How much do households in Alabama spend on rent?
Data updated September 16, 2024
In 2022, the median monthly rent in Alabama was about $913, which accounted for 32.1% of renters' income. This figure is determined by comparing the median rent to the median monthly income for renting households.
Showing data for
In 2022, median rent was
32.1%
of median income
In 2022,
$913
was the median rent per month
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates it’s more affordable.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of average monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.
Alabama's rent-to-income ratio was higher than in the US overall in 2022.
Ratio of median rent to median renter household income
Subscribe to get unbiased, data-driven insights sent to your inbox weekly.
The national rent-to-income ratio reached a high of 33.8% in 2011 following the Great Recession. In Alabama, the rent-to-income ratio reached 35.3% that year. Most recently, in 2022, Alabama’s rent-to-income ratio was 32.1%, 0.4 percentage points higher than the national rate.
Across metro areas, the average rent-to-income ratio was 30.8% in 2018–2022.
Ratio of median rent to median renter household income, 2018–2022
In 2018–2022, the average rent-to-income ratio across metro areas was 30.8%. The metro areas with the highest and lowest ratios were the Mayagüez, Puerto Rico area at 56.9% (highest) and Sheboygan, Wisconsin area at 21.7% (lowest). In Alabama, the highest and lowest were Auburn, AL area at 40.3% and Huntsville, AL area at 27.0%.
During that period, the Daphne, AL area had the highest median rent at $1.16K per month and the Huntsville, AL area had the highest median monthly income at $3.76K out of twelve Alabama metro areas. Its rent-to-income ratio was sixth highest in the state.
Renter income and rent, Alabama metro areas (2018–2022)
| 1. | Anniston, AL area | $2,751 |
| 2. | Auburn, AL area | $2,364 |
| 3. | Birmingham, AL area | $3,306 |
| 4. | Daphne, AL area | $3,681 |
| 5. | Decatur, AL area | $2,795 |
| 6. | Dothan, AL area | $2,729 |
| 7. | Florence, AL area | $2,610 |
| 8. | Gadsden, AL area | $2,655 |
| 9. | Huntsville, AL area | $3,763 |
| 10. | Mobile, AL area | $2,766 |
Change location to see this data for other areas
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
United States Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program and 2 others
