What it's like to live in Ozark
Ozark 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. Ozark deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and hot summers.
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
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Ozark compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ozark
Based on Ozark's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,388
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $27,760 a year
- 47% of Ozark renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$29,780
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,890
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 51% below US
$694/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $694 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 $148,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $148,900 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Dale County is 3.2%, 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.
Dale County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 16% above US
383 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2414/100k · Ozark Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.5 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
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▼ 49% below US
18% 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
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 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 Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (68 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Ozark'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 ($694/mo) equals 17% 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 Ozark
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