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Compare towns

Hytop vs Steele

66 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (6.6× in Steele) and property tax bill (+49% in Hytop).

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Hytop, ALA small town of 726Alabama · 726 people
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Steele, ALA regional job hubAlabama · 1,149 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.

HytopA small town of 726
Quiet strengthsHytop doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Hytop →
SteeleA regional job hub
Work746 jobsbased in Steele, a regional job hub All about Steele →
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 worker6.6×
Steele is more of a job hub
Steele 1.98Hytop 0.30
Property tax bill+49%
Tax bills are bigger in Hytop
Hytop $483Steele $325
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Steele

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.

Hytop$800/mo
Typical home $145K (Census) · tax rate 0.33% · or rent about $733/mo · Housing →
Steele$1,210/mo
Typical home $220K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.30% · or rent about $739/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Steele and Hytop.

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
–HytopNot graded BSteeleBetter than 60% of districts in the state
Health
–HytopNot graded C+SteeleHealthier than 43% of U.S. towns
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
HytopSteele
Snow a year1″2″
January low29°F—
July high89°F—
Growing season (days)209d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)63rd66th
Outdoors & history
HytopSteele
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land3.2%—
Settled—1952
Archive photos42
Community
HytopSteele
Library hours a week—30 hrs
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

66 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HytopALSteeleAL
Hytop ↔ Steele66 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.

HytopSteele
People
Population 726Lowest 1,149Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -4.9% AL: +5.1%
Median age 30±7.7Lowest 24% below AL 32.5±7.3Highest 17% below AL
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.3%±3.1Lowest AL: 22.2% 31.3%±5.4Highest AL: 22.2%
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.9%±3.6Lowest AL: 17.8% 13.1%±1.2Highest AL: 17.8%
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.4%Highest AL: 28.4% 8.7%Lowest AL: 28.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±1.5Lowest AL: 6.3% 6.6%±5.9Highest AL: 6.3%
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,458±$31kLowest 4% above AL $72,386±$19kHighest 13% above AL
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $144,800±$56kHighest 31% below AL $107,100±$70kLowest 49% below AL
Hytop and Steele are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $733±$57Lowest 27% below AL $739±$509Highest 27% below AL
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $483Highest 39% below AL $325Lowest 59% below AL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.8%±81.6Lowest AL: 48.8% 52.4%±51.5Highest AL: 48.8%
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.7%Highest AL: 15.6% 7%Lowest AL: 15.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 87.3%Lowest AL: 70.2% 89.5%Highest AL: 70.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Highest 1 yr older than AL 1980Lowest 6 yrs older than AL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 35 minLowest 38% above AL 37 minHighest 46% above AL
Work from home 4.3%±3.5Lowest AL: 8.8% 7.3%±9Highest AL: 8.8%
Steele and Hytop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 4.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.8 miLowest 36.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Lowest 1.98Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Scottsboro (25%)Birmingham (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SteeleFew work in Hytop
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 9.9Lowest 12.5Highest
Schools
School district —St Clair County
High school in town —None in town
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.

Hytop neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hytop’s Town Square.

Steele neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Steele’s Town Square.

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Towns like Hytop

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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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