What it's like to live in Alabaster
Alabaster is a small city in Alabama with home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Alabaster deals with commute times longer than most cities, hot summers, above-average rainfall, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Alabaster compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Alabaster
Based on Alabaster's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,744
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,880 a year
- 49% of Alabaster renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$52,340
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $26,170
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,372/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,372 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $261,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $261,700 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 49% below US
2.2% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.2%, well below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 71% below US
95 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 962/100k · Alabaster Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 18% above US
31 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.6 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 14% above US
41% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 41% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (21 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Alabaster's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,372/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Alabaster
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