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Cost of living, pay and housing

32.45° N · 86.09° W · GEOID 0123880

Emerald Mountain

Elmore County, Alabama · part of the Montgomery, AL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

AlabamaEmerald Mountain, ALEmerald MountainEmerald Mountain

The short answer

Emerald Mountain is home to 3,535 people. Median household income is $123,347 a year and median rent is $1,583 a month, 15.4% 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 $321,300, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,583
16% above the median place
Median household income
$123,347
54% above the median place
Median home value
$321,300
1% above the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
5% 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 Emerald Mountain

  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 115 Alabama places.
  • 96% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Households average 3.20 people, larger than in 93% of places its size. It is the highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Half the homes were built after 2005, newer housing than in 96% of places its size.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $110,000 a year left, more than in 83% of places its size.
01

Moving to Emerald Mountain

Elmore County gains about 6.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,528
Moved out4,082
Net+446

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$61K
Leavers$60K

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

Who moves here
5.5% 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 Elmore County report $61,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $60,000.
Income you would need
$63,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,583 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,168 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $321,300.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 7.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN 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 people7
6.6
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$59,960
15% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.5%5% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure6.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$61,08013% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$59,96015% below
02

What it costs to live here

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

Emerald Mountain15.4%
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
$63,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.4%
25% below the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
32% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$109,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Emerald Mountain, $1,583 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Emerald Mountain, 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
Cumberland Hill, RI12.0% vs 15.4%$3,300Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Emerald Mountain? 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%
71% below the median place
Homeownership1
96.1%
45% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,58316% above
Rent to income115.4%25% below
Property tax rate10.3%71% below
Home price to income12.6x32% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure89.711% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,15029% below
HUD area median income4County figure$88,80017% below
Property tax paid (median)1$82475% below
Median home value1$321,3001% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure7.3%127% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure47.3%8% below
Homeownership196.1%45% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,16816% above
Vacant homes1County figure12.0%70% above
Median year built120051% 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%)
Median household income1
$123,347
54% above the median place
Income per person1
$50,031
25% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$123,34754% above
Income per person1$50,03125% above
Unemployment1County figure4.7%5% below
Average annual pay6County figure$49,05826% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.2%41% below
Jobs6County figure22,16285% below
Poverty rate1County figure10.3%4% below
Mean commute125 min1% below
Works from home1County figure7.3%41% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.2, 28% above the median place.

Household size1
3.2
28% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
97.1%
5% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
43.0%
34% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,5356646th largest
Median age141.67% above
Bachelor's or higher143.0%34% above
High school or higher193.6%1% above
Household size13.228% above
Born abroad1County figure2.0%77% below
No health insurance1County figure7.7%20% above
Homes with broadband197.1%5% above
05

Life in Emerald Mountain

14 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
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 bars13.5 −35%
Shops24.8 −18%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.8 −56%
Doctors' offices and clinics7.7 −62%
Child care centers1.2 −48%

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

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
7.7
62% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
1.2
48% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
1.8
56% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure26189% above
Public school students11County figure13,867183% above
Students per teacher11County figure18.822% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure13.535% below
Shops per 10k8County figure24.818% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.856% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure7.762% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.248% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure148% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 97.9%, 43% 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 Emerald Mountain. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days14
97.9%
43% above the median place
Median air quality index14
34
21% below the median place
Annual precipitation12
53.9 in
23% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureEmerald MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure92°F6% above
January average low12County figure35°F38% above
Average temperature12County figure64°F17% above
Annual precipitation12County figure53.9 in23% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure72.222% below
Hurricane risk13County figure75.47% above
Tornado risk13County figure75.67% below
Wildfire risk13County figure61.91% above
Heat wave risk13County figure86.54% below
Median air quality index14County figure3421% below
Good air days14County figure97.9%43% above
08

Emerald Mountain 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$123,347 (2024)$158,000$133,500 to $186,500+4.2%
Median home value$321,300 (2024)$447,000$324,000 to $615,000+5.6%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.6 now.

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

09

Places like Emerald Mountain

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

PlaceRentIncome
Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN$1,688$121,750Compare
North Aurora, IL$1,504$114,305Compare
Canal Winchester, OH$1,692$131,209Compare
Roselle, IL$1,641$111,318Compare
Roselle, ILCanal Winchester, OHNorth Aurora, ILLakes of the Four Seasons, INEmerald Mountain, ALEmerald MountainNorth AuroraCanal WinchesterRoselleEmerald MountainNorth AuroraCanal WinchesterRoselle

Common questions

Is Emerald Mountain a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 115 Alabama places. 96% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Emerald Mountain expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $321,300.

What salary do you need to live in Emerald Mountain?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $63,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Emerald Mountain?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN, North Aurora, IL, Canal Winchester, OH and Roselle, 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. 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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 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
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. 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 Emerald Mountain with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Emerald Mountain itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/emerald-mountain-alabama

Citytistics. “Emerald Mountain, Alabama.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/emerald-mountain-alabama/

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