Data / Rankings / Housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) / Cities in Alabama

Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)

Gulf Shores, AL had the highest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) of 66 cities in 2023, at 50.5%. Gardendale, AL had the lowest, at 1.9%. The median was 10.3% and the figure for Alabama was 15%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest50.5Gulf Shores, AL
Lowest1.9Gardendale, AL
Median10.366 cities
Alabama15History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Gulf Shores, AL: 50.5 %Gulf Shores, AL50.5Prichard, AL: 23.6 %Prichard, AL23.6Tuscaloosa, AL: 21.5 %Tuscaloosa, AL21.5Troy, AL: 21.1 %Troy, AL21.1Gadsden, AL: 21 %Gadsden, AL21Anniston, AL: 19.6 %Anniston, AL19.6Birmingham, AL: 18.7 %Birmingham, AL18.7Talladega, AL: 18.2 %Talladega, AL18.2Selma, AL: 17.5 %Selma, AL17.5Valley, AL: 17.3 %Valley, AL17.3Eufaula, AL: 17.1 %Eufaula, AL17.1Alexander City, AL: 16.9 %Alexander City, AL16.9Bessemer, AL: 16 %Bessemer, AL16Rainbow City, AL: 15.1 %Rainbow City, AL15.1Auburn, AL: 14.7 %Auburn, AL14.7Jasper, AL: 14.6 %Jasper, AL14.6Mobile, AL: 14.5 %Mobile, AL14.5Montgomery, AL: 14.5 %Montgomery, AL14.5Center Point, AL: 14.3 %Center Point, AL14.3Dothan, AL: 13.7 %Dothan, AL13.7Florence, AL: 13 %Florence, AL13Fort Payne, AL: 12.8 %Fort Payne, AL12.8Clay, AL: 12.8 %Clay, AL12.8Ozark, AL: 12.3 %Ozark, AL12.3Phenix City, AL: 12.3 %Phenix City, AL12.3Enterprise, AL: 11.7 %Enterprise, AL11.7Pell City, AL: 11.2 %Pell City, AL11.2Spanish Fort, AL: 11 %Spanish Fort, AL11Homewood, AL: 10.9 %Homewood, AL10.9Boaz, AL: 10.9 %Boaz, AL10.9Foley, AL: 10.8 %Foley, AL10.8Russellville, AL: 10.6 %Russellville, AL10.6Saraland, AL: 10.5 %Saraland, AL10.5Fairhope, AL: 10.1 %Fairhope, AL10.1Oxford, AL: 10.1 %Oxford, AL10.1Jacksonville, AL: 10 %Jacksonville, AL10Hueytown, AL: 10 %Hueytown, AL10Scottsboro, AL: 9.7 %Scottsboro, AL9.7Cullman, AL: 8.9 %Cullman, AL8.9Opelika, AL: 8.8 %Opelika, AL8.8Gulf Shores, AL: 50.5 %Gulf Shores, AL50.5Prichard, AL: 23.6 %Prichard, AL23.6Tuscaloosa, AL: 21.5 %Tuscaloosa, AL21.5Troy, AL: 21.1 %Troy, AL21.1Gadsden, AL: 21 %Gadsden, AL21Anniston, AL: 19.6 %Anniston, AL19.6Birmingham, AL: 18.7 %Birmingham, AL18.7Talladega, AL: 18.2 %Talladega, AL18.2Selma, AL: 17.5 %Selma, AL17.5Valley, AL: 17.3 %Valley, AL17.3Eufaula, AL: 17.1 %Eufaula, AL17.1Alexander City, AL: 16.9 %Alexander City, AL16.9Bessemer, AL: 16 %Bessemer, AL16Rainbow City, AL: 15.1 %Rainbow City, AL15.1Auburn, AL: 14.7 %Auburn, AL14.7Jasper, AL: 14.6 %Jasper, AL14.6Mobile, AL: 14.5 %Mobile, AL14.5Montgomery, AL: 14.5 %Montgomery, AL14.5Center Point, AL: 14.3 %Center Point, AL14.3Dothan, AL: 13.7 %Dothan, AL13.7Florence, AL: 13 %Florence, AL13Fort Payne, AL: 12.8 %Fort Payne, AL12.8Clay, AL: 12.8 %Clay, AL12.8Ozark, AL: 12.3 %Ozark, AL12.3Phenix City, AL: 12.3 %Phenix City, AL12.3Enterprise, AL: 11.7 %Enterprise, AL11.7Pell City, AL: 11.2 %Pell City, AL11.2Spanish Fort, AL: 11 %Spanish Fort, AL11Homewood, AL: 10.9 %Homewood, AL10.9Boaz, AL: 10.9 %Boaz, AL10.9Foley, AL: 10.8 %Foley, AL10.8Russellville, AL: 10.6 %Russellville, AL10.6Saraland, AL: 10.5 %Saraland, AL10.5Fairhope, AL: 10.1 %Fairhope, AL10.1Oxford, AL: 10.1 %Oxford, AL10.1Jacksonville, AL: 10 %Jacksonville, AL10Hueytown, AL: 10 %Hueytown, AL10Scottsboro, AL: 9.7 %Scottsboro, AL9.7Cullman, AL: 8.9 %Cullman, AL8.9Opelika, AL: 8.8 %Opelika, AL8.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Gulf Shores, AL50.5-0.8 pts
