Best places to retire in Alabama 2026-2027: See all cities ranked by U.S. News

Florence ranks first among Alabama cities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Places to Retire, tying Huntsville and Hoover with a score of 5.7 out of 10.

U.S. News ranked 13 Alabama cities out of 859 nationwide. Six landed in the national top 250.

How U.S. News ranks the best places to retire

U.S. News scored 859 U.S. cities on a 10-point scale using data from Applied Geographic Solutions and its own resources. Smaller towns were left out because of a lack of consistent data.

The weights come from a March 2025 survey of 3,500 people ages 45 and older, plus a follow-up survey of 500 people in February 2026. Here’s how the score breaks down:

• Value (27%): Housing affordability and cost of living
• Quality of life (25%): Crime, weather, environmental risk, culture and leisure access, air quality and walkability
• Health care quality (16%): The number and quality of U.S. News-ranked hospitals nearby
• Taxes (16%): Sales, property and state income taxes
• Senior population and migration (8%): The share of residents 55 and older and how many seniors move to the state
• Job market (8%): Unemployment and median household income

How Alabama cities ranked nationally in the 2026-2027 Best Places to Retire

No Alabama city made the national top 10, where scores started at 6.8. Alabama’s highest score was 5.7. Here’s where the state’s cities landed nationally:

• Top 250:
  • Florence (129th)
  • Huntsville (144th)
  • Hoover (145th)
  • Dothan (169th)
  • Decatur (181st)
  • Daphne (185th)
• Outside the top 250:
  • Gadsden (277th)
  • Mobile (291st)
  • Anniston (378th)
  • Birmingham (464th)
  • Tuscaloosa (505th)
  • Auburn (533rd)
  • Montgomery (549th)

U.S. News’ data also shows a wide spread in what it costs to live in these cities:

• Median home value:
  • Highest: Hoover at $382,915
  • Lowest: Anniston at $153,531
• Median monthly rent:
  • Highest: Daphne at $1,156
  • Lowest: Gadsden at $527
• Highest median household income: Hoover at $104,005
• Shortest average commute: Florence at 13 minutes

Alabama’s 13 best places to retire, ranked

Here’s the full state list:

1. Florence: 5.7
2. Huntsville: 5.7
3. Hoover: 5.7
4. Dothan: 5.6
5. Decatur: 5.6
6. Daphne: 5.6
7. Gadsden: 5.5
8. Mobile: 5.4
9. Anniston: 5.3
10. Birmingham: 5.1
11. Tuscaloosa: 5.0
12. Auburn: 4.9
13. Montgomery: 4.9

U.S. News’ top 10 best places to retire in the U.S.

Here’s the national top 10:

1. Midland, Michigan: 6.8
2. Homosassa Springs, Florida: 6.6
3. Weirton, West Virginia: 6.6
4. The Woodlands, Texas: 6.6
5. Spring, Texas: 6.5
6. Rio Rancho, New Mexico: 6.3
7. Altoona, Pennsylvania: 6.3
8. Paducah, Kentucky: 6.3
9. Lynchburg, Virginia: 6.3
10. Palm Coast, Florida: 6.3