Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mobile grades D− overall, 169th of 187 graded towns in Alabama, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 1,510 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 76% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 122 places on the National Register. 62% of working residents work locally in Mobile, above both Alabama’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Mobile City Hall and USS ALABAMA (battleship). Only 20 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on cost of living.
Where Mobile beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Mobile City Hall| College | Students |
|---|---|
| University of South Alabama | 9,804 |
| Bishop State Community College | 2,858 |
| Spring Hill College | 828 |
Mobile City Hall is one of 4 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1702, is the earliest of any Alabama town we grade.
Census counts: 1,500 in 1820, 187,041 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 6 maps from 1922 on.
122 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Mobile is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mobile. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town MuseumUSS Alabama
in town MuseumUSS Drum
in town MuseumBattleship Memorial Park
in town Stadium & arenaMobile Civic Center
31 mi MuseumFort Morgan
in town MuseumFort CharlotteUSS Alabama: USN, Public domain · USS Drum: Jean-Pierre Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Battleship Memorial Park: Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0 · Mobile Civic Center: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Morgan: Altairisfar, Public domain · Fort Charlotte: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mobile, 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 Mobile.
Mobile draws workers from Tillmans Corner and beyond, fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
126,338 jobs are based in Mobile, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
18% of residents live below the poverty line in Mobile. Jobs based in Mobile grew to 126,338 in 2023, 6,369 more than in 2013. The median household income in Mobile is $54,000.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Mobile County school district. Three of its 78 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernice J Causey Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,339 | B |
| WP Davidson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,470 | B+ |
| EicholdMertz School of Math and ScienceTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 504 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
78 miles of trail in 78 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tom Roush Tract, at 660 acres.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.3% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. USA Mountain Bike Trails | 8.1 mi | 121 |
| 2. Langan Park | 6.1 mi | 379 |
| 3. Glenn Sebastian Nature Trails | 3.4 mi | 104 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 48.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 8,048 to 5,241 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mobile’s violent crime rate is 5.9 per 1,000 residents. Mobile reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4,186 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 525 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 4,186 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mobile.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,975 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mobile’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Alabama it is less healthy than 51% of the 187 graded towns: much of Alabama scores lower on these measures.
Mobile beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 17% of Mobile adults have diabetes.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 40% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mobile | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.1% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 41°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.8°.
Mobile has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 9 have a higher January low than Mobile. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Mobile home is worth about $197,000, about the same as a year ago, 18% below the Alabama typical home.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 57% | 46% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,068 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. Mobile has lost 2.9% of its people since 2020, down to 200,824 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Mobile | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.3 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 23% | 29% |
53.3% women, 46.7% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.9, men 35.4.
| Mobile | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.1% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
6 within 15 miles of the center of Mobile
About 7 of every 100 Mobile residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
4 colleges in town.
122 places in Mobile on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Mobile.
City in Alabama, United States
Mobile ( moh-BEEL; French: [mɔbil] ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 census and estimated at 204,689 following an annexation in 2023, making it the second-most populous city in Alabama. The Mobile metropolitan area, with an estimated 412,000 people, is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the state. Alabama's only deep-water port, Mobile is located on the Mobile River at the head of Mobile Bay on the north-central Gulf Coast. The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of the city, beginning with the settlement as an important trading center between the French colonists and Nati…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Mobile.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | #169 | D− | C+ | D | C− | C |
| Tillmans Corner | #148 | D | B+ | — | C− | D |
| Prichard | #173 | D− | B+ | D | C− | D− |
| Chickasaw | #180 | D− | B | C− | D− | D |
| Theodore | #157 | D | B− | — | C− | C− |
| Saraland | #64 | B− | C+ | B− | A+ | B− |
| Semmes | #178 | D− | C+ | D− | C− | C+ |
| Spanish Fort | #41 | B+ | B− | B | B+ | A |
Tillmans Corner and Theodore report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mobile with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mobile grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #169 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($58,880 across the Mobile, AL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
28 notable people were born here, including Tim Cook and Lloyd J. Austin III.
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