Moving to
Spanish Fort.

All Spanish Fort data Compare Spanish Fort

10,662people live here $99,346median household income▲ 23% above US $1,390median rent per monthNear US average $343,900median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Spanish Fort

Spanish Fort is a small city in Alabama with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Spanish Fort deals with very rainy, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Highly educated workforce
Fast-growing population
Average class sizes

The not so good

Very rainy — 66" of rain per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Spanish Fort compares

Median household income

Spanish Fort$99,346

Alabama avg$63,999

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Spanish Fort$1,390

Alabama avg$1,007

US$1,413

Median home value

Spanish Fort$343,900

Alabama avg$209,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Spanish Fort

Based on Spanish Fort's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,780

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $55,600 a year
48% of Spanish Fort renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$68,780

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $34,390
Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,390/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,390 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $343,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $343,900 · 48% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Baldwin 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.

Baldwin County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 81% below US

62 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 765/100k · Spanish Fort Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26 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; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

84%

Work from home

12%

Carpool

4.4%

Other

0.5%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a wet climate overall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 36% above US

49% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 49% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 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 Gulf Islands National Seashore (47 miles away).

Bottom line

Spanish Fort's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are very rainy and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($1,390/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), anyone prioritizing low crime, and college-educated professionals.

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