Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Dauphin Island’s subject grades are an A− for health and an A+ for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 37% of residents are 65 or older in Dauphin Island, against 18% in Alabama’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. No town in Alabama scores lower than Dauphin Island on hazard risk. Only 1 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on the outdoors. Dauphin Island has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines. Only 5 of Alabama’s 258 towns score higher on civic life. Dauphin Island has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Dauphin Island beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1718.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Dauphin Island is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dauphin Island, 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 Dauphin Island.
On the market in Dauphin Island: a median 117 days to sell. Among 188 Alabama towns, just one has a higher owner-occupancy rate than Dauphin Island. A typical home in the town is worth about $463,000, about the same as a year ago, 94% above the Alabama typical home.
| Dauphin Island | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 98% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,844 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Mobile County school district. Dauphin Island’s only public school teaches 60 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin Island Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 60 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
41% of Dauphin Island’s expected losses from natural hazards come from coastal flooding, followed by hurricanes at 36%. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1985: 2,693. Federal aid has come to Dauphin Island households in 12 declared disasters; the latest was in 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dauphin Island’s violent crime rate is 1.5 per 1,000 residents. Its rate of thefts and burglaries is 8.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Dauphin Island | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In Dauphin Island, 22% of adults get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Dauphin Island beats the Alabama average on 19 and trails it on 3. 13% of adults in Dauphin Island report frequent mental distress; 32% sleep under 7 hours. Among 188 Alabama towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Dauphin Island.
| Dauphin Island | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 40% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dauphin Island | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.8% | 9.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.8% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical July afternoon high for Dauphin Island comes to 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Half the trips to work are shorter than 29 miles. Jobs based in Dauphin Island grew to 595 in 2023, 93 more than in 2013. One in 5 of the town’s working residents works locally. Also worth knowing: for Dauphin Island, the typical journey to work is 33 minutes.
| Dauphin Island | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest park or preserve is Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, at 649 acres. Trails total 4.9 miles in 11 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary | 2.7 mi | 106 |
| 2. Indian Shell Mound Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
| 3. Little Dauphin Island Unit, Bon Secour NWR | — | 649 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dauphin Island. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MuseumUSS Alabama
8 mi MuseumFort Morgan
in town LandmarkFort Gaines8 mi LandmarkFort Bowyer
31 mi MuseumUSS Drum
14 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a yearUSS Alabama: USN, Public domain · Fort Morgan: Altairisfar, Public domain · Fort Gaines: Altairisfar, Public domain · USS Drum: Jean-Pierre Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Dauphin Island; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Dauphin Island residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
1,238 counted in 2010 and 1,778 in 2020; an estimated 1,929 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Dauphin Island on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Alabama, United States
Dauphin Island (French: Île du Dauphine), is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. It was incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. The island (originally named Massacre Island) was renamed for the king Louis XIV's great-grandson and heir, the dauphin, the future king Louis XV. The name of the island is often mistaken as Dolphin Island; the word dauphin is French for 'dolphin', but historically the term was used as the title of the heir apparent to the French monarch. The island is one of the Mississippi–A…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
