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Moving to
Saks.
Saks is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, AL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Saks
Saks is an unincorporated community in Alabama with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Saks 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
- 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 Saks compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Saks
Based on Saks's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,796
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $35,920 a year
- 29% of Saks renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$23,280
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $11,640
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 36% below US
$898/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $898 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 $116,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $116,400 · 29% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Calhoun 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.
Calhoun County (county-wide)
Safety
496 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Saks doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 412/100k · Policed by Calhoun County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 13% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.6 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 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 50% 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
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Freedom Riders National Monument (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Saks'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 ($898/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as 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 Saks
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