2Prichard, AL23.60 pts
3Tuscaloosa, AL21.5-1.9 pts
4Troy, AL21.1-2 pts
5Gadsden, AL21-0.1 pts
6Anniston, AL19.6+0.6 pts
7Birmingham, AL18.7-1.9 pts
8Talladega, AL18.2-0.7 pts
9Selma, AL17.5-2.5 pts
10Valley, AL17.3-1.1 pts
11Eufaula, AL17.1+0.8 pts
12Alexander City, AL16.9-0.2 pts
13Bessemer, AL16-1.2 pts
14Rainbow City, AL15.1+1.5 pts
15Auburn, AL14.7-1.9 pts
16Jasper, AL14.6+1.2 pts
17Mobile, AL14.5+0.1 pts
18Montgomery, AL14.5-0.8 pts
19Center Point, AL14.3-0.4 pts
20Dothan, AL13.7-1.7 pts
21Florence, AL13-0.7 pts
22Fort Payne, AL12.8+1 pts
23Clay, AL12.8+1.8 pts
24Ozark, AL12.3-0.7 pts
25Phenix City, AL12.3-1.4 pts
26Enterprise, AL11.7-0.8 pts
27Pell City, AL11.2+1.4 pts
28Spanish Fort, AL11-1.2 pts
29Homewood, AL10.9-0.4 pts
30Boaz, AL10.9-2.1 pts
31Foley, AL10.8-0.8 pts
32Russellville, AL10.6-2.3 pts
33Saraland, AL10.5+0.2 pts
34Fairhope, AL10.1-1.7 pts
35Oxford, AL10.1+0.4 pts
36Jacksonville, AL10-0.7 pts
37Hueytown, AL10-1.2 pts
38Scottsboro, AL9.7-2.7 pts
39Cullman, AL8.9-0.4 pts
40Opelika, AL8.8-1.1 pts
41Hartselle, AL8.6-3.3 pts
42Sylacauga, AL8.5-1.9 pts
43Leeds, AL8.5-3 pts
44Athens, AL8.4-1.5 pts
45Huntsville, AL8.3+0.3 pts
46Daphne, AL8.2+0.6 pts
47Albertville, AL8.2-0.2 pts
48Irondale, AL7.8+0.3 pts
49Vestavia Hills, AL7.6+0.3 pts
50Millbrook, AL7.1+0.2 pts
51Pike Road, AL7-1 pts
52Decatur, AL6.9-0.9 pts
53Hoover, AL6.7+0.4 pts
54Northport, AL6.1+0.3 pts
55Moody, AL5.9+1.3 pts
56Muscle Shoals, AL5.9-0.4 pts
57Prattville, AL5.6-0.8 pts
58Mountain Brook, AL5.6-0.8 pts
59Helena, AL5.5-0.6 pts
60Trussville, AL4.6+0.7 pts
61Alabaster, AL3.6-0.3 pts
62Chelsea, AL3.5-1.2 pts
63Madison, AL3.2+0.2 pts
64Calera, AL2.9-0.4 pts
65Pelham, AL2-0.7 pts
66Gardendale, AL1.9-1.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units.

More on how it is measured
  • Vacant units include those for rent or for sale, rented or sold but not yet occupied, for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, for migrant workers, and other vacant units.
  • United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

This gross rate counts seasonal and other off-market vacant units, so it is much higher than the rental and homeowner vacancy rates of the Housing Vacancy Survey (rental_vacancy_rate and homeowner_vacancy_rate) and cannot be compared with them. Counties with many holiday homes have high rates.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_alabama_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/alabama-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Alabama by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)?

Gulf Shores, AL, with 50.5% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)?

Gardendale, AL, with 1.9% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US): other rankings

Cities in Alabama: more rankings