Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Montgomery grades D overall, ranked 152nd of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. Its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 1,253 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 67 places on the National Register. 64% of working residents work locally in Montgomery, where Alabama’s towns sit at 9.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Alabama State Capitol and Montgomery Union Station and Trainshed. Only 12 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on walkability.
Where Montgomery beats most towns.
Alabama State Capitol| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Auburn University at Montgomery | 4,125 |
| Alabama State University | 3,366 |
| Faulkner University | 1,705 |
Alabama State Capitol is one of 5 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 67 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Alabama towns with a listing.
Census counts: 695 in 1830, 200,603 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1843 and 4 maps from 1930 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Montgomery is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montgomery. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi National Historic SiteTuskegee Institute National Historic Site9K visitors a year
in town MuseumThe National Memorial to Peace and Justice
in town LandmarkCivil Rights Memorial
in town MuseumThe Legacy Museumin town LandmarkMothers of Gynecology Monument
36 mi LakeLake MartinTuskegee Institute National Historic Site: 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 · The National Memorial to Peace and Justice: Soniakapadia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Civil Rights Memorial: Colin Mutchler from Brooklyn, United States, CC BY 2.0 · The Legacy Museum: Soniakapadia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Martin: Rebecca Hagen, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montgomery, 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 Montgomery.
Montgomery draws workers from Prattville and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
115,030 jobs are based in Montgomery, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
22% of Montgomery residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Prattville (2%), Birmingham (2%) and Huntsville (1%). The average trip to work in Montgomery is 21 minutes.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County school district. Three of its 66 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewbaker Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 806 | D |
| Johnson Abernathy Graetz High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,587 | D |
| Loveless Academic Magnet Program High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 394 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 1,334 to 6,792 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Montgomery’s violent crime rate is 6.4 per 1,000 residents. Montgomery reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. Montgomery’s property crime rate is 28.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Montgomery beats the Alabama average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 46% of adults have obesity in Montgomery.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 39% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Montgomery | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.1% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.3 years of the Montgomery metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $150K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Montgomery home is worth about $150,000, up 1.7% in a year, 37% below the Alabama typical home.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 46% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,089 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
34 miles of trail in 56 parks and preserves. Lagoon Park, at 448 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blount Cultural Park | 2.5 mi | 174 |
| 2. Lagoon Park | 1.3 mi | 448 |
| 3. Gateway Park | 1.3 mi | 99 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Only 4 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a higher July high than Montgomery. Montgomery has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alabama average. Montgomery has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 195,300 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.
| Montgomery | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.6 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
53.5% women, 46.5% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.5, men 33.9.
| Montgomery | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.8% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.6% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
228 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 228 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montgomery.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Montgomery
About 7 of every 100 Montgomery residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
6 colleges in town.
67 places in Montgomery on the National Register of Historic Places.
43 notable people were born in Montgomery.
Capital city of Alabama, United States
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. It was named for Continental Army Major-General Richard Montgomery and stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 200,603 at the 2020 census. It is the fourth-most populous city in the state, after Huntsville, Mobile, and Birmingham, and the 133rd-most populous city in the United States. The Montgomery metropolitan area's population in 2022 was 385,460; it is the fourth-largest in the state and 142nd among U.S. metropolitan areas. The city was incorporated in 1819 as a merger of two towns situated along the Alabama River. It replaced Tuscaloosa as the stat…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Montgomery.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | #152 | D | B | C− | C− | C− |
| Pike Road | #33 | B+ | C | — | A | A− |
Pike Road reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Montgomery with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Montgomery grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #152 of 187 in Alabama. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Alabama, it does better than 44% of towns.
That is 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($64,010 across the Montgomery, 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 B.
43 notable people were born here, including Nat King Cole and Octavia Spencer.
