CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

34.02° N · 85.80° W · GEOID 0103820

Ballplay

Etowah County, Alabama · part of the Gadsden, AL metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

AlabamaBallplay, ALBallplayBallplay

The short answer

Ballplay is home to 842 people. Median household income is $47,837 a year and median rent is $847 a month, 21.2% 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 $145,300, about 3.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$847
38% below the median place
Median household income
$47,837
40% below the median place
Median home value
$145,300
55% below the median place
Unemployment
5.9%
21% above 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 Ballplay

  • Household income has grown -7.6% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 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.
  • 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Households average 2.02 people, smaller than in 92% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.
  • 29% of homes stand vacant, more than in 94% of places its size.
01

Moving to Ballplay

Etowah County gains about 6.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,055
Moved out3,596
Net+459

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cherokee County, AL153147+6

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$56K
Leavers$51K

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

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Etowah County report $56,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $51,100, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$33,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $847 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $895 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $145,300.
Getting to work
38 minutes each way on average; 4.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Herkimer, NY matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out7
$51,126
27% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure6.0above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$55,95921% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$51,12627% below
02

What it costs to live here

Owner costs with a mortgage is $895, 52% below the median place.

Ballplay21.2%
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
$33,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
21.2%
4% above the median place
Home price to income
3.0x
20% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$41,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Ballplay, $847 a month, and local prices for everything else (92.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Ballplay? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$895
52% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$388
88% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.3%
70% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$84738% below
Rent to income121.2%4% above
Property tax rate10.3%70% below
Home price to income13.0x20% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure85.715% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$97540% below
HUD area median income4County figure$78,60027% below
Property tax paid (median)1$38888% below
Median home value1$145,30055% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.5%10% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.0%5% above
Homeownership194.0%42% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure48.4%4% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$89552% below
Vacant homes129.1%312% above
Median year built119931% 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
38 min
51% above the median place
Median household income1
$47,837
40% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$47,83740% below
Income per person1$27,04233% below
Unemployment1County figure5.9%21% above
Average annual pay6County figure$47,93727% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.9%22% below
Jobs6County figure33,09578% below
Poverty rate1County figure16.9%57% above
Mean commute138 min51% above
Works from home1County figure4.0%68% below
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
80.1%
13% below the median place
Household size1
2.0
19% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18426646th largest
Median age145.918% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure18.1%44% below
High school or higher179.8%14% below
Household size12.019% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure11.4%78% above
Homes with broadband180.1%13% below
05

Life in Ballplay

15 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.5 −16%
Shops36.8 +21%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.7 −59%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.6 +7%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

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

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
1.7
59% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
36.8
21% above the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
1.8
22% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure42367% above
Public school students10County figure15,139209% above
Students per teacher10County figure17.715% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure17.516% below
Shops per 10k8County figure36.821% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.759% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure21.67% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
National Register listings9County figure1515% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 55.8 in, 27% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Ballplay. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation11
55.8 in
27% above the median place
Tornado risk12
97.8
20% above the median place
Average temperature11
62°F
12% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBallplayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure90°F3% above
January average low11County figure33°F29% above
Average temperature11County figure62°F12% above
Annual precipitation11County figure55.8 in27% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure87.36% below
Hurricane risk12County figure68.43% below
Tornado risk12County figure97.820% above
Wildfire risk12County figure72.719% above
Heat wave risk12County figure77.714% below
Median air quality index13County figure455% above
Good air days13County figure61.4%10% below
08

Ballplay 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$47,837 (2024)$58,000$49,000 to $68,500+3.2%
Median home value$145,300 (2024)$222,000$161,000 to $306,000+7.3%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.0 now.

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

09

Places like Ballplay

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

PlaceRentIncome
Herkimer, NY$821$48,529Compare
East Alton, IL$881$48,815Compare
Sheffield, AL$829$39,733Compare
Hibbing, MN$833$55,789Compare
Hibbing, MNSheffield, ALEast Alton, ILHerkimer, NYBallplay, ALBallplayHerkimerEast AltonSheffieldHibbingBallplayHerkimerEast AltonSheffieldHibbing

Common questions

Is Ballplay a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown -7.6% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 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 Ballplay expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 21.2% 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 $145,300.

What salary do you need to live in Ballplay?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $33,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Ballplay?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Herkimer, NY, East Alton, IL, Sheffield, AL and Hibbing, MN.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. 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 Ballplay with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Ballplay itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/ballplay-alabama

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

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