Should I Move To
Auburn, Alabama comes in at about 76,660 residents. Cost of living comes out very affordable — 18% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $995/mo, and the median household income is about $55,509. Overall, 70/100 on our composite score, which works out to a B, putting it at #11 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 82 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very affordable territory. With median rent at $995/mo and median household income at $55,509, housing takes about 22% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $327,000.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 92°F, winters around 40°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 49 inches annually. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Crime numbers are reassuringly low here, well under the typical US city. AQI runs about 45 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
If you're profiling for families, Auburn comes out well. The profile-weighted score is 83/100 — a A-. Its standout dimension is affordability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (50/100).
If you're profiling for retirees, Auburn comes out well. The profile-weighted score is 76/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is affordability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (50/100).
If you're profiling for remote workers, Auburn comes out well. The profile-weighted score is 79/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is affordability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (50/100).
On the young professionals profile, Auburn sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 66/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (94/100); the soft spot is job market (50/100).
Our overall score for Auburn is 70/100 — a B, sitting at #11 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Auburn sits at 82 — very affordable, 18% below the national average. Median renter pays around $995 a month.
Auburn runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 92°F, winter's near 40°F; 49 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 51/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 76,660 people live here, with 62% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 26.
Drop Auburn into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Auburn with other Alabama cities scored on UrbRank.
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