Cost of Living in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Published: September 17, 2020 4:34 pm

Cost of Living in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Blue Ridge is a Census-designated place in Elmore County, Alabama, with a population of 1,602. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Blue Ridge is $36,372 a year — greater than the annual cost of living for Alabama of $35,317 yet less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Blue Ridge and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Blue Ridge, the median home value is $259,900, greater than the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Blue Ridge, some 1.80% of occupied homes are rented, less than the 36.2% national renter rate.

In addition to home value, one of the largest determinants of housing affordability is area income. While nationwide the price of a typical U.S. home is 3.4 times the $60,293 U.S. median household income, housing affordability ratios range from approximately 1.0 in the least expensive cities to more than 10.0 in the country's most expensive markets. In Blue Ridge, the median household income is $86,477, 3.0 times the median home value.

Transportation Costs in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Blue Ridge, 94.70% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 91.20% of workers commute to jobs outside of Blue Ridge, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Blue Ridge is 24 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Blue Ridge spends $10,875 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are slightly higher than they are on average nationwide in Blue Ridge but in line with what they are across Alabama as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $4,747 per year, compared to an average of $4,769 across Alabama and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Blue Ridge, Alabama

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Blue Ridge, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $13,679, about $700 more than the comparable average of $12,931 across all of Alabama. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Blue Ridge, a single adult spends an average of $3,469 on food annually, and a family of four spends $10,018 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Alabama and the U.S., respectively, are $3,210 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,271 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Blue Ridge, Alabama

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Blue Ridge, Alabama pays $6,309 annually — closely in line with the statewide average of $6,084.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Blue Ridge residents live in a state with a low average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Alabama total $2,262 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

Cost of Living in Blue Ridge, Alabama