Daphne + Mobile rank among Alabama’s best places to retire

Daphne ranks sixth among Alabama cities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Places to Retire, while Mobile landed eighth.

Daphne scored 5.6 out of 10 and ranked 185th out of 859 U.S. cities. Mobile scored 5.4 and ranked 291st nationally.

How U.S. News ranks the best places to retire

U.S. News scored 859 U.S. cities on a 10-point scale using data from Applied Geographic Solutions and its own resources. Smaller towns were left out because of a lack of consistent data.

The weights come from a March 2025 survey of 3,500 people ages 45 and older, plus a follow-up survey of 500 people in February 2026. Here’s how the score breaks down:

• Value (27%): Housing affordability and cost of living
• Quality of life (25%): Crime, weather, environmental risk, culture and leisure access, air quality and walkability
• Health care quality (16%): The number and quality of U.S. News-ranked hospitals nearby
• Taxes (16%): Sales, property and state income taxes
• Senior population and migration (8%): The share of residents 55 and older and how many seniors move to the state
• Job market (8%): Unemployment and median household income

Daphne, Mobile ranks in 2026-2027 Best Places to Retire

Daphne tied with Dothan and Decatur at 5.6. Here’s how U.S. News describes Daphne:

• Population: 26,846
• Median home value: $315,810 (the national average is $359,870)
• Median monthly rent: $1,156
• Median household income: $93,309
• Average commute: 23 minutes

Daphne’s 1.4% unemployment rate was also well below the 4.5% national rate in U.S. News’ 2023 figures.

Mobile has a lower price tag:

• Population: 204,780
• Median home value: $196,767
• Median monthly rent: $828
• Median household income: $55,937
• Average commute: 20 minutes

Alabama’s 13 best places to retire, ranked

Six Alabama cities landed in the national top 250: Florence, Huntsville, Hoover, Dothan, Decatur and Daphne. Here’s the full state list:

1. Florence: 5.7
2. Huntsville: 5.7
3. Hoover: 5.7
4. Dothan: 5.6
5. Decatur: 5.6
6. Daphne: 5.6
7. Gadsden: 5.5
8. Mobile: 5.4
9. Anniston: 5.3
10. Birmingham: 5.1
11. Tuscaloosa: 5.0
12. Auburn: 4.9
13. Montgomery: 4.9

U.S. News’ top 10 best places to retire in the U.S.

No Alabama city made the national top 10. Here’s the top 10:

1. Midland, Michigan: 6.8
2. Homosassa Springs, Florida: 6.6
3. Weirton, West Virginia: 6.6
4. The Woodlands, Texas: 6.6
5. Spring, Texas: 6.5
6. Rio Rancho, New Mexico: 6.3
7. Altoona, Pennsylvania: 6.3
8. Paducah, Kentucky: 6.3
9. Lynchburg, Virginia: 6.3
10. Palm Coast, Florida: 6.3