This is a small community in a single neighborhood.
As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.
What do we mean by a neighborhood?
NeighborhoodScout® uses the official government designation for neighborhoods - the census tract.
Census tracts are small, relatively permanent subdivisions of a county that are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with local authorities all across the country to define real neighborhoods that are bounded to contain areas with homogeneous population characteristics (including economic status, lifestyle, and living conditions). Census tracts usually have 4,000 persons, but can range between 1,500 and 8,000 persons. This is the most fine-grained area for which detailed information is made available from the government, to protect the individual privacy of each of us. Because census tracts are based on population, they vary in size depending on the density of settlement. In urban areas, they are small, and in rural areas they can cover an entire small town or even a few small towns in very rural areas.
Since census tracts are subdivisions of a county, we did a spatial overlay of the census tracts onto city and town boundaries using a geographic information system to properly assign each census tract to its appropriate city or town. Then we named each census tract to the local colloquially recognized neighborhood name for that spot (e.g., Boston, MA (Dorchester). If there was not a name available, we named the census tract by the largest street intersection in the census tract (e.g., Worcester, MA (Lincoln St/Plantation St)
Why we don't use Zip Codes as neighborhoods
Zip codes were developed by the Postal Service for the purpose of delivering mail, but were never intended to define coherent neighborhoods. In addition, Zip Codes can have as many as 10 distinctly different census tracts contained within them. When distinct census tracts are blended together in a single Zip Code, the data reflects their average conditions and often gives a false sense of the area. The result is that potentially great matching neighborhoods can be missed, and erroneous matches can also be produced and delivered to you.
Using census tracts makes great matches possible, and helps people find the areas that are best for them and their families. Because we are committed to providing the highest possible quality and finding the neighborhoods that best meet your criteria, we use census tracts. And, as always, we show you the actual street map of the neighborhood so you know exactly where your best matching neighborhood is located.
What is a Condition Alert?
A condition alert is a condition in the neighborhood that triggers an alert. NeighborhoodScout contains condition alerts to highlight conditions that are extreme, whether good or bad. This helps answer crucial questions about the state of the neighborhood being evaluated, such as:
What are the risks of violent crime here?
Is the risk of home break-ins or other property crimes increasing?
Does real estate here hold its value?
Are the trends in local vacancies or unemployment concerning?
...and dozens more.
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Fultondale is a somewhat small city located in the state of Alabama. With a population of 9,048 people and just one neighborhood, Fultondale is the 78th largest community in Alabama.
Occupations and Workforce
Unlike some cities, Fultondale isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Fultondale are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Fultondale is a city of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Fultondale who work in office and administrative support (17.28%), sales jobs (13.76%), and management occupations (12.78%).
Setting & Lifestyle
Fultondale Demographics
The population of Fultondale overall has a level of education that is slightly above the US average for all US cities and towns of 21.84%. Of adults 25 and older in Fultondale, 24.83% have at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Fultondale in 2010 was $26,328, which is wealthy relative to Alabama, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $105,312 for a family of four. However, Fultondale contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Fultondale is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Fultondale home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Fultondale residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Fultondale also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.00% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Fultondale include English, German, Palestinian, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Fultondale is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.
Median Real Estate Taxes:
Locked
(
effective rate)
Neighborhood Home Prices
years of average rent needed to buy average home in this neighborhood
years and
months
Average Market Rent
Average Market Rent:
/ per month
MEDIAN MONTHLY RENT BY NUMBER OF BEDROOMS
Setting
Setting
Land and Water
Coastal: Neighborhoods on the ocean or tidally influenced rivers.
Lakefront: The neighborhood includes shoreline on a significant body of freshwater. These are lakes large enough to include recreation and scenic areas. (Note that smaller lakes are not included, or neighborhoods that have little shoreline on a lake, relative to the size of the entire neighborhood).
Farms: Agricultural land uses are a significant part of the neighborhood and contribute to its character.
Population Density
The look and feel of the neighborhood, from high rises on the coast, to rural farmlands.
Densely Urban: With densities above 10,000 people per square mile these are some of the densest neighborhoods in the nation.
Urban: Generally between 5,000 and 10,000 people per square mile, these are full built up places although not among the most dense in the country.
