Huntsville is now the largest city in Alabama, with an estimated 233,627 residents in 2025.[1] It shows up on national lists for jobs, STEM careers and places to live. Here's what each ranking actually says, who published it and when, plus the federal numbers behind it, so you can decide what matters for your family.
We list only rankings we could open and check on the publisher's own site. Rankings use different methods and change every year, so treat them as a starting point, not a verdict.
Huntsville in national rankings
| Ranking (publisher, year) | Where Huntsville placed | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Live, 2026-2027 | #110 of 250 nationally; #5 in Alabama; #176 on the Best Places to Retire list[2,3] | Quality of life, value, job market and desirability |
| WalletHub Best Cities for Jobs, 2026 | #10 of 182 cities; #9 for job market[4] | Job market and socioeconomic measures |
| CoworkingCafe Best U.S. Metros for Science Professionals, 2025 | #4 among mid-sized metros[5] | STEM job share, employers, wages and living costs |
Why the U.S. News rank fell
Huntsville was #1 on the U.S. News list in 2022-2023, #2 in 2023-2024 and #7 in 2024-2025. In the 2025-2026 edition it dropped to #85 after U.S. News expanded the list from 150 metro areas to more than 850 cities, as AL.com reported.[6] In the current 2026-2027 edition Huntsville is #110 of the 250 places U.S. News publishes.[2] The drop came alongside a change in what was being ranked, so the older and newer numbers aren't directly comparable.
What the STEM ranking found
CoworkingCafe's 2025 study ranked the Huntsville metro #4 among mid-sized metros for science professionals. It found that STEM jobs make up more than 23% of employment, that the area has more than 400 STEM establishments, and that the average STEM wage is above $94,000, while prices run about 6% below the national average.[5]
A growing city
| City | 2020 Census base | 2025 estimate | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 214,989 | 233,627 | +8.7% |
| Madison | 56,910 | 67,968 | +19.4% |
Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates. In 2025 Huntsville was ahead of Mobile (200,824), Birmingham (195,893) and Montgomery (195,300).[1]
The federal numbers behind the lists
- Prices: BEA's 2024 Regional Price Parities put the Huntsville metro at 93.1, about 7% below the U.S. average of 100. Housing is lower still, at 77.9.[7]
- Pay: the median annual wage across all jobs in the Huntsville metro was $51,740 in May 2025, compared with $50,980 nationally.[8,9]
- Engineering jobs: the metro had about 4,880 aerospace engineers (median $131,090) and 7,030 software developers (median $128,080) in May 2025.[8]
- Federal pay: General Schedule employees in the Huntsville-Decatur locality area get a 21.91% locality payment in 2026, compared with 17.06% in the Rest of U.S. area.[10,11]
Who tends to move here
Redstone Arsenal is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and many Army and Department of War organizations, and Cummings Research Park calls itself the second-largest research park in the U.S.[12,13,14] That's why so many newcomers are either military families on orders or engineers, scientists and federal civilians taking jobs on or near the Arsenal. Our guides are written for both:
- PCS move guides from other bases
- Engineering, federal and Redstone Arsenal jobs and Cummings Research Park employers and commutes
- Neighborhoods near Redstone Arsenal and school districts
The honest tradeoffs
- Severe weather: North Alabama has a spring tornado season and a second peak in November. Read the Huntsville severe weather guide before you choose a home.[15]
- Traffic near the Arsenal: Gate 9 and the roads around Research Park get busy at rush hour. See commute times by part of town and gate hours.
- Rankings move: as the U.S. News history shows, a city's rank can change a lot when a publisher changes its method.[6]
Frequently asked questions
Is Huntsville the largest city in Alabama?
Where does Huntsville rank on U.S. News Best Places to Live?
Is Huntsville a good city for jobs?
Is Huntsville cheaper than average?
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on October 27, 2026. Rules, hours and figures change, so confirm with the official source before you act.
- U.S. Census Bureau: City and town population totals, Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025_1)
- U.S. News & World Report: Huntsville, AL in Best Places to Live 2026-2027 (#110 of 250; #5 in Alabama)
- U.S. News & World Report: Best Places to Live in Alabama, 2026-2027
- WalletHub: Best Cities for Jobs 2026 (Huntsville #10 of 182)
- CoworkingCafe: Best U.S. Metros for Science Professionals (June 18, 2025)
- AL.com: Huntsville makes dramatic fall in U.S. News & World Report city ranking (May 20, 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: Regional Price Parities by state and metro area (2024 data, MARPP table)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS May 2025, Huntsville, AL metropolitan area (26620), retrieved via the BLS Public Data API
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS May 2025, national occupational wage estimates
- OPM: 2026 General Schedule salary table, Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN locality (21.91%)
- OPM: 2026 General Schedule salary table, Rest of U.S. locality (17.06%)
- Huntsville/Madison County Chamber: 2026 Leading Employers (July 2026, PDF)
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS: Redstone Arsenal installation overview
- Cummings Research Park: home page (2nd-largest research park in the U.S.)
- National Weather Service Huntsville: Severe Weather Awareness (spring and November peaks)