What it's like to live in Daphne
Daphne is a small city in Alabama with unemployment below the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Daphne deals with very rainy, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Very rainy — 66" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Daphne compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Daphne
Based on Daphne's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,776
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $55,520 a year
- 34% of Daphne renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$64,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,340
- Homes cost 3.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,388/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,388 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 $323,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $323,400 · 34% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 42% below US
2.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.5%, well below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 83% below US
57 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 840/100k · Daphne Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°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. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 19% above US
43% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gulf Islands National Seashore (44 miles away).
Bottom line
Daphne's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are very rainy and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,388/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and college-educated professionals.
Other places near Daphne
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