Suburban: Although not necessarily outside city limits, these neighborhoods have a more generous amount of space per person with densities generally between 1,000 and 5,000 people per square mile.
Rural: Neighborhoods consist mostly of open space or agricultural areas but also generally have around 100 residents per square mile.
Remote: Neighborhoods with the fewest people per square mile in the nation, generally less than 100 per square mile.
Neighborhood Look and Feel
Housing Market Details
Housing Details
Age of Homes
The proportion of homes and apartments in the neighborhood built within a certain time period.
Type of Homes
These are the predominate forms of housing in the neighborhood. Percentages are based on the number of housing units in the neighborhood of each housing type.
Size of Homes
The predominate size of homes in the neighborhood, based on the number of bedrooms. Homes include single family houses as well as apartment and condominium units.
Special Purpose Housing
These housing types are not for sale or for rent to the general public but may have a strong influence on the character of the neighborhood.
AGE OF Fultondale, AL HOMES
TYPE OF Fultondale, AL HOMES
SIZE OF Fultondale, AL HOMES
SIZE OF Fultondale, AL HOMES
homeownership
Homeownership
Homeownership Rate
The percentage of housing units in the neighborhood that are occupied by the property owner versus occupied by a tenant. (Vacant units are counted separately.)
People have personalities, and so do neighborhoods. A neighborhood’s character describes its personality and the feeling one gets when experiencing the neighborhood as a true resident. Quiet and sophisticated? Hip and walkable? The length of the bars indicate the percentage of neighborhoods in America that this neighborhood is more Urbane than, more Hip than, more Quiet than, more Nautical than, more Walkable than.
Nautical: Historic, seaside neighborhoods.
Walkable: Easy to navigate on foot.
Quiet: A measure of how quiet the neighborhood is. We came up with this quantitative measure by seeking the opposite of what we knew to be more noisy – dense population, lots of college students, renters, and children. So quiet neighborhoods have a mathematically defined combination of elements that lead to less noise, more quiet.
Hip and Trendy: Some character akin to Greenwich Village or Harvard Square.
Urban Sophisticates: Wealthy, educated, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
Age / Marital Status
Age
Age groups present in the neighborhood, as a percentage of the total population. Neighborhoods that score highest for mixed ages have the most equitable distribution across all age groups, from infants to senior citizens, all living in the same neighborhood.
Marital Status
Marital status is defined based on the percentage of residents who are 18 and over. Marital Statuses include: Married, Divorced, Widowed and Single (Never Married). (We are not able to include same-sex marriages here because of data limitations. Same-sex couple data is available under Household Type.)
Age
Marital Status
Gender Ratio
Military & College Status
Military & College Status
Percent Currently Active in the Military
These are people currently active in the military. They may live on base or off base.
Percent Currently at College / University
These are students enrolled in higher education as either undergraduates or graduate students. They may live on campus or in off campus housing.
Household Types
One person households
Same Sex Partners
Married Couple with Child
Single Parent with Child
Employment Industries in Fultondale
Commute to work
Commute to Work
Means of Transport
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. The share of using each mode of transport is measured as percentage of all working adults.
Average One-Way Commute Time
The amount of time spent commuting tells a lot about a neighborhood’s access to jobs and the degree of congestion in the area. The time is calculated for all residents working outside the home.
Vehicles Per Household
The number of vehicles the average household in the neighborhood possesses is a function of wealth, space constraints, the age people of the household (e.g., households with teenagers and parents), and the availability of alternatives to driving.
The measure is defined as the number of vehicles registered per household, as a percentage of all households in the neighborhood.
Average One-way Commute Time
Means Of Transport
Vehicles Per Household
Migration & Mobility
Migration & Mobility
Percent of Residents Moving Last Year
The percent of all current neighborhood residents who were not living in the same house one year ago. Very high values show a lack of stability in the neighborhood. Very low values may represent insularity to outsiders.
Percent of Residents Born Out of State
This value will be high in neighborhoods that attract new residents from around the country, and low in places where most residents grew up within the same state.
Percent of Residents Foreign Born
Foreign Born residents have immigrated to the United States from another country and may or may not be naturalized citizens.
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Race / Ethnic Diversity
Race / Ethnicity
These are the ways neighborhood residents have self-reported their race and ethnicity to the US Census. Asian and Hispanic residents may identify with one of the more specific subcategories.
