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

All states·Alabama·Foley

Baldwin County · Daphne-Fairhope-Foley · population 28,043

Growing fast
Foley, AL
Image: Wikipedia · Foley, Alabama
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Foley stands

At or near all-time high. population growing 8.4% per year.

Median home $303,425
1-year -1.6%
5-yr CAGR +5.5%
vs 5-yr peak -1.9%
Population +8.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-08$303k$149k$207k$264k$322k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
84/100
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
$1,778/mo$1,631$1,790$1,94920242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent10310010020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.2
Buy

At a 14.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Foley on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
42 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
67 · w22%
Distance from peak
78 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
48 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
72 · w10%
Long thesis

Foley has been growing population at 8.4% per year while home values compounded +5.5% annually. Demand-driven appreciation — the kind that persists as long as people keep showing up, which they currently are.

Short thesis

Foley'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 Foley

Foley is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, with an estimated population of 28,043. It anchors the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area. The population has grown 8.4% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Foley is $303,425 as of 2026-04, down 1.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.5% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Foley average $1,778 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.5%). The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 8.4% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.5% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -1.9% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

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

About Foley (Wikipedia)

Foley is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. The 2020 census lists the population of the city as 20,335 Foley is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County.

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

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 Baldwin County right now.

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

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

Cities like Foley

Loxley, AL70 · RisingSemmes, AL70 · RisingAthens, AL70 · RisingGulf Shores, AL63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Foley

ToolCan I afford Foley?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Foley rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Foley to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolFoley 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 Foley 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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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