27 counties · Boom Town Index

Alabama

Avg BTI Score
54 / 100
Population
4.1M
+0.8% avg growth
National Rank
#24 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
$58,119
State median across 27 counties
Median Home Value
$165,600
Income-to-home ratio: 0.35
Building Permits
19,985
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 Houston County 96 D +3.6% +1.4% +0.6% +9.6% 2.9x +2.6% -0.8 12x
02 Walker County 94 D +1.4% +4.7% -0.3% +11.7% 4.1x -2.9% 0.5 9x
03 Colbert County 93 C +2.1% +2.1% +0.8% +7.9% 3.0x +1.1% 0.7 11x
04 Lee County 87 D +3.1% +2.4% +1.7% +3.7% 5.5x +4.0% -0.2 11x
05 Cullman County 85 B- +1.6% +4.5% +1.3% +10.3% 4.5x +4.0% 0.6 9x
06 Calhoun County 84 D +2.1% +2.5% -0.2% +6.6% 3.3x +4.4% 0.2 13x
07 Russell County 80 F +3.3% +5.2% +0.3% +7.6% 4.7x +2.6% -0.2 9x
08 Elmore County 76 D +3.5% +7.5% +0.6% +8.4% 7.2x +4.3% 2.1 12x
09 Etowah County 76 D +3.1% +3.4% -0.1% +11.1% 4.9x +3.2% 1.0 16x
10 Marshall County 74 B- +1.8% +3.3% +0.8% +10.1% 4.0x -0.2% 0.4 9x
11 DeKalb County 71 B +1.8% +6.2% +0.2% +8.8% 3.9x -0.5% -1.6 16x
12 Lauderdale County 67 C+ +1.6% +3.6% +1.1% +12.2% 5.5x -0.5% 0.9 12x
13 St. Clair County 58 C +0.4% +5.5% +1.4% +12.5% 7.7x +1.1% 1.4 10x
14 Autauga County 57 D +1.2% -7.8% +0.9% +9.0% 6.4x +2.8% 0.8 9x
15 Morgan County 51 D +0.6% +4.2% +0.4% +9.7% 3.3x +0.5% 1.1 13x
16 Madison County 50 D -0.6% +3.4% +2.0% +9.7% 2.9x +0.3% -1.2 15x
17 Montgomery County 41 F +0.2% +2.7% -0.4% +8.0% 2.2x +0.5% -0.3 9x
18 Mobile County 38 F +0.4% +4.1% -0.2% +8.2% 2.8x -1.8% 1.5 11x
19 Coffee County 34 C -0.3% +6.3% +1.0% +5.4% 4.8x -1.7% -0.7 10x
20 Blount County 31 C+ +0.3% +8.2% +0.3% +8.7% 8.0x -0.8% 0.2 18x
21 Shelby County 29 B +0.4% +0.5% +1.4% +9.7% 4.7x +1.4% 1.1 14x
22 Limestone County 28 C +0.0% +4.6% +3.0% +13.3% 4.3x +0.8% -0.4 13x
23 Baldwin County 25 B -0.7% +2.8% +2.8% +10.4% 6.1x -1.0% 1.8 13x
24 Jefferson County 19 F +0.4% +1.4% -0.0% +9.0% 2.7x +0.1% 0.5 13x
25 Tuscaloosa County 17 D -0.5% +3.4% +3.4% +7.2% 4.5x -0.4% 0.5 12x
26 Jackson County 8 C +0.1% +2.1% +0.1% +6.8% 4.1x -1.9% 1.2 15x
27 Talladega County 3 F -0.0% +10.7% -0.9% +15.5% 2.9x -1.4% 1.3 8x

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
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  2. rocketcitynow.com
  3. alabama.gov
  4. alabamarealtors.com
  5. alreporter.com
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  7. parcalabama.org
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  9. parcalabama.org
  10. redfin.com
  11. youtube.com
  12. stl.news