What it's like to live in Selma
Selma is a small city in Alabama with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, 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. Selma deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
How Selma compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Selma
Based on Selma's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,426
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $28,520 a year
- 58% of Selma renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$19,300
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $9,650
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 50% below US
$713/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $713 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $96,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $96,500 · 58% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 12% above US
4.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 123% above US
733 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 1924/100k · Selma Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.7 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; 7% 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 38°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, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 45% below US
20% 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
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail (20 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Selma'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 ($713/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Selma
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