Hoover vs Mobile
The short version
- Mobile is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Hoover area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $193,300 in Mobile and $412,200 in Hoover.
- Households earn more in Hoover ($109,253 vs $53,558 median).
- Mobile has the warmer winter: January highs of 62°F vs 55°F.
- Hoover is growing faster: +1.1% since 2020 vs -2.9%.
Side by side
| Hoover, AL | Mobile, AL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 93,550 | 200,824 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.1% | -2.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,883 | 1,331 |
| Median age | 38.4 | 37.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 63% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $109,253 | $53,558 |
| Median home value | $412,200 | $193,300 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,457 | $1,068 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.6 | 88.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.9 | 60.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,700 | $66,100 |
| Homeowners | 71% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | 5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.46% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.2 | 22.8 |
| Work from home | 16% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.5% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 5.1% | 18.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 35° | 62° / 41° |
| July high / low | 91° / 72° | 91° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 57 in | 67 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 65 | 78 |
| Nights below freezing | 47 | 21 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.6 | 98.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 43% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +2.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.9% | +40.8% |
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: Hoover: September to November. Mobile: February and October.
Full monthly tables: Hoover weather by month and Mobile weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,700 in Hoover and $66,100 in Mobile. Moving from Hoover to Mobile, you would need about $72,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Hoover and Mobile
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Hoover and Mobile.
Which would you pick?
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