Should I Move To
Huntsville, Alabama comes in at about 215,025 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 12% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,020/mo, and the median household income is about $67,874. Overall, 55/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #319 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.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 88 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $1,020/mo and median household income at $67,874, housing takes about 18% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $236,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 91°F, winters around 35°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 54 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime rates land roughly average for a US city of this size. Air quality reads good (AQI 42).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
On the families profile, Huntsville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 65/100 (grade B-) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (84/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
On the retirees profile, Huntsville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 58/100 (grade C) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (84/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
On the remote workers profile, Huntsville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 63/100 (grade C+) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (84/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Huntsville is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 50/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (84/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Huntsville, Alabama pulls a 55/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #319 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Huntsville's cost-of-living index is 88 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 12% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,020/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 91°F, winter averages around 35°F, with about 54 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 8/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Huntsville has about 215,025 residents, 46% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 37.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Huntsville head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Huntsville stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
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 Huntsville with other Alabama cities scored on UrbRank.
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