27 counties · Boom Town Index

Alabama

Avg BTI Score
58 / 100
Population
4.2M
+0.9% avg growth
National Rank
#16 of 51

State Overview

Alabama's economy experienced record-breaking capital investment in 2025, with $14.6 billion across 234 projects, creating over 9,300 new jobs. This growth was seen across various sectors, including biosciences, technology, metals, automotive, aerospace, and forestry. Major investments include Eli Lilly and Company's $6 billion advanced manufacturing operation in Huntsville and Limestone County, ArcelorMittal's $1.2 billion facility in Mobile County for specialty electrical steel, and Owens Corning's $325 million shingle manufacturing plant in Prattville. Rural counties also attracted significant investment, totaling $2 billion and 2,011 new job opportunities in 2025.

The housing market in Alabama is stabilizing, with median home prices climbing nearly 20% year-over-year in 2025, even as active listings increased by 8%. Home sales surged by 3.9% in 2025, reaching a record median sales price of $233,969, an 11% increase. However, population growth has slowed due to a sharp decline in international migration in 2025, and domestic migration also decreased modestly. Despite this, Huntsville and Baldwin County continue to experience strong population growth.

Median Household Income
$62,656
State median across 27 counties
Median Home Value
$199,100
Income-to-home ratio: 0.32
Building Permits
18,268
Total residential permits
Natural Amenity
6.5 / 10
#19 of 49 · USDA scale

Alabama Counties

27 counties
Rank County BTI Score Safety Proj. Growth GDP Pop Growth Income Ratio Home Price Climate P/R
01 Colbert County 100 C +5.7% — +0.7% +6.9% 6.7x +2.0% 0.7 13x
02 Coffee County 96 C +3.1% — +1.3% +5.7% 12.1x -1.5% -0.7 11x
03 DeKalb County 94 B +4.9% — +0.5% +0.1% 8.8x +2.6% -1.6 18x
04 Calhoun County 90 D +4.1% — -0.0% -1.4% 8.0x +4.2% 0.2 13x
05 Elmore County 87 D +5.1% — +1.0% +3.6% 18.4x +4.8% 2.1 12x
06 Lee County 86 D +5.1% — +1.9% +7.7% 12.4x +4.4% -0.2 13x
07 Autauga County 84 D +5.1% — +1.1% +3.8% 18.1x +3.7% 0.8 9x
08 Etowah County 78 D +5.1% — -0.1% +2.8% 10.9x +5.3% 1.0 12x
09 Morgan County 78 D +3.0% — +0.6% +6.2% 7.7x +0.6% 1.1 15x
10 Marshall County 77 B- +3.7% — +1.1% +2.7% 9.7x +2.8% 0.4 11x
11 Blount County 71 C+ +4.1% — +0.4% +5.1% 23.6x +0.5% 0.2 19x
12 Tuscaloosa County 70 D +4.0% — +1.5% +3.6% 9.7x +0.3% 0.5 14x
13 St. Clair County 67 C +3.6% — +1.4% -1.9% 16.6x +3.0% 1.4 11x
14 Montgomery County 60 F +2.9% — -0.2% +2.1% 4.6x +2.3% -0.3 10x
15 Lauderdale County 59 C+ +3.9% — +0.8% +6.0% 12.8x +1.7% 0.9 14x
16 Baldwin County 58 B +3.5% — +2.9% +5.0% 16.7x -0.8% 1.8 16x
17 Cullman County 57 B- +3.6% — +1.2% +2.9% 10.8x +3.4% 0.6 12x
18 Houston County 57 D +3.9% — +0.5% +1.9% 6.9x +2.7% -0.8 12x
19 Mobile County 52 F +3.2% — -0.1% +1.3% 7.0x -0.1% 1.5 12x
20 Shelby County 45 B +2.7% — +1.4% +4.7% 12.8x +2.0% 1.1 16x
21 Madison County 32 D +2.9% — +2.2% +3.6% 6.5x +0.7% -1.2 18x
22 Limestone County 27 C +3.0% — +3.4% +0.1% 14.0x +0.9% -0.4 15x
23 Jackson County 21 C +3.6% — +0.4% +5.0% 10.8x -0.1% 1.2 17x
24 Jefferson County 15 F +1.6% — -0.3% +2.8% 5.8x +1.3% 0.5 14x
25 Russell County 12 F +4.3% — -0.1% +2.3% 14.1x +4.6% -0.2 10x
26 Talladega County 6 F +1.4% — -0.2% +2.7% 6.3x -0.9% 1.3 10x
27 Walker County 2 D +1.8% — -0.1% +3.7% 9.3x +1.6% 0.5 10x

