Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Auburn grades A− overall, 26th among Alabama's 187 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 93% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 68% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $421K, 6.6 years of the Auburn metro’s $64K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Auburn, above both the Alabama town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On hazard risk, just 3 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better. Auburn has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Noble Hall and Auburn Players Theater.
Where Auburn beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ogletree Elementary School | 3–5 | 523 |
| Auburn Early Education Center | K–2 | 492 |
| Pick Elementary School | 3–5 | 464 |
Noble Hall
Census counts: 1,018 in 1870, 76,143 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 3 maps from 1907 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Auburn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburn, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Auburn.
Auburn fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally, is shaped by its college students and carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Alabama (mostly inland flooding).
At 6.6 years of the Auburn metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $421K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. 61.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.8% across Alabama.
53% of households own their home in Auburn. The typical Auburn home is worth about $421,000, up 4.1% in a year, 77% above the Alabama typical home. 61% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Auburn.
| Auburn | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 61% | 46% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,098 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #9 of the 187 Alabama towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Auburn City school district. Three of its 17 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Samford SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 733 | A |
| Auburn High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 2,227 | A |
| Ogletree Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 523 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
57 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. Auburn’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. Chewacla State Park, at 560 acres with 25.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Auburn | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chewacla State Park | 25.2 mi | 560 |
| 2. Kiesel Park | 2.5 mi | 117 |
| 3. Town Creek Park | 1.7 mi | 72 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Alabama towns, with expected losses of about $196 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Auburn is 28 of 100. Since 1981, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Auburn.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,680 U.S. towns with household incomes like Auburn’s, it is healthier than 90%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Alabama is heart disease: 3.9% of its 61,380 adults have heart disease, against 7.3% statewide.
30% of Auburn adults have high blood pressure. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Auburn. 26% of Auburn adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Auburn | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 15% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Auburn | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.9% | 7.3% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Auburn No.2 weather station records that about 49 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 84% of Alabama places with climate records.
Auburn has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
44% of Auburn’s working residents work right in town. Since 2013, Auburn has added 5,495 jobs, to 30,362 in 2023. The top destinations are Opelika (18%), Montgomery (5%) and Columbus (2%).
| Auburn | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 44% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,068 to 820 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Auburn. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaJordan–Hare Stadium
Big draw17 mi National Historic SiteTuskegee Institute National Historic Site9K visitors a year
26 mi LakeLake Martin
15 mi National Historic SiteTuskegee Airmen National Historic Site25K visitors a year39 mi MuseumU.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection
in town MuseumJule Collins Smith Museum of Fine ArtJordan–Hare Stadium: AuburnPilot, Public domain · Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site: 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Martin: Rebecca Hagen, Public domain · Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site: Rivers A. Langley; SaveRivers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Auburn
College town 31 of every 100 Auburn residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
53,380 counted in 2010 and 76,143 in 2020; an estimated 85,113 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.1% since 2020, after 42.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Auburn on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Auburn.
City in Alabama, United States
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a 2020 population of 193,773, along with the Columbus, GA-AL MSA and Tuskegee, Alabama, comprises the greater Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA, a region home to 563,967 residents as of 2020. Auburn is a historic college town and home to Auburn University, the highest academically ranked university in the state. It is Alabama's fastest-growing metropolitan area and the 19th-fastest-growing metro area in the United States as measured since 1990. U.S. New…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Auburn.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Auburn grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #26 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and A for schools.
18 notable people were born here, including Frederick Chapman Robbins and Robert Gibbs.
