Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 17,394, settled in 1947. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Trash day: look up yoursFEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C+, 74th among Alabama's 187 graded towns. Its public schools beat 91% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. Its weakest subject is safety: its police reported 52 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 77% of U.S. towns. 20% of the land in Gulf Shores is conserved, above both Alabama’s towns (1.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On cost of living, just 11 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is Gulf State Park, 3,010 acres with 4 miles of trail.
Where Gulf Shores beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores Elementary School | PK–5 | 1,230 |
| Gulf Shores Middle School | 6–8 | 591 |
| Gulf Shores High School | 9–12 | 927 |
9,741 counted in 2010 and 15,014 in 2020; an estimated 17,394 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.7% since 2020, after 54.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Gulf Shores is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 356 in 1960, 15,014 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1958 and a map from 1978 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gulf Shores, 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 Gulf Shores.
Gulf Shores is a second-home town and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Alabama (mostly hurricanes).
The median property tax bill is $1,206, against $788 across Alabama, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Gulf Shores home is worth about $453,000, about the same as a year ago, 90% above the Alabama typical home. Gulf Shores’ median rent is $1,483 a month, where Alabama’s towns sit at $940 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Gulf Shores | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,483 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Gulf Shores City school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gulf Shores High School, with 927 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,230 | A |
| Gulf Shores High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 927 | A− |
| Gulf Shores Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 591 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Alabama towns, with expected losses of about $1,277 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 5,586 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 916 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 5,586 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gulf Shores. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 2 have a higher FEMA risk score than Gulf Shores.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gulf State Park | 4 mi | 3,010 |
| 2. Johnnie Sims Park | 1.4 mi | 30 |
| 3. Meyer Park | 0.4 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 442 to 359 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Gulf Shores reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. The property crime rate in Gulf Shores is 17.1 per 1,000 residents. Within Alabama, it does better than 53% of towns.
| Gulf Shores | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.1 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with Alabama is food insecurity: 10.4% of its 12,522 adults worry about having enough food, against 19.2% statewide.
Gulf Shores beats the Alabama average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 30% of Gulf Shores adults feel lonely.
| Gulf Shores | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 40% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gulf Shores | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.4% | 19.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 44°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.6°. The Dauphin Is #2 weather station, 22 miles away, records that about 36 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 96% of Alabama places with climate records.
Gulf Shores’ January low is 44°F. Gulf Shores has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Gulf Shores’ July high is 90°F.
| Gulf Shores | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
19.8% of workers work from home, against 8.8% across Alabama.
About one in 4 of Gulf Shores’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Gulf Shores has added 1,631 jobs, to 7,154 in 2023. The top destinations are Orange Beach (16%), Foley (11%) and Mobile (9%).
| Gulf Shores | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gulf Shores. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi MuseumUSS Alabama
19 mi MuseumFort Morgan
25 mi LandmarkFort Pickens
23 mi Ancient siteUSS Massachusetts
24 mi MuseumNational Naval Aviation Museum12 mi BeachOno IslandUSS Alabama: USN, Public domain · Fort Morgan: Altairisfar, Public domain · Fort Pickens: Notneb82, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain · National Naval Aviation Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Gulf Shores; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Gulf Shores residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
20.1% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
City in Alabama, United States
Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,014.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Gulf Shores.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores | #74 | C+ | C | C− | A | B+ |
| Orange Beach | #53 | B | C | C− | A | A− |
| Foley | #75 | C+ | B− | C+ | B+ | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gulf Shores grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #74 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 53% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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