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Cost of living, pay and housing

33.70° N · 86.51° W · GEOID 0102320

Argo

Jefferson County, Alabama · part of the Birmingham, AL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

AlabamaArgo, ALArgoArgo

The short answer

Argo is home to 4,479 people. Median household income is $105,128 a year and median rent is $2,103 a month, 24.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $248,100, about 2.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,103
54% above the median place
Median household income
$105,128
31% above the median place
Median home value
$248,100
22% below the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
3% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Argo

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $539 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 99% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 84 Alabama places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 115 Alabama places.
  • Half the homes were built after 2004, newer housing than in 94% of places its size.
  • 92% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 93% of places its size.
01

Moving to Argo

Jefferson County loses about 5.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in21,791
Moved out24,602
Net−2,811

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$67K
Leavers$73K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Jefferson County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Jefferson County report $66,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $72,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$84,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,103 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,564 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $248,100.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 17.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Anna, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-5.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
4.7%
18% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%18% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-5.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$66,6746% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$72,7514% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Argo24.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$84,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.0%
18% above the median place
Home price to income
2.4x
38% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
24%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$83,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Argo, $2,103 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.7 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Argo, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Krum, TX19.0% vs 24.0%$17,200Compare
Wolfforth, TX18.9% vs 24.0%$7,800Compare
Riviera Beach, MD21.0% vs 24.0%$4,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Argo.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Argo? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Property tax rate1
0.3%
63% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$839
74% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,10354% above
Rent to income124.0%18% above
Property tax rate10.3%63% below
Home price to income12.4x38% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure91.69% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,37515% below
HUD area median income4County figure$104,1003% below
Property tax paid (median)1$83974% below
Median home value1$248,10022% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.2%31% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure38.3%26% below
Homeownership192.4%39% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,56416% below
Vacant homes1County figure13.2%86% above
Median year built120041% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
34 min
36% above the median place
Median household income1
$105,128
31% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$105,12831% above
Income per person1$40,6481% above
Unemployment1County figure4.7%3% below
Average annual pay6County figure$75,00814% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.8%30% above
Jobs6County figure368,875145% above
Poverty rate1County figure15.7%46% above
Mean commute134 min36% above
Works from home117.7%42% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
98.5%
7% above the median place
Median age1
33.1
15% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance3.7% −42%
High school or higher95.2% +3%
Household size2.6 +6%
Bachelor's or higher31.7% −1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,4796646th largest
Population change since 20207-0.5%below (median 1.1%)
Median age133.115% below
Bachelor's or higher131.7%1% below
High school or higher195.2%3% above
Household size12.66% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance13.7%42% below
Homes with broadband198.5%7% above
05

Life in Argo

188 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.5 −56%
Playgrounds per 10k17.9 +90%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k4.5 −60%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.7 +4%
Shops37.3 +23%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.7 +7%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools13
179
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students13
97,401
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k9
37.3
23% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure179above (median 9)
Public school students13County figure97,401above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher13County figure16.910% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.74% above
Shops per 10k9County figure37.323% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure21.77% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.30% above
Parks per 10k104.556% below
Playgrounds per 10k1017.990% above
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k104.560% below
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure188above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 69, 64% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
69
64% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
275
77% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Tornado risk15
99.5
22% above the median place
Annual precipitation14
56.4 in
29% above the median place
Good air days16
43.6%
36% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureArgoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure91°F5% above
January average low14County figure33°F31% above
Average temperature14County figure63°F14% above
Annual precipitation14County figure56.4 in29% above
Natural hazard risk15County figure97.66% above
Hurricane risk15County figure76.68% above
Tornado risk15County figure99.522% above
Wildfire risk15County figure79.129% above
Heat wave risk15County figure97.68% above
Median air quality index16County figure5221% above
Good air days16County figure43.6%36% below
08

Argo in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$105,128 (2024)$135,500$114,500 to $160,500+4.3%
Median home value$248,100 (2024)$352,000$255,000 to $485,000+6.0%
Population4,376 (2025)4,3904,210 to 4,580+0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.4 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Argo

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Anna, TX$2,105$105,593Compare
Princeton, TX$2,239$105,200Compare
Royse City, TX$2,078$116,660Compare
Montgomery, IL$1,984$103,734Compare
Montgomery, ILRoyse City, TXPrinceton, TXAnna, TXArgo, ALArgoAnnaPrincetonRoyse CityMontgomeryArgoAnnaPrincetonRoyse CityMontgomery

Common questions

Is Argo a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $539 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 99% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 84 Alabama places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Argo expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $248,100.

What salary do you need to live in Argo?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $84,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Argo safe?

There were 69 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Argo?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Anna, TX, Princeton, TX, Royse City, TX and Montgomery, IL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Argo with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Argo itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/argo-alabama

Citytistics. “Argo, Alabama.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/argo-alabama/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.