8% 22.5%±11.5Highest AL: 17.8%
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.8%Lowest AL: 28.4% 31.7%Highest AL: 28.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±2.3Lowest AL: 6.3% 5.2%±6.8Highest AL: 6.3%
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $57,375±$12kLowest 10% below AL $81,625±$25kHighest 28% above AL
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $153,600±$69kLowest 27% below AL $238,300±$53kHighest 14% above AL
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $582±$361Lowest 42% below AL $919±$78Highest 9% below AL
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $469Lowest 40% below AL $643Highest 18% below AL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 68.1%±89.5Highest AL: 48.8% 21.7%±44.2Lowest AL: 48.8%
Excel and Ranburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 27.5%Highest AL: 15.6% 3.6%Lowest AL: 15.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.1%Lowest AL: 70.2% 78.9%Highest AL: 70.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest same as AL 1974Lowest 12 yrs older than AL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 36 minHighest 39% above AL 32 minLowest 25% above AL
Work from home 0%±7.6Lowest AL: 8.8% 3.8%±4.6Highest AL: 8.8%
Ranburne and Excel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miLowest 27.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.12Lowest 1.03Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Monroeville (22%)Carrollton (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RanburneFew work in Excel
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 25.1Highest 22.3Lowest
Schools
School district —Cleburne County
High school in town —Ranburne High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 20.2
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.

Excel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Excel’s Town Square.

Ranburne neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ranburne’s Town Square.

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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.

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