Racial Diversity
The neighborhoods with the very highest racial diversity will contain roughly equal proportions, or as close as is possible to equal proportions, across all racial groups: White, Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, and Asian.
Diversity Index
(100 is the most diverse)
Occupations
Ancestries & Languages Spoken
Ancestries
These are the most common groups that neighborhood residents self- report as their ancestry. Places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture.
Languages Spoken
These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families.
Ancestry (top 20)
Languages Spoken (top 20)
Unemployment Rate
Average Income
Average Income
Income
Income is measured either on a per capita basis or median household income. Per capita is the best measure of the average spending power of each person in the neighborhood. Median household income provides the best measure of the budget of the typical family or other non-family household.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood.
Per Capita Income
Median Household Income
Education
Education
Percent of Adults with College Degree
The percentage of adults aged 25 and older that have attained at least a 4 year college degree like a BA.
Percent of Adults with Advanced Degree
The percentage of adults aged 25 and older that have attained a graduate or professional degree above and beyond a 4 year degree, like an MA, MD, JD, MBA or PhD.
Q. Can I get a Custom Crime Report for my business address?
A. Yes. You can generate an instant, objective Crime Risk Report for any address here: www.SecurityGauge.com. We have ground breaking address-specific crime data complete with detailed maps of crime risk around your address by crime type, and crime risk ratings specific to the exact address. All based on stunning 10-meter resolution crime data. Here is a sample report: www.securitygauge.com/sample/SecurityGaugeSampleReport.pdf
A. Yes. Please go to www.SecurityGauge.com to see our crime data products, including address-specific crime data that you can get via our API. We have hundreds of crime data elements that can be streamed to you via API. You can contact us right from the site to discuss your needs and have us open an API account for you.
Q. What do the blue colors on the State and City maps signify?
A. Every crime map on NeighborhoodScout shows the relative differences within a geographic area for crime risk – either within that state, or within that city. Dark blue colors indicate low crime risk relative to that city, while the lighter blue colors indicate high crime risk relative to that city.
*Because the maps are designed to illustrate the variation within the city or the state, the colors are not comparable between maps.*
To see the actual, absolute crime risks for a neighborhood, you must click on the map to open the neighborhood reports, where we reveal the detailed crime data (neighborhood crime data is reserved for subscribers).
A. NeighborhoodScout’s crime data are always the most recent 'Final, Non-Preliminary’ data available as classified by the FBI. It is the most up-to-date and fully-vetted data with complete national coverage that is available.
We insist on using Final, Non-Preliminary data for our analyses and analytics, rather than basing our research on preliminary data that may need to be updated or have errors in it.
Currently, the latest Final, Non-Preliminary crime data with complete national coverage available is the 2014 year total data, released in final form in November, 2015. At this time, the 2015 year total crime data is not complete. Because the FBI has to work through data and reporting issues, there is always an 8-10 month lag after the close of a calendar year before the data for that year can be released as Final, Non-Preliminary.
For instance, last year’s final, raw crime data will be released in the fall and processed, modeled and built into what you see on NeighborhoodScout within 60 days after its release.
The 2015 data will be considered Final, Non-Preliminary sometime in the fall of 2016.
As soon as fresh data is released, we re-run our analytics and update the crime reports for every neighborhood in the U.S. Until then, what we are using is the most recent Final Data with complete national coverage as per the FBI database.
A. To build our crime reports, we collect raw crime data from all 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States. We then assign these reported crimes from each of these law enforcement agencies to the specific local communities the agency covers, and hence in which community the crimes have occurred, using a custom built relational database built from the ground up.
This method provides a powerful, uniquely accurate accounting of the complete number and types of crimes that truly occur within any city or town, not just crimes reported by a single municipal agency.
Once we have this updated data set, we mine it and build upon it, producing sub-zip code crime hazard data and maps for violent crime, property crime, motor vehicle theft, crime density, and more.
We then research and develop mathematical algorithms to statistically estimate the incidences of both violent and property crimes for each neighborhood in America. The resultant formulae produce numbers of crimes and crime rates for neighborhoods with upwards of 90% accuracy in most cases. We deploy 80 proprietary formulas to increase the accuracy of our predictions, and apply them