Capital Investment in Alabama

Tracked Projects · Public Records
$69.0B
Total tracked investment
23,793
Jobs announced
90
Projects across 19 counties

Where the money is going

Data Centers $30.7B 44%
Manufacturing $19.2B 28%
Energy $8.6B 12%
Infrastructure $7.3B 11%
Industrial/Logistics $1.2B 2%
Commercial/Residential $717M 1%
Education $636M 1%

Top counties by investment

  1. 01 Jefferson County $16.6B
    6 projects · 2,274 jobs
  2. 02 Madison County $11.9B
    6 projects · 3,054 jobs
  3. 03 DeKalb County $6.9B
    6 projects · 6,770 jobs
  4. 04 Limestone County $6.5B
    6 projects · 2,200 jobs
  5. 05 Mobile County $5.2B
    6 projects · 29 jobs
  6. 06 Baldwin County $5.0B
    6 projects · 1,000 jobs

Largest projects in Alabama

Project County Amount Status
Project Marvel Data Center Campus
Logistic Land Investments LLC · Data Centers · 24 jobs
 Jefferson County $14.5B Permitted
AWS Data Center Campus (Madison County, MS - Note: Search result was for MS, not AL. Assuming a similar scale for AL if one were to exist)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) · Data Centers · 1,000 jobs
 Madison County $10.0B Planned
Eli Lilly and Company Advanced Manufacturing Facility
Eli Lilly and Company · Manufacturing · 450 jobs
 Limestone County $6.0B Under Construction
DeKalb County Water and Sewer Infrastructure Investment
DeKalb County · Infrastructure · 6,400 jobs
 DeKalb County $4.3B Planned
Novelis Aluminum Recycling and Rolling Plant
Novelis · Manufacturing · 1,000 jobs
 Baldwin County $4.1B Under Construction
Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Plant Expansion
Mercedes-Benz · Manufacturing
 Tuscaloosa County $4.0B Planned
Southern Natural Gas Company (SNG) Pipeline Expansion (SSE4)
Southern Natural Gas Company (Kinder Morgan & Southern Company) · Energy
 Elmore County $3.0B Planned
Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project
State of Alabama (ALDOT) · Infrastructure
 Mobile County $2.5B Proposed
→ Methodology · How We Tracked $4T Across 858 Counties

Source: public records, corporate announcements, state EDC filings. Tracking projects with $25M+ in announced investment or 500+ jobs. Some figures are estimates where exact totals weren't disclosed.

Alabama shaded relief terrain map
SRTM 30m shaded relief
State Spotlight · 2026-04-29

Alabama sees record investment, housing market stabilizes

What's driving growth

Alabama's economic growth is driven by significant investments in advanced manufacturing and technology. Eli Lilly and Company is building a $6 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Huntsville and Limestone County. ArcelorMittal is investing $1.2 billion in Mobile County for an electrical steel facility.

Housing market right now

Alabama's housing market is stabilizing, with median home prices up 3.9% in March 2026 compared to the previous year. Home sales increased by 5.2% year-over-year in March 2026, with 5,334 homes sold. The median sales price in 2025 reached a record $233,969, an 11% increase over the prior year.

Migration patterns

Population growth in Alabama slowed in 2025 due to a 60% decline in foreign migration. Domestic migration also decreased, though it remains higher than in the first two decades of the century. Huntsville and Baldwin County continue to be among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Headwinds

A significant decline in international migration is slowing overall population growth across most of Alabama, with some urban counties like Jefferson and Mobile experiencing population loss in 2025. Deaths continue to outnumber births statewide and in most counties, making in-migration crucial for population increases.

Key facts

  • Alabama secured a record $14.6 billion in capital investment across 234 projects in 2025. (Alabama Department of Commerce, January 2026)
  • The median home sales price in Alabama reached a record $233,969 in 2025, an 11% increase. (Alabama Association of Realtors, February 2026)
  • Foreign migration to Alabama declined by approximately 60% in 2025. (Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, March 2026)
  • The West Alabama Corridor project's construction ramped up in 2025 and is expected to continue into 2026. (Black Belt Newscast, January 2026)
  • New laws in Alabama effective January 1, 2026, include expanded regulation of hemp products and new oversight of digital platforms and youth access. (STL.News, December 2025)
Updated 2026-04-29 · grounded research
12 sources
  1. alabama.gov
  2. rocketcitynow.com
  3. alabama.gov
  4. alabamarealtors.com
  5. alreporter.com
  6. 1819news.com
  7. parcalabama.org
  8. 256today.com
  9. parcalabama.org
  10. redfin.com
  11. youtube.com
  12. stl.news