What it's like to live in Jasper
Jasper 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 schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Jasper deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, very rainy, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Very rainy — 62" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Jasper compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Jasper
Based on Jasper's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,442
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $28,840 a year
- 29% of Jasper renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,140
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,570
- 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▼ 49% below US
$721/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $721 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 $215,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $215,700 · 29% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Walker County is 2.8%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Walker County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 35% above US
446 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 3569/100k · Jasper Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 32°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 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 22% below US
28% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 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 Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (35 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Jasper'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 crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($721/mo) equals 13% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Jasper
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