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Cost of living, pay and housing

33.40° N · 86.65° W · GEOID 0134490

Highland Lakes

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

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

AlabamaHighland Lakes, ALHighland LakesHighland Lakes

The short answer

Highland Lakes is home to 5,866 people. Median household income is $169,361 a year and median rent is $1,201 a month, 8.5% 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 $599,200, about 3.5x annual median household income.

What sets Highland Lakes apart is how far household money goes. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $161,900 a year, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 92 Alabama places we track. Also notable: Rent run 37% below what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area.

87OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Highland Lakes scores better than 87% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 11th of 120 in Alabama.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%79
Economy 20%93
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%18
Education 10%97
Commute 10%21
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,201
12% below the median place
Median household income
$169,361
111% above the median place
Median home value
$599,200
88% above the median place
Unemployment
2.9%
41% 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 Highland Lakes

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 8.5% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places we track.
  • Value for moneyRent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 90 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.
  • HousingHomeowners pay a median of about 0.4% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 95% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Highland Lakes

Shelby County gains about 8.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in12,558
Moved out10,917
Net+1,641

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Jefferson County, AL5,2073,920+1,287
Chilton County, AL465620−155
St. Clair County, AL341408−67
Tuscaloosa County, AL370220+150
Talladega County, AL300284+16
Baldwin County, AL133230−97
Madison County, AL121204−83
Montgomery County, AL194

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$76K
Leavers$79K

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

Who moves here
6.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Shelby County report $75,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $78,700.
Income you would need
$48,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,201 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,811 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $599,200.
Getting to work
30 minutes each way on average; 22.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Springdale, NJ matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
8.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$78,680
12% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.4%
11% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.4%11% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%4% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure8.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$75,7187% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$78,68012% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,610 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 95% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places we track.

Highland Lakes8.5%
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
$48,040
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
8.5%
58% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
7% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
9%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$161,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Highland Lakes, $1,201 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.7 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 Highland Lakes.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Highland Lakes? 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%)
Homeownership1
96.6%
46% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.4%
58% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,20112% below
Rent to income18.5%58% below
Property tax rate10.4%58% below
Home price to income13.5x7% 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$2,25831% below
Median home value1$599,20088% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%26% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure48.3%6% below
Homeownership196.6%46% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,81150% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.6%21% below
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%)
Income per person1
$86,426
116% above the median place
Median household income1
$169,361
111% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$169,361111% above
Income per person1$86,426116% above
Unemployment1County figure2.9%41% below
Average annual pay6County figure$69,5055% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs6County figure84,77844% below
Poverty rate1County figure7.2%33% below
Mean commute130 min22% above
Works from home122.9%84% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 73.5%, 129% above the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
73.5%
129% above the median place
Median age1
47.2
21% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
96.7%
5% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Born abroad3.9% −56%
High school or higher95.1% +3%
Household size2.7 +7%
All 8 people measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,8666038th largest
Median age147.221% above
Bachelor's or higher173.5%129% above
High school or higher195.1%3% above
Household size12.77% above
Born abroad13.9%56% below
No health insurance1County figure6.4%0% above
Homes with broadband196.7%5% above
05

Life in Highland Lakes

The nearest National Park Service site is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, about 13 miles away.

13 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents6.8 −33%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k3.4 +61%
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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument 13 miles
  • Freedom Riders National Monument 46 miles
  • Horseshoe Bend National Military Park 60 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.1 −13%
Shops30.8 +2%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.0 −2%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.0 −6%
Child care centers1.7 −26%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
12.5
59% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
1.7
26% below the median place
Public school students12
35,120
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure48above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure35,120above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure16.15% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.113% below
Shops per 10k8County figure30.82% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.02% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.06% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.726% below
Parks per 10k96.833% below
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k93.461% above
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)
Nearest National Park Service site1012.559% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1020% above
National Register listings11County figure130% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 91.4%, 33% 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 Highland Lakes. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
91.4%
33% above the median place
Annual precipitation13
56.2 in
28% above the median place
Median air quality index15
36
16% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureHighland LakesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure91°F5% above
January average low13County figure33°F31% above
Average temperature13County figure63°F14% above
Annual precipitation13County figure56.2 in28% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure90.32% below
Hurricane risk14County figure66.07% below
Tornado risk14County figure98.321% above
Wildfire risk14County figure74.321% above
Heat wave risk14County figure88.62% below
Median air quality index15County figure3616% below
Good air days15County figure91.4%33% above
08

Highland Lakes 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. Its projected home value growth beats 22%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$169,361 (2024)$212,000$179,000 to $251,000+3.8%
Median home value$599,200 (2024)$843,000$612,000 to $1,161,000+5.8%

The median home would be worth 4.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

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

09

Places like Highland Lakes

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

PlaceRentIncome
Springdale, NJ$879$164,796Compare
Shorewood, MN$1,607$171,063Compare
Wyndmoor, PA$1,464$152,594Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD$1,369$174,063Compare
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MDWyndmoor, PAShorewood, MNSpringdale, NJHighland Lakes, ALHighland LakesSpringdaleShorewoodAshton-Sandy SpringHighland LakesSpringdaleShorewoodAshton-Sandy Spring

Places built like Highland Lakes

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Highland Lakes performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Highland Lakes, AL8.5%2.1%/yrn/a
Meadowbrook, AL11.5%5.3%/yrn/aCompare
Tyrone, GA10.5%5.5%/yr4.5%Compare
Lake Norman of Iredell, NC9.2%16.4%/yrn/aCompare
Union, KY14.5%1.8%/yr6.9%Compare
Lucas, TX9.6%6.7%/yr16.9%Compare
Woodmoor, CO15.9%3.4%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Highland Lakes a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 87 out of 100, better than 87% of the places we rate and 11th of 120 in Alabama. The median rent takes 8.5% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places we track. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 90 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Highland Lakes expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 8.5% 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 $599,200.

What salary do you need to live in Highland Lakes?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $48,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Highland Lakes?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Springdale, NJ, Shorewood, MN, Wyndmoor, PA and Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD.

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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Highland Lakes with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Highland Lakes itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/highland-lakes-alabama

Citytistics. “Highland Lakes, Alabama.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/highland-lakes-alabama/

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