What it's like to live in Fort Payne
Fort Payne is a small city in Alabama with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below 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. Fort Payne deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Fort Payne compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fort Payne
Based on Fort Payne's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,358
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $27,160 a year
- 35% of Fort Payne renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$31,400
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,700
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 52% below US
$679/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $679 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $157,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $157,000 · 35% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in DeKalb County is 2.5%, well below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
DeKalb County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 48% below US
173 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1415/100k · Fort Payne Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 33% below US
17 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.3 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% 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 34°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▼ 52% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Little River Canyon National Preserve (5 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fort Payne's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($679/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Fort Payne
All Alabama guides →Moving to Scottsboro →
24 mi away · pop. 15,712
Rent $830/mo · Income $53,929
Compare with Fort Payne →Moving to Albertville →
32 mi away · pop. 22,813
Rent $872/mo · Income $56,099
Compare with Fort Payne →Not sure Fort Payne is the one?
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