These are the fastest growing cities in Alabama according to new study

With Huntsville being named one of the best places to live in the US for another year in a row, Alabama is growing. According to a report by Thomas Spencer, Senior Research Associate at the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, despite Huntsville’s growth, Birmingham-Hoover is still the largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in Alabama.

Read on for details and which cities are growing the fastest across the state.

Alabama’s major cities + metro areas

The latest population estimates by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama have been released, and it looks like some Alabama cities in major metro areas are seeing a lot of growth.

“The ripple effects of the Covid pandemic continue to show up in this data, which covers July 1, 2021, through July 1, 2022. The traditional urban centers and even their close-in suburbs saw flat to declining population numbers, while suburban cities farther out saw growth.”

Thomas Spencer, Senior Research Associate, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama

Here’s where the top five most populous Alabama cities stand:

• Huntsville—221,933
• Montgomery—196,986
• Birmingham—196,910
• Mobile city—183,289
• Tuscaloosa city—110,602

The report shows that Huntsville rocketed in growth, while Alabama’s three other largest cities declined in population to surrounding suburbs.

“The Huntsville growth pattern continues to amaze—and that growth is spreading across North Alabama, including the Shoals. The university towns and Baldwin County steam along. People are attracted to places where jobs are growing. People moving in creates demand for housing, which leads people to build housing, which brings people to town.”

Thomas Spencer, Senior Research Associate, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama

Let’s take a look at the fastest growing cities from 2020-2022 in Alabama metros according to the report:

Huntsville 

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 221,933 
• Change 2021 to 2022: +3,261
• Change 2020 to 2022: +5,589

Foley 

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 23,577
• Change 2021 to 2022: +1,525 
• Change 2020 to 2022: +2,979 

Athens

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 28,661
• Change 2021 to 2022: +1,566
• Change 2020 to 2022: +2,958

Madison

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 59,785
• Change 2021 to 2022: +1,457
• Change 2020 to 2022: +2,491

Daphne 

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 29,670 
• Change 2021 to 2022: +931
• Change 2020 to 2022: +1,989

Calera

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 17,868 
• Change 2021 to 2022: +487
• Change 2020 to 2022: +1,254

Fairhope 

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 23,859 
• Change 2021 to 2022: +574
• Change 2020 to 2022: +1,167

Gulf Shores

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 16,193
• Change 2021 to 2022: +490
• Change 2020 to 2022: +1,015

Chelsea 

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 16,193
• Change 2021 to 2022: +502
• Change 2020 to 2022: +1,005

Prattville

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 38,776 
• Change 2021 to 2022: +477
• Change 2020 to 2022: +931

Helena

• Pop. Estimate 2022: 21,862
• Change 2021 to 2022: +330
• Change 2020 to 2022: +818

Explore the full report and data findings here.

Other Alabama cities

When it comes to the Alabama areas with the most growth, these North Alabama MSAs came out on top:

• Huntsville (Limestone and Madison County)
• Decatur (Morgan County)
• The Shoals (Colbert and Lauderdale Counties)

Major college towns Tuscaloosa and Auburn-Opelika continued to see boosts in population. Tuscaloosa rang in the most significant bump in its total population since the 2020 Census, with more than 10,000 residents added.

Madison and Athens were mentioned among major gainers along with Cullman, Florence and Muscle Shoals. Plus, Foley, Daphne, Fairhope, Gulf Shores and Loxley were in the top 20 for growth in Alabama cities.

“It will be interesting to see if those flows change in the next round of data. New residential construction permits were up substantially in 2022 in the Birmingham MSA, for instance. Other southern cities have returned to growth, and I expect there to be some bounce back here. Particularly in light of the high housing costs in the superstar cities.”

Thomas Spencer, Senior Research Associate, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama

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