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Cost of living, pay and housing

34.12° N · 85.97° W · GEOID 0144160

Lookout Mountain

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

AlabamaLookout Mountain, ALLookout MountainLookout Mountain

The short answer

Lookout Mountain is home to 1,120 people. Median household income is $80,362 a year and median rent is $847 a month, 12.6% 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 $158,300, about 2.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$847
38% below the median place
Median household income
$80,362
0% above the median place
Median home value
$158,300
50% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

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 Lookout Mountain

  • Household income has grown 15.2% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 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.
  • 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places.
  • The median home is worth 2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 120 Alabama places.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 87 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Lookout Mountain

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
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.3% from another state. County figure.
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 $1,250 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $158,300.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 4.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palmerton, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out7
$51,126
27% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$55,959
21% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
6.0
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%20% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.3%34% below
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

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

Lookout Mountain12.6%
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
12.6%
38% below the median place
Home price to income
2.0x
48% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$75,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lookout Mountain, $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 Lookout Mountain.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lookout 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 paid (median)1
$456
86% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.3%
68% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$84738% below
Rent to income112.6%38% below
Property tax rate10.3%68% below
Home price to income12.0x48% 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$45686% below
Median home value1$158,30050% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.5%10% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure54.0%5% above
Homeownership194.1%42% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,25033% below
Vacant homes129.4%316% above
Median year built119850% above
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$28,712
28% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$80,3620% above
Income per person1$28,71228% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
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 commute1County figure26 min2% above
Works from home1County figure4.0%68% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 19.2%, 200% above the median place.

No health insurance1
19.2%
200% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
12.3%
62% below the median place
Median age1
48.6
25% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband83.9% −9%
High school or higher85.1% −8%
Household size2.9 +16%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,1206646th largest
Median age148.625% above
Bachelor's or higher112.3%62% below
High school or higher185.1%8% below
Household size12.916% above
Born abroad1County figure2.5%72% below
No health insurance119.2%200% above
Homes with broadband183.9%9% below
05

Life in Lookout Mountain

15 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

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 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 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure42367% above
Public school students11County figure15,139209% above
Students per teacher11County 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
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 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 Lookout Mountain. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
55.8 in
27% above the median place
Tornado risk13
97.8
20% above the median place
Average temperature12
62°F
12% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLookout MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F3% above
January average low12County figure33°F29% above
Average temperature12County figure62°F12% above
Annual precipitation12County figure55.8 in27% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure87.36% below
Hurricane risk13County figure68.43% below
Tornado risk13County figure97.820% above
Wildfire risk13County figure72.719% above
Heat wave risk13County figure77.714% below
Median air quality index14County figure455% above
Good air days14County figure61.4%10% below
08

Lookout 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$80,362 (2024)$104,500$88,500 to $124,000+4.5%
Median home value$158,300 (2024)$227,000$165,000 to $313,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 2.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.0 now.

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

09

Places like Lookout Mountain

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

PlaceRentIncome
Palmerton, PA$931$68,143Compare
Fairview, GA$989$64,050Compare
Brooklyn, OH$971$69,346Compare
Arizona City, AZ$990$66,420Compare
Arizona City, AZBrooklyn, OHFairview, GAPalmerton, PALookout Mountain, ALLookout MountainPalmertonFairviewBrooklynArizona CityLookout MountainPalmertonFairviewBrooklynArizona City

Common questions

Is Lookout Mountain a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown 15.2% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 120 Alabama places. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Alabama places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lookout Mountain expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.6% 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 $158,300.

What salary do you need to live in Lookout Mountain?

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 Lookout Mountain?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Palmerton, PA, Fairview, GA, Brooklyn, OH and Arizona City, AZ.

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

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

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