CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

33.67° N · 86.88° W · GEOID 0152344

Mount Olive

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

Limited data population under 5,000

AlabamaMount Olive, ALMount OliveMount Olive

The short answer

Mount Olive is home to 3,567 people. Median household income is $82,234 a year and median rent is $1,022 a month, 14.9% 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 $224,000, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,022
25% below the median place
Median household income
$82,234
2% above the median place
Median home value
$224,000
30% below the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
3% 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 Mount Olive

  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, rent rose 8.6% a year while household income rose 2.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 92% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • 88% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 87% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 14.9% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 84% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 98 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Mount Olive

Jefferson County loses about 5.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in21,791
Moved out24,602
Net−2,811

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Alabama, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlabamaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$67K
Leavers$73K

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

Who moves here
4.7% 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 Jefferson County report $66,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $72,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$40,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,022 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,368 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $224,000.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 14.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Arnold, MO matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-5.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
4.7%
18% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$66,674
6% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%18% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%2% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-5.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$66,6746% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$72,7514% above
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 88.0%, 32% above the median place.

Mount Olive14.9%
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
$40,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.9%
27% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
28% 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
$72,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Mount Olive, $1,022 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 Mount Olive.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Mount Olive? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
88.0%
32% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,216
63% below the median place
Vacant homes1
15.1%
114% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,02225% below
Rent to income114.9%27% below
Property tax rate10.5%41% below
Home price to income12.7x28% 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$1,21663% below
Median home value1$224,00030% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.2%31% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure38.3%26% below
Homeownership188.0%32% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure53.5%6% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,36827% below
Vacant homes115.1%114% above
Median year built119750% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 14.4%, 16% above the median place.

Works from home1
14.4%
16% above the median place
Mean commute1
26 min
5% above the median place
Poverty rate1
12.1%
12% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$82,2342% above
Income per person1$41,7984% above
Unemployment1County figure4.7%3% below
Average annual pay6County figure$75,00814% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.8%30% above
Jobs6County figure368,875145% above
Poverty rate112.1%12% above
Mean commute126 min5% above
Works from home114.4%16% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.6%33% below
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 95.7%, 4% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
95.7%
4% above the median place
No health insurance1
4.6%
28% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
24.3%
24% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher90.1% −2%
Household size2.6 +4%
Median age39.6 +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,5676646th largest
Median age139.62% above
Bachelor's or higher124.3%24% below
High school or higher190.1%2% below
Household size12.64% above
Born abroad1County figure4.9%45% below
No health insurance14.6%28% below
Homes with broadband195.7%4% above
05

Life in Mount Olive

188 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

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 bars21.7 +4%
Shops37.3 +23%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.7 +7%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

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

Public schools11
1
89% below the median place
Public school students11
286
94% below the median place
Students per teacher11
16.8
9% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11189% below
Public school students1128694% below
Students per teacher1116.89% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.74% above
Shops per 10k8County figure37.323% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure21.77% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.30% above
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 figure188above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 99.5, 22% 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 Mount Olive. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk13
99.5
22% above the median place
Annual precipitation12
56.4 in
29% above the median place
Good air days14
43.6%
36% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMount OliveAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure91°F5% above
January average low12County figure33°F31% above
Average temperature12County figure63°F14% above
Annual precipitation12County figure56.4 in29% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure97.66% above
Hurricane risk13County figure76.68% above
Tornado risk13County figure99.522% above
Wildfire risk13County figure79.129% above
Heat wave risk13County figure97.68% above
Median air quality index14County figure5221% above
Good air days14County figure43.6%36% below
08

Mount Olive in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, up from 15% 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$1,022/mo (2023)$1,410/mo$1,140 to $1,750/mo+4.7%
Median household income$82,234 (2024)$103,000$87,000 to $122,000+3.8%
Median home value$224,000 (2024)$316,000$229,000 to $435,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 3.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

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

09

Places like Mount Olive

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

PlaceRentIncome
Arnold, MO$1,112$78,370Compare
Omak, WA$1,002$76,544Compare
Kaukauna, WI$1,083$80,365Compare
Lowell, IN$1,123$84,024Compare
Lowell, INKaukauna, WIOmak, WAArnold, MOMount Olive, ALMount OliveArnoldOmakKaukaunaLowellMount OliveArnoldOmakKaukaunaLowell

Common questions

Is Mount Olive a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, rent rose 8.6% a year while household income rose 2.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 92% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. 88% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 87% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 84 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Mount Olive expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.9% 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 $224,000.

What salary do you need to live in Mount Olive?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $40,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Mount Olive?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Arnold, MO, Omak, WA, Kaukauna, WI and Lowell, IN.

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

Citytistics. “Mount Olive, Alabama.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/mount-olive-alabama/

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