Franklin vs Huntsville
The short version
- Huntsville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Franklin area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $293,600 in Huntsville and $705,400 in Franklin.
- Households earn more in Franklin ($119,528 vs $74,714 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Huntsville (20 vs 24 minutes each way).
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Alabama's top rate is 5%.
Side by side
| Franklin, TN | Huntsville, AL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 90,226 | 233,627 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8% | +8.7% |
| People per square mile | 2,025 | 1,037 |
| Median age | 38.6 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 65% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $119,528 | $74,714 |
| Median home value | $705,400 | $293,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,923 | $1,171 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.3 | 93.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 104.6 | 77.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,300 | $69,800 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | None | 5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 9.46% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.9 | 19.7 |
| Work from home | 30% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 4.6% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 49° / 29° | 52° / 33° |
| July high / low | 91° / 69° | 92° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 54 in | 54 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 45 | 62 |
| Nights below freezing | 84 | 56 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 1 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 85.1 | 94.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.6% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.8% | +43% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Franklin: September to October. Huntsville: October.
Full monthly tables: Franklin weather by month and Huntsville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,300 in Franklin and $69,800 in Huntsville. Moving from Franklin to Huntsville, you would need about $72,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Franklin and Huntsville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Franklin and Huntsville.
Which would you pick?
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