
Alabama · Census place 50000
Mobile, AL population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Mobile, Alabama (Mobile, AL — Census place “Mobile city”) is 185,097 residents, ranking #4 of 593 places in Alabama. Median household income is $51,090, the median home is worth $170,300 and median gross rent runs $1,029 a month. Looking for the Mobile Alabama ZIP code list? 19 ZIP codes serve Mobile, AL: 36582, 36602, 36603, 36604, 36605, 36606, 36607, 36608, 36609, 36610, 36611, 36615, 36617, 36618, 36619, 36652, 36688, 36693, 36695.
- Population
- 185,097Mobile city residents
- Median household income
- $51,090Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $170,300Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $1,029Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 37.7 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 51.4%Owner-occupied households
Mobile ZIP codes (Alabama)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Mobile.
The Mobile AL ZIP code list below covers 19 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Mobile city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Mobile city median would spend about 24.2% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.3× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 18.9% of residents and 51.4% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Mobile city, AL in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Mobile city is a mid-size city in Alabama, with 185,097 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #4 of 593 ranked by population — larger than 99% of them. The median age here is 37.7 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.
Households in Mobile city earn a median of $51,090 a year, 34.9% below the national figure of $78,538 and 8% below the $55,687 median for the 322 Alabama cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 18.9% of residents here, well above the 12.4% national rate, which is the single clearest signal in this dataset that median income here is carried by a narrow band of households.
The typical owner-occupied home in Mobile city is valued at $170,300, 43.9% below the national figure and 8% above the $158,200 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,029 a month, 26.8% below the national figure, or roughly $12,348 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 24.2% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.3×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 51.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.
All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Alabama.
- Tuscaloosa city 107,699
- Montgomery city 198,440
- Hoover city 92,401
- Birmingham city 199,322
- Auburn city 78,738
- Huntsville city 218,814
- Dothan city 71,118
- Madison city 58,335
Keep going
More Alabama coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Mobile city?
- Mobile city has 185,097 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #4 of 593 in Alabama.
- What is the median household income in Mobile city?
- Median household income in Mobile city is $51,090 a year, 34.9% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Mobile city?
- Median gross rent is $1,029 a month and the median home value is $170,300, so rent absorbs about 24.2% of median household income.
- Is Mobile city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Mobile city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 24.2% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Mobile city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.