Best PlacesDeKalb County, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in DeKalb County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages are not the whole story, and the strongest areas score well above them. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
DeKalb County ranks 2,388th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in DeKalb County
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.
The best areas in DeKalb County
The parts of DeKalb County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Rainsville
Fewer homes sit empty, commutes are shorter, and more adults hold degrees.
Sylvania & Henagar
It is quieter, though fewer households have young kids.
Fyffe
Local pay stretches further, though tree cover is thinner.
Fort Payne
Prices have run up more.
Crossville & Boaz
Fewer residents vote and health care is harder to reach.
Valley Head & Ider
Incomes run lower and health outcomes score lower.
Collinsville
Homes cost less, though heat risk is higher.
Scores across DeKalb County run from about the 5th to the 77th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
DeKalb County's strengths and weaknesses
Where DeKalb County ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of counties
- Cheap childcare$528 a month, better than 86% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than 86% of counties
- Tree shadeBetter than 79% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than 79% of counties
Where DeKalb County ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 9% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 12% of counties
- Household income$52,727 median, better than only 12% of counties
- Health outlookBetter than only 15% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in DeKalb County
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median DeKalb County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,727, 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 DeKalb County's effective rate of 0.26%, 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 DeKalb County
DeKalb County'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 DeKalb County.
Who works in DeKalb County, and how
Work in DeKalb County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in DeKalb County
DeKalb County has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of counties and less parkland per resident than most counties. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of DeKalb County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is DeKalb County growing, and who is moving in?
DeKalb County has grown about 3% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Marshall County, AL.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving DeKalb County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in DeKalb County, month by month
DeKalb County sees roughly 103 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 40° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 69° |
| October | 74° | 62° | 52° |
Flying in and out of DeKalb County
The nearest airport, Lovell Field, is about 53 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around DeKalb County
Schools across DeKalb County average a C−, better than 22% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Whitesboro Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Davis Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Flat Rock SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Fort Payne Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Boaz Middle SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Albertville Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Scottsboro High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Fort Payne High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
- Cherokee County High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every DeKalb County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
DeKalb County 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 DeKalb County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who DeKalb County suits
Common questions about living in DeKalb County
Is DeKalb County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, DeKalb County ranks 2,388th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and state infrastructure, and lowest on education levels and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is DeKalb County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $153,326. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $52,727 median income, cost of living beats 12% of counties.
Is DeKalb County safe?
DeKalb County is safer than 52% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $312 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in DeKalb County?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 32. That works out to about 103 pleasant days a year, more than 62% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in DeKalb County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Rainsville, Sylvania & Henagar, and Fyffe. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Compare DeKalb County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to DeKalb County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in DeKalb County 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.
DeKalb County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for DeKalb County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in DeKalb County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of DeKalb County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in DeKalb County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
DeKalb County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.