The 25 Fastest Growing Cities in Alabama

By Ramsey Archibald | rarchibald@al.com

Cities across Alabama – from the beaches to Birmingham’s burbs to the banks of the Tennessee River – are growing like wildfire.

Official population totals for cities and counties across the nation were released Thursday when 2020 Census redistricting data became public. Baldwin County at the coast is flourishing. The state’s fastest-growing county from 2010 to 2020, Baldwin is home to five of the top 11 fastest-growing cities, including three of the top five.

Alabama’s fastest-growing cities (2010-2020)

Among cities with at least 10,000 people in 2020.

City	2010 Census	2020 Census	Change 2010-2020	Percent change
1	Gulf Shores	9,741	15,014	5,273	54%
2	Spanish Fort	6,798	10,049	3,251	48%
3	Chelsea	10,183	14,982	4,799	47%
4	Fairhope	15,326	22,477	7,151	47%
5	Auburn	53,380	76,143	22,763	43%
6	Calera	11,620	16,494	4,874	42%
7	Foley	14,618	20,335	5,717	39%
8	Northport	23,330	31,125	7,795	33%
9	Madison	42,938	56,933	13,995	33%
10	Trussville	19,933	26,123	6,190	31%

No city grew at a more rapid rate than Gulf Shores since 2010. One of two Alabama Beach cities, Gulf Shores grew by 54% over the decade. No other city with at least 10,000 people topped 50% growth. Gulf Shores is now home to just over 15,000 people.

Spanish Fort, also in Baldwin County but farther north, was second in the state with a 48% growth rate over that time. Both Gulf Shores and Spanish Fort started the decade with fewer than 10,000 residents, but climbed past that threshold by 2020, with Spanish Fort just barely topping 10,000 in 2020.

Fairhope, Foley, and Daphne were also near the top of the list – as was nearby Saraland, across the bay in Mobile County. Many of these coastal cities made big moves up the list of Alabama’s largest cities. Fairhope and Foley both moved up 11 spots on the list, with Fairhope moving up to No. 26 and Foley reaching No. 32.

There was one other county with several entries on the list of fastest-growing cities. Jefferson County, home to Birmingham and the most populous county in the state, saw five cities in the top 25, and the Birmingham-Hoover metro area had nine cities on the list, despite Birmingham city itself losing a significant chunk of the population.

Down the 280 corridor in Shelby County and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metro, Chelsea grew the fastest of these Birmingham-area suburbs. It was third in the state at 47% growth from 2010 to 2020.

Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Helena, Trussville, Gardendale, Pelham, Calera, and Moody were the other Birmingham-area cities to make the list.