Best Places36522, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36522, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36522 ranks 30,194th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 36522
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
36522's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36522 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 84% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 36522 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Household income$49,773 median, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36522
A household needs to earn about $44,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36522 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $49,773, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 36522's effective rate of 0.30%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36522
36522's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 36522.
Who works in 36522, and how
Work in 36522 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 36522
The coast is about 44 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 36522, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36522, month by month
36522 sees roughly 87 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 39. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 51° | 39° |
| April | 80° | 67° | 55° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 74° |
| October | 84° | 70° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 36522
The nearest airport, Mobile Regional, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 141 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36522
Schools across 36522 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chatom Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Mcdavidjones Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Calcedeaver Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lott Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Citronelle High SchoolF · 9% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36522 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36522 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 36522 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 36522
Is 36522 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36522 ranks 30,194th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state infrastructure, and affordable childcare, and lowest on disaster risk and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36522 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $179,884. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $49,773 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 36522 safe?
Yes, 36522 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
Compare 36522 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36522. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36522 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
36522 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36522: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36522: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36522: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36522: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36522 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.