Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,724, settled in 1905.
Summerdale’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 13% of residents are under 18 in Summerdale, below both the Alabama town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). On hazard risk, just 9 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse. Summerdale reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Summerdale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Summerdale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Summerdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Summerdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 267 in 1930, 1,468 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1921 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Summerdale, 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 Summerdale.
Most working residents leave Summerdale for work: only 4% work in town. 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Summerdale, below both Alabama’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in Summerdale grew to 995 in 2023, 462 more than in 2013.
| Summerdale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Baldwin County school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summerdale SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 615 | B+ |
| Snook Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 381 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Summerdale is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Summerdale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The property crime rate in Summerdale is 23.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Summerdale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.8 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Summerdale’s FEMA risk score is 95 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Summerdale since 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Summerdale beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 44% of Summerdale adults have high blood pressure.
| Summerdale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Summerdale | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.2% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Summerdale has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 41° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Summerdale home is worth about $286,000, down 0.6% in a year, 20% above the Alabama typical home. 88% of households own their home in Summerdale.
| Summerdale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,000 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Summerdale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MuseumUSS Alabama
26 mi LandmarkFort Pickens
26 mi Ancient siteUSS Massachusetts
24 mi MuseumUSS Drum
26 mi MuseumFort Morgan
25 mi MuseumNational Naval Aviation MuseumUSS Alabama: USN, Public domain · Fort Pickens: Notneb82, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain · USS Drum: Jean-Pierre Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Morgan: Altairisfar, Public domain · National Naval Aviation Museum: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Summerdale; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Summerdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Town in Alabama, United States
Summerdale is a rural town in south-central Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. It is the site of the Naval Outlying Landing Field Summerdale. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,468. It is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Summerdale.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summerdale | — | — | A | D | B+ | C− |
| Foley | #75 | C+ | B− | C+ | B+ | B− |
| Robertsdale | #76 | C+ | A− | C− | B+ | C− |
Summerdale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Summerdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
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