CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

33.62° N · 85.85° W · GEOID 0135152

Hobson City

Calhoun County, Alabama · part of the Anniston, AL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

AlabamaHobson City, ALHobson CityHobson City

The short answer

Hobson City is home to 1,142 people. Median household income is $47,361 a year and median rent is $475 a month, 12.0% 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 $108,200, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$475
65% below the median place
Median household income
$47,361
41% below the median place
Median home value
$108,200
66% below the median place
Unemployment
8.2%
67% 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 Hobson City

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 6.7% a year while rent rose -7.9%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 119 Alabama places.
  • Median rent is $475 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. 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.
  • 9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 97% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Households average 3.22 people, larger than in 94% of places its size. It is the highest of 120 Alabama places.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 88 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Hobson City

Calhoun County gains about 2.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,463
Moved out4,237
Net+226

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cleburne County, AL218182+36
Cherokee County, AL11277+35

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$46K
Leavers$47K

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

Who moves here
5.5% 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 Calhoun County report $46,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $47,100.
Income you would need
$19,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $475 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,117 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $108,200.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 5.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Zuni Pueblo, NM matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in8
$45,971
35% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$47,125
33% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
2.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.5%4% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%6% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure2.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$45,97135% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$47,12533% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $475, 65% below the median place.

Hobson City12.0%
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
$19,000
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
12.0%
41% below the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
40% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$44,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Hobson City, $475 a month, and local prices for everything else (92.4 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 Hobson City.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Hobson City? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
22.7%
221% above the median place
Median home value1
$108,200
66% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,117
40% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$47565% below
Rent to income112.0%41% below
Property tax rate10.6%34% below
Home price to income12.3x40% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure86.015% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,01037% below
HUD area median income4County figure$72,30033% below
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$65380% below
Median home value1$108,20066% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.4%37% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure50.0%3% below
Homeownership165.1%2% below
Renters paying 30%+147.0%7% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,11740% below
Vacant homes122.7%221% above
Median year built119740% below
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $21,668, 46% below the median place.

Income per person1
$21,668
46% below the median place
Median household income1
$47,361
41% below the median place
Unemployment1
8.2%
67% above the median place
All 9 work and pay measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$47,36141% below
Income per person1$21,66846% below
Unemployment18.2%67% above
Average annual pay6County figure$52,42821% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.1%43% below
Jobs6County figure43,47371% below
Poverty rate119.8%84% above
Mean commute127 min6% above
Works from home1County figure5.9%52% below
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
74.7%
19% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
9.0%
72% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.2 +29%
High school or higher85.0% −8%
Median age37.6 −4%
All 9 people measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,1426646th largest
Population change since 20207-2.6%below (median 1.1%)
Median age137.64% below
Bachelor's or higher19.0%72% below
High school or higher185.0%8% below
Household size13.229% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure10.2%59% above
Homes with broadband174.7%19% below
05

Life in Hobson City

64 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents17.5 +72%
Playgrounds per 10k8.8 −7%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k17.5 20.1×
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 bars19.0 −9%
Shops38.5 +27%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.0 −51%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.8 −7%
Child care centers1.3 −43%

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

Child care centers per 10k9
1.3
43% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9
2.0
51% below the median place
Shops per 10k9
38.5
27% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure37311% above
Public school students12County figure16,686241% above
Students per teacher12County figure16.36% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure19.09% below
Shops per 10k9County figure38.527% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure2.051% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure18.87% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.343% below
Parks per 10k1017.572% above
Playgrounds per 10k108.87% below
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k1017.5above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure64392% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 54.2 in, 24% 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 Hobson City. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation13
54.2 in
24% above the median place
Tornado risk14
98.2
21% above the median place
Average temperature13
62°F
13% above the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureHobson CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure90°F4% above
January average low13County figure33°F29% above
Average temperature13County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation13County figure54.2 in24% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure88.54% below
Hurricane risk14County figure74.05% above
Tornado risk14County figure98.221% above
Wildfire risk14County figure81.533% above
Heat wave risk14County figure78.413% below
08

Hobson City in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 12% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 12% now.

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 rent$475/mo (2024)$570/mo$470 to $700/mo+3.2%
Median household income$47,361 (2024)$59,500$50,000 to $70,000+3.8%
Median home value$108,200 (2024)$150,000$109,000 to $206,000+5.6%
Population742 (2025)740710 to 770−0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

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

09

Places like Hobson City

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

PlaceRentIncome
Zuni Pueblo, NM$588$45,724Compare
Trumann, AR$586$38,881Compare
West Frankfort, IL$661$47,898Compare
Holdenville, OK$665$46,250Compare
Holdenville, OKWest Frankfort, ILTrumann, ARZuni Pueblo, NMHobson City, ALHobson CityZuni PuebloTrumannWest FrankfortHoldenvilleHobson CityZuni PuebloTrumannWest FrankfortHoldenville

Common questions

Is Hobson City a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 6.7% a year while rent rose -7.9%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 119 Alabama places. Median rent is $475 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 120 Alabama places. On cost, space and class size it scores 87 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Hobson City expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.0% 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 $108,200.

What salary do you need to live in Hobson City?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $19,000 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Hobson City?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Zuni Pueblo, NM, Trumann, AR, West Frankfort, IL and Holdenville, OK.

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. 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

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 Hobson City with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Hobson City itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/hobson-city-alabama

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

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