Living in Montgomery, AL

"Dangerous" is too broad a label for any city, but Montgomery does sit above national averages on crime. The violent crime index is 119 and property crime hits 136 — both past the 100-point U.S. baseline. Plenty of residents live comfortably and safely, but they've usually chosen their neighborhoods carefully. If you're considering a move, visit first, drive around at night, and look up crime stats block by block. Data: FBI Uniform Crime Report.

Housing costs in Montgomery are reasonable. Median rent sits at $1,059/month with median household income at $55,687/year — a 22.8% rent-to-income ratio. That's well within the comfort zone that most financial advisors recommend. It's not dirt cheap, but most working households can afford rent here without financial strain. Other costs like groceries and utilities will vary, but the rent picture is solid. Census ACS 2023 data.

Most people in Montgomery are at work within 19 minutes — a pretty reasonable commute by American standards. The breakdown: 80.2% drive alone, 0.4% take public transit, and 7.2% work from home. Rush hour adds time, obviously, but the baseline is manageable.

Not particularly. The climate risk score is 34/100, which puts Montgomery in the low-risk tier. Heat Wave, Tornado, and Flood are the most relevant hazards, but none of them are frequent concerns. Standard insurance should have you covered. It's one less thing to worry about if you're comparing this city to higher-risk metros along the coast or in tornado alley. Data from FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 43, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and Montgomery logs 268 clean-air days annually. Ozone is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Probably a good idea. Montgomery's water system scores 67/100 — not terrible, but not great either. There are 1 health-based violation on record, and lead risk is rated "medium." The water is technically within EPA limits, but a quality filter adds a layer of protection, especially in older housing. Look up your specific utility on EWG's Tap Water Database for contaminant details.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; water quality compliance data from EPA records and the EWG Tap Water Database. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.