Should I Move To
Roughly 105,797 people live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 20% below the national average. Median rent runs about $980/mo; the typical household pulls in $47,257. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 49/100 — a D, putting it at #550 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.
By the composite index, Tuscaloosa sits at 80 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($980/mo against $47,257 median household income), housing eats roughly 25% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $228,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 90°F in summer, 37°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 57 inches. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality reads good (AQI 44).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Tuscaloosa is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (95/100); weakest on job market (12/100).
For retirees, Tuscaloosa is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (95/100); weakest on job market (12/100).
For remote workers, Tuscaloosa is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 66/100 (grade B-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (95/100); weakest on job market (12/100).
For young professionals, Tuscaloosa isn't the strongest match. It earns 44/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (95/100); weakest on job market (12/100).
Tuscaloosa, Alabama pulls a 49/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #550 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Tuscaloosa's cost-of-living index is 80 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 20% below the national average. Median rent runs about $980/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 90°F, winter averages around 37°F, with about 57 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 17/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Tuscaloosa has about 105,797 residents, 38% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 29.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa with other Alabama cities scored on UrbRank.
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