Dothan, AL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Alabama·Dothan

Houston County · Dothan · population 71,650

First-time buyers
Dothan, AL
Image: Wikipedia · Dothan, Alabama
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Dothan stands

At or near all-time high. rents up 6.4% in the last year.

Median home $205,339
1-year +2.5%
5-yr CAGR +6.4%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$205k$118k$150k$182k$214k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
30/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,187/mo$0$631$1,261202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11411980100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.4
Buy

At a 14.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Dothan on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
63 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
71 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
49 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
61 · w10%
Long thesis

Dothan has held up across the cycle: home values at $205,339 with +6.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Dothan's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Dothan

Dothan is a city in Houston County, Alabama, with an estimated population of 71,650. The median home value in Dothan is $205,339 as of 2026-04, up 2.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Dothan average $1,187 per month, up 6.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $205,339 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +2.5% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 6.4% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Dothan (Wikipedia)

Dothan is a city in and the county seat of Houston County in the U.S. state of Alabama. A slight portion of the city extends into Dale and Henry counties. It had a population of 71,258 at the 2020 census, making it Alabama's eighth-largest city by population and the 5th largest in Alabama by total area. It is near the state's southeastern corner, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Georgia and 16 miles (26 km) north of Florida. It is named after the biblical city of Dothan.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorMark Saliba
Area90.16 sq mi
Elevation331 ft
Established1885
Density791.10/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Houston County right now.

NWS active alerts (AL)Alabama Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Houston County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Dothan

4 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Lakeview$72,835-2.1%
2Headland$68,489-12.5%
3Pine Street/Stough$54,670-3.9%
4East Highlands$37,498+12.8%

Cities like Dothan

Prattville, AL72 · RisingMontgomery, AL64 · RisingHoover, AL63 · RisingFlorence, AL71 · Rising

Run the numbers for Dothan

ToolCan I afford Dothan?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Dothan rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Dothan to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDothan cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
56° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
215
~59% of year
Annual precip
58″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Dothan listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Dothan area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$56,900
Alabama state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareRetail

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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