Shelby County · Alabama · South · 16k residents
Chelsea, AL: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Chelsea: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Alabama median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,333/wk. Alabama's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%. Commercial electricity averages 13.6¢/kWh.
Compare Chelsea side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,333/wk
Corporate income tax
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
48.5%
Commercial electricity
13.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Chelsea's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
32/100
Cooling
Ranks Chelsea's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $360,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $150 |
| Property tax rate | 0.4% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,414/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $798/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.41% |
| Sales tax | 9.3% |
| Corporate income tax | 6.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,333/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 13.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 32.5/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $125,410 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $78,680 |
| Wage: General manager | $123,560 |
| Wage: Customer service | $40,530 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $35,660 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $54,460 |
| Wage: Electrician | $56,630 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,450 |
| Cost of living index | 85 |
| Groceries index | 97 |
| Utilities | $190/mo |
| Transit pass | $45/mo |
| Gas price | $2.95/gal |
| Healthcare index | 92 |
| Childcare (per child) | $750/mo |
| Median household income | $115,337 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% |
| Population | 16k |
| Crime index | 55/100 |
| School rating | 4.3/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 90/100 |
| Avg. commute | 25 min |
| Sunny days / year | 215 days |
| July high | 92°F |
| January low | 35°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +1.1% |
| Home price MoM | +0.1% |
| Rent YoY | +4.8% |
| Rent MoM | +0.4% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.7% |
| Building permits YoY | -4.9% |
| Ocean coast | 206 mi |
| Big lake | 57 mi |
| Mountains | 47 mi |
| Major airport | 15 mi |
| Ski resort | 238 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Birmingham, AL · 198k
- Vestavia Hills, AL · 39k
- Mountain Brook, AL · 22k
- Hoover, AL · 93k
- Pelham, AL · 25k
Similar size
- Gulf Shores, AL · 16k
- Saraland, AL · 16k
- Hueytown, AL · 16k
- Gardendale, AL · 17k
- Center Point, AL · 16k
Real listings in Chelsea
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Chelsea a good place to run a business?
- Alabama's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,333/wk; commercial electricity averages 13.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Chelsea, AL?
- Chelsea indexes at 85 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $798/mo and a acs median home value of $360,000.
- How much does a house cost in Chelsea?
- The acs median home value in Chelsea is $360,000 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Chelsea?
- A two-bedroom in Chelsea rents for about $798/mo.