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Place dossier plate
SheetAL-FAIRHOPE-AL · Fairhope, AL 23,360 pop · income 68th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fairhope
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fairhope on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Maple Heights · lowest
52,823
Maple Heights · lowest
52,823 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #1
Orange Blossom · near
86,500
Orange Blossom · near
86,500 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #2
Fruitville · near
86,500
Fruitville · near
86,500 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #3
Montgomery · near
86,500
Montgomery · near
86,500 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #4
Fairhope · this city
86,509
Fairhope · this city
86,509 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #5
Caledonia · near
86,513
Caledonia · near
86,513 median HH income
45.3% of the leader · rank #6
Mountain Brook · highest
191,128
Mountain Brook · highest
191,128 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fairhope on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 23,360.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fairhope - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Fairhope places in the 68th percentile for household income and the 54th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
68th
percentile, household income
78th
percentile, home value
1st
percentile, median rent
54th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fairhope, AL
23,360 people live in Fairhope, Alabama - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Fairhope households earn a median of $86,509 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.5%. Typical homes in Fairhope are valued around $406,500, and the median resident age is 47.1 years. 53.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 162 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 64% from five years earlier. Fairhope reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1260.6 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 66.0°F with 65.8 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in Alabama run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Alabama at 88.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $936 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Alabama run around $245, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Fairhope report an average commute of 20.2 minutes, with 80.9% driving alone and 13.6% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 61.5 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fairhope's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to housing and income to reported crime to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fairhope, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Fairhope growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +3,541 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +15.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 162 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 66.0°F, with 65.8 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Alabama is 61.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
What does the journey to work look like in Fairhope?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 20.2 minutes.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fairhope?
Within Alabama, the closest population matches are Albertville (22,584 residents, $57,103 income); Foley (22,330 residents, $67,346 income); Pelham (24,510 residents, $91,904 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Maple Heights, OH (23,350 residents); Glassboro, NJ (23,375 residents); Watauga, TX (23,336 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Fairhope?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$86,509
Home value
$406,500
Value / income
4.7×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fairhope?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1260.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 45% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1152.0
Violent rate
108.6
Total reported rate
1260.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 53.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
5
Bachelor's degree+
53.4%
Poverty estimate
6.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 6.5% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.8 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Alabama average
B
City profile score · Fairhope, AL
73/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
88.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share A
53.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B-
109 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income B-
$86,509
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C
6.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Fairhope profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 90/100 (A+) · 88.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 87/100 (A) · 53.4%
Violent crime: 69/100 (B-) · 109 /100k
Household income: 66/100 (B-) · $86,509
Poverty rate: 56/100 (C) · 6.5%
Where Fairhope sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fairhope's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fairhope highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Fairhope, AL (this city): home $406,500, crime 1,261/100k
Glassboro, NJ : home $276,900, crime 1,230/100k
Watauga, TX : home $233,400, crime 968/100k
Pottstown, PA : home $172,300, crime 3,842/100k
Albertville, AL : home $158,900, crime 1,996/100k
Foley, AL : home $260,100, crime 1,722/100k
Pelham, AL : home $278,900, crime 893/100k
Mountain Brook, AL : home $891,300, crime 838/100k
Oxford, AL : home $164,700, crime 2,804/100k
Helena, AL : home $292,700, crime 507/100k
How does Fairhope compare to other US cities?
Fairhope measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income68% higher than other cities
Home value78% pricier than other cities
Median rent1% pricier than other cities
Safety54% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Alabama, Fairhope ranks #70 of 222 Alabama cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fairhope against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Alabama only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Alabama-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fairhope near the bottom of Alabama's cities
Among the 556 Alabama cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fairhope ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fairhope only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#58 of 530
89th percentile in Alabama
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 556
0th percentile in Alabama
Median Home Value
#11 of 517
98th percentile in Alabama
Poverty Rate
#401 of 556
28th percentile in Alabama
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#20 of 556
96th percentile in Alabama
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Alabama only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
68th percentile nationally for median household income · 54th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fairhope's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fairhope's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fairhope's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$406,50022nd percentilemore affordable than 22% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fairhope's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,379 of 15,516
More affordable than 20% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,464 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.7×, Fairhope sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,379 of 15,516 and #2,464 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$86,509Fairhope, AL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fairhope, AL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fairhope, AL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)53.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
23,360
Median Income
$86,509
Median Home Value
$406,500
Median Age
47.1
Poverty Rate
6.5%
Labor force participation
52.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
53.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1260.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
108.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1152.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
66.0°F
Annual Precipitation
65.8"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fairhope's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
23,084 residents
2021
23,695 residents
2022
24,277 residents
2023
25,432 residents
2024
26,437 residents
2025
26,625 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
162
housing units authorized
Single-Family
162
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
448
404
44
$128.2M
2020
308
306
2
$117.1M
2021
288
288
0
$131.1M
2022
519
259
260
$150.6M
2023
536
296
240
$156.1M
2024
162
162
0
$86.4M
Permit volume decreased 64% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
20.2 minutes
Drive Alone
80.9%
Carpool
3.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
13.6%
Other
1.3%
Based on 9,568 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Alabama statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $245
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Alabama at $245 (electricity about $138 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Alabama statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fairhope. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Alabama's BEA cost-of-living index is 88.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fairhope is $936/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Alabama statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 61.5 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Alabama statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fairhope sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fairhope compares to similar-size Alabama cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.