Is being in an area that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask. Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Birmingham and Montgomery, while others want peace and quiet like in Jackson and Childersburg, thank you very much.
But today we’re going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts — over the past five years, which cities in Alabama have the grown the fastest.
After getting knee deep in the Census’s American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Heart of Dixie that have people climbing over each other to get in.
These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Alabama for 2018 according to the most recent census data:
- Pike Road (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Chelsea (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Gulf Shores (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Calera (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Foley (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Tallassee (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Fairhope (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Auburn (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Spanish Fort (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Wetumpka (Photos | Homes For Sale)
If you happen to be a resident of Pike Road, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on our list.
If you’re surprised–and you’re wondering why these places are kind of a big deal–keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Alabama are growing like weeds–but first, a bit about our methodology.
And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Alabama or the Fastest Growing States In America.
How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In Heart of Dixie
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the begining of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Population in 2016
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to 2016 (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2017)
We ranked all 105 Alabama cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Heart of Dixie.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:
[Population 2016 – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]
Here’s a graph of the cities in Alabama with the largest percent increase in population:
1. Pike Road
Population: 7,790 Population 2010: 5,072
Growth Rate: 53.59%
Absolute Growth: 2,718
More on Pike Road: Homes For Sale | Data
2. Chelsea
Population: 11,706 Population 2010: 9,202
Growth Rate: 27.21%
Absolute Growth: 2,504
More on Chelsea: Homes For Sale | Data
3. Gulf Shores
GulfShoresAlB
| GFDLPopulation: 11,252 Population 2010: 9,035
Growth Rate: 24.54%
Absolute Growth: 2,217
More on Gulf Shores: Homes For Sale | Data
4. Calera
Population: 12,839 Population 2010: 10,374
Growth Rate: 23.76%
Absolute Growth: 2,465
More on Calera: Homes For Sale | Data
Calera is a city in Shelby and Chilton counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the location of the Shelby County Airport. Calera’s population was 3,158 at the 2000 census.
5. Foley
Population: 16,741 Population 2010: 13,570
Growth Rate: 23.37%
Absolute Growth: 3,171
More on Foley: Homes For Sale | Data
Foley is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 14,618. Foley is a principal city of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Baldwin County.
6. Tallassee
Population: 5,657 Population 2010: 4,683
Growth Rate: 20.8%
Absolute Growth: 974
More on Tallassee: Homes For Sale | Data
Tallassee (pronounced
tælsi
) is a city on the Tallapoosa River, located in both Elmore and Tallapoosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2010 census the population was 4,819. It is home to a major hydroelectric power plant at Thurlow Dam operated by Alabama Power Company.
7. Fairhope
Population: 17,996 Population 2010: 14,927
Growth Rate: 20.56%
Absolute Growth: 3,069
More on Fairhope: Homes For Sale | Data
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 15,326. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. In 2016, Fairhope was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine.
8. Auburn
Population: 60,318 Population 2010: 51,057
Growth Rate: 18.14%
Absolute Growth: 9,261
More on Auburn: Homes For Sale | Data
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2016 population of 63,118. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population of 158,991, along with the Columbus, GA-AL MSA and Tuskegee, Alabama, comprises the greater Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA, a region home to 501,649 residents.
9. Spanish Fort
Population: 7,825 Population 2010: 6,624
Growth Rate: 18.13%
Absolute Growth: 1,201
More on Spanish Fort: Homes For Sale | Data
Spanish Fort is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 6,798. It is a suburb of Mobile and is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area.
10. Wetumpka
Population: 7,654 Population 2010: 6,480
Growth Rate: 18.12%
Absolute Growth: 1,174
More on Wetumpka: Homes For Sale | Data
Wetumpka is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 6,528. In the early 21st century, Elmore County, long a rural area, became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is considered part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Area.
These Places Grew Up So Fast, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Alabama are led by Pike Road which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
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