Housing data for Gulf Shores, AL
Gulf Shores, AL has an estimated 16,401 residents and 15,263 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Baldwin County.
29.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,483 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+33.7%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 16,401 (±29)
- Housing units
- 15,263 (±558)
- Households that rent
- 29.4%
- Median gross rent
- $1,483
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +33.7%
What stands out in Gulf Shores
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 46.4% (±4.1 points) in Gulf Shores, higher than in Baldwin County (19.0%).
Rental vacancy rate: 48.5% (±7.0 points) in Gulf Shores, higher than in Baldwin County (24.9%).
Working from home: 19.8% (±4.7 points) in Gulf Shores, higher than in Baldwin County (11.6%).
Homes built before 1980: 9.6% (±2.2 points) in Gulf Shores, lower than in Baldwin County (18.3%).
- Types of homes in Gulf Shores
- Vacancy rate in Gulf Shores
- Commute and cars in Gulf Shores
- Age of homes in Gulf Shores
Housing in Gulf Shores at a glance
- Median rent: $1,483 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,625 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 46.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 29.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $78,188 median household income
- Home values: $382,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,061 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,206 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 46.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 53.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 9.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 48.5% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 91.5% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 22.1 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +33.7% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 34.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Gulf Shores against Baldwin County, its state and the nation
| Gulf Shores | Baldwin County | Alabama | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,401 (±29) | 246,989 (exact) | 5,086,768 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 15,263 (±558) | 132,258 (±70) | 2,337,265 (±430) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 29.4% (±4.9 points) | 22.4% (±1.3 points) | 29.8% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,483 (±$211) | $1,277 (±$56) | $1,007 (±$8) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $78,188 (±$7,052) | $78,775 (±$2,602) | $63,999 (±$399) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $382,700 (±$21,486) | $316,900 (±$7,217) | $209,900 (±$1,076) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,206 (±$99) | $960 (±$33) | $788 (±$6) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 9.6% (±2.2 points) | 18.3% (±1.1 points) | 42.2% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.1 minutes (±2.5) | 27.0 minutes (±0.7) | 25.5 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 93.8% (±2.9 points) | 90.6% (±1.0 points) | 87.5% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 50.8 years (±3.4) | 43.9 years (±0.2) | 39.3 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Gulf Shores covers 28.7 square miles of land, about 572 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Gulf Shores has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,267 (±20) | 16,401 (±29) | +33.7% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 13,063 (±514) | 15,263 (±558) | +16.8% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,086 (±$43) | $1,483 (±$211) | +36.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $243,100 (±$20,727) | $382,700 (±$21,486) | +57.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $53,476 (±$4,799) | $78,188 (±$7,052) | +46.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,380 (±$68) | $2,061 (±$142) | +49.3% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $799 (±$102) | $1,206 (±$99) | +50.9% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 44.0% (±5.5 points) | 29.4% (±4.9 points) | −14.6 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 63.4% (±4.9 points) | 48.5% (±7.0 points) | −14.9 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Baldwin County
Gulf Shores has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Baldwin County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Baldwin County recorded 179 violent and 864 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Gulf Shores
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36547 | 100% | 0 | — | — | — |
| 36542 | 51% | 18,906 | $1,502 | $383,500 | $79,639 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Gulf Shores
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secour | 3.1 mi | $961 | $309,800 | 30.6% |
| Orange Beach | 6.5 mi | $1,576 | $502,400 | 32.5% |
| Foley | 8.5 mi | $1,242 | $289,300 | 29.1% |
| Elberta | 9.2 mi | $1,059 | $232,800 | 29.1% |
| Magnolia Springs | 9.8 mi | $1,146 | $442,400 | 16.1% |
| Perdido Beach | 13 mi | $738 | $341,700 | 6.9% |
| Summerdale | 14 mi | $1,000 | $274,800 | 11.7% |
| Silverhill | 19 mi | $1,297 | $265,600 | 17.2% |
Places in Alabama most like Gulf Shores
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Highland | $1,460 | $427,400 | $79,904 | 53.5% |
| Auburn | $1,098 | $364,800 | $63,668 | 46.9% |
| Hoover | $1,457 | $412,200 | $109,253 | 28.9% |
| Orange Beach | $1,576 | $502,400 | $97,736 | 32.5% |
| Spanish Fort | $1,390 | $343,900 | $99,346 | 34.2% |
| Tuscaloosa | $1,055 | $255,500 | $51,464 | 57.1% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Alabama.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Gulf Shores, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,180 | $1,317 | $1,434 | $1,855 | $2,347 |
HUD income limits for Gulf Shores, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,500 | $35,800 | $57,300 |
| 2 people | $24,600 | $40,900 | $65,450 |
| 3 people | $27,650 | $46,000 | $73,650 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $51,150 | $81,800 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $55,250 | $88,350 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $59,300 | $94,900 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $63,450 | $101,450 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $67,500 | $108,000 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $102,400.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Gulf Shores
What is the average rent in Gulf Shores, AL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Gulf Shores is $1,483 (±$211) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Gulf Shores?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Gulf Shores, AL is $1,127 (±$85) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Gulf Shores rent-burdened?
46.5% of renting households in Gulf Shores pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Gulf Shores?
Gulf Shores has an estimated 2,216 (±409) renting households, 29.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Gulf Shores?
The median household income in Gulf Shores is $78,188 (±$7,052) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Gulf Shores, AL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $382,700 (±$21,486) for owner-occupied homes in Gulf Shores (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Gulf Shores growing?
In Gulf Shores, the number of residents went from 12,267 in 2015–2019 to 16,401 in 2020–2024 (+33.7%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Gulf Shores?
The ZIP codes that cover Gulf Shores are 36547, 36542.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Gulf Shores city, Alabama
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Gulf Shores city, Alabama (place:32272, in state:01).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .