Best Places36526, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 36526, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
36526 ranks 7,075th 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 36526
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.
36526's strengths and weaknesses
Where 36526 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 36526 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 36526
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 36526 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $96,736, 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 36526's effective rate of 0.35%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 36526
36526'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 36526.
Who works in 36526, and how
Work in 36526 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 36526
36526 has more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. The coast is about 5 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 36526 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 36526, month by month
36526 sees roughly 140 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 51° | 42° |
| April | 77° | 66° | 56° |
| July | 89° | 80° | 74° |
| October | 81° | 69° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 36526
The nearest airport, Mobile International, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 149 miles away.
The best schools in and around 36526
Schools across 36526 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Spanish Fort Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Fairhope West ElementaryA · 64% proficient
- Fairhope East ElementaryA · 62% proficient
Top middle schools
- Spanish Fort Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- W J Carroll Intermediate SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Daphne Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Spanish Fort High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Fairhope High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Baldwin County Virtual SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 36526 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
36526 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 36526 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 36526 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 86% of zip codes and health care access beats 83%.
Common questions about living in 36526
Is 36526 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 36526 ranks 7,075th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, fast internet, and a strong job market, and lowest on disaster risk and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 36526 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $333,350. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $96,736 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 36526 safe?
Yes, 36526 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $252 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 36526?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 62 with lows near 42. That works out to about 140 pleasant days a year, more than 86% of zip codes.
Is 36526 good for families?
Schools beat 68% of zip codes, crime safety beats 66%, and childcare runs $619 a month.
Compare 36526 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 36526. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 36526 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.
36526 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 36526: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 36526: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 36526: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 36526: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
36526 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.