Explore Jobs

Find Specific Jobs

Explore Careers

Explore Professions

Best Companies

Explore Companies

These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Alabama

By Chris Kolmar
Jun. 27, 2016

Find a Job You Really Want In

.street-view{width:100%;height:300px;pointer-events:none;}

Swipe left for slideshow. Article continues below.

What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something bigger–something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Alabama. And here they are:

  1. Mountain Brook
  2. Pike Road
  3. Chelsea
  4. Trussville
  5. Vestavia Hills
  6. Helena
  7. Spanish Fort
  8. Hoover
  9. Pelham
  10. Madison

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. There’s a method to this madness.

For more AL reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Alabama

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success is–money. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think there’s a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Mountain Brook

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 20,484Median Income: $130,259
Poverty Level: 2.5%
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%

2. Pike Road

Population: 6,605Median Income: $92,609
Poverty Level: 2.8%
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%

3. Chelsea

Population: 11,051Median Income: $85,106
Poverty Level: 5.4%
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%

4. Trussville

Population: 20,229Median Income: $86,518
Poverty Level: 3.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%

5. Vestavia Hills

Population: 34,061Median Income: $81,352
Poverty Level: 5.6%
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

6. Helena

Population: 16,752Median Income: $86,018
Poverty Level: 2.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%

7. Spanish Fort

Population: 7,357Median Income: $67,204
Poverty Level: 7.2%
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

8. Hoover

Population: 82,849Median Income: $76,469
Poverty Level: 5.9%
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%

9. Pelham

Population: 22,106Median Income: $68,197
Poverty Level: 5.2%
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%

10. Madison

Population: 44,866Median Income: $92,965
Poverty Level: 5.9%
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%

Measuring Success

If you’re still looking at this post thinking, “Surely, such superficial methods can’t possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that city’s success!” well, you’re probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Mountain Brook and our winners. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Alabama

Rank City Median Income Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate
1 Mountain Brook $130,259 2.5% 2.2%
2 Pike Road $92,609 2.8% 3.8%
3 Chelsea $85,106 5.4% 2.6%
4 Trussville $86,518 3.6% 5.5%
5 Vestavia Hills $81,352 5.6% 3.6%
6 Helena $86,018 2.6% 5.7%
7 Spanish Fort $67,204 7.2% 3.4%
8 Hoover $76,469 5.9% 5.7%
9 Pelham $68,197 5.2% 6.5%
10 Madison $92,965 5.9% 7.3%
11 Alabaster $70,173 9.4% 5.6%
12 Clay $67,630 3.9% 7.2%
13 Gardendale $56,852 6.0% 4.0%
14 Pleasant Grove $64,278 5.5% 6.8%
15 Southside $67,090 6.1% 6.7%
16 Satsuma $58,750 6.7% 5.5%
17 Millbrook $60,489 7.4% 5.6%
18 Moody $60,829 9.7% 5.1%
19 Calera $61,481 5.6% 7.6%
20 Homewood $62,431 13.3% 4.4%
21 Pinson $60,492 5.1% 8.6%
22 Fultondale $50,586 12.7% 3.2%
23 Fairhope $58,767 11.5% 5.9%
24 Daphne $61,986 9.6% 7.8%
25 Prattville $57,478 10.2% 7.3%
26 Northport $54,354 12.0% 6.8%
27 Orange Beach $57,750 9.5% 9.3%
28 Muscle Shoals $50,502 11.6% 6.9%
29 Robertsdale $46,545 10.7% 6.9%
30 Smiths Station $45,944 9.9% 7.6%
31 Saraland $53,646 11.0% 9.4%
32 Enterprise $51,692 15.8% 7.2%
33 Leeds $50,805 15.4% 8.5%
34 Lincoln $50,221 14.5% 9.1%
35 Hueytown $41,768 10.7% 8.8%
36 Athens $47,354 13.4% 9.9%
37 Hartselle $53,221 8.7% 13.5%
38 Rainbow City $46,548 15.6% 9.6%
39 Arab $41,788 13.1% 10.0%
40 Dothan $42,026 17.1% 8.6%
41 Oxford $50,934 11.1% 13.1%
42 Huntsville $49,060 16.7% 10.9%
43 Wetumpka $46,022 14.0% 11.3%
44 Opelika $39,506 21.1% 6.8%
45 Irondale $48,361 19.2% 9.9%
46 Cullman $37,995 20.7% 6.7%
47 Decatur $42,867 16.1% 10.4%
48 Oneonta $37,078 16.2% 9.0%
49 Albertville $36,210 20.5% 6.0%
50 Montgomery $43,535 21.5% 9.3%
51 Tallassee $37,219 14.7% 10.3%
52 Glencoe $48,831 13.5% 15.7%
53 Valley $36,901 17.9% 9.4%
54 Center Point $38,828 18.7% 10.0%
55 Ozark $38,392 19.2% 9.8%
56 Clanton $39,419 17.0% 11.0%
57 Foley $43,202 16.2% 12.7%
58 Scottsboro $36,470 15.9% 10.4%
59 Tuscaloosa $38,762 25.4% 8.8%
60 Tuscumbia $35,161 15.0% 11.5%
61 Pell City $40,961 19.7% 12.2%
62 Florence $35,632 26.4% 8.2%
63 Jasper $40,786 20.7% 11.7%
64 Midfield $37,935 18.4% 12.3%
65 Hamilton $32,292 19.2% 10.1%
66 Sheffield $35,100 23.9% 9.8%
67 Auburn $37,406 37.3% 8.2%
68 Guntersville $37,790 19.0% 12.5%
69 Mobile $39,241 21.2% 12.0%
70 Boaz $34,322 18.6% 11.6%
71 Phenix City $36,225 20.3% 11.5%
72 Roanoke $33,433 24.4% 9.6%
73 Gulf Shores $45,777 20.3% 16.4%
74 Eufaula $37,393 16.8% 15.7%
75 Fort Payne $34,689 20.2% 12.1%
76 Daleville $41,762 27.7% 12.4%
77 Montevallo $35,444 26.0% 11.4%
78 Demopolis $33,385 27.7% 10.2%
79 Bay Minette $29,353 26.2% 9.7%
80 Greenville $30,201 19.4% 12.4%
81 Andalusia $31,393 24.0% 11.9%
82 Fairfield $34,556 20.7% 14.4%
83 Alexander City $30,500 25.5% 11.1%
84 Opp $33,218 24.6% 13.1%
85 Brewton $30,502 21.1% 12.9%
86 Troy $32,015 34.8% 10.3%
87 Attalla $32,917 22.3% 16.4%
88 Jacksonville $38,192 37.2% 16.6%
89 Chickasaw $30,708 31.5% 12.3%
90 Sylacauga $31,587 29.1% 13.6%
91 Gadsden $27,922 27.3% 13.2%
92 Birmingham $31,217 27.7% 14.5%
93 Russellville $29,114 30.1% 12.4%
94 Bessemer $30,369 28.2% 14.2%
95 Talladega $30,307 23.5% 22.0%
96 Anniston $31,399 28.9% 16.3%
97 Jackson $29,764 28.6% 16.2%
98 Childersburg $28,227 27.5% 19.2%
99 Monroeville $32,429 31.2% 22.2%
100 Lanett $24,054 29.0% 16.1%
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Responsive Image

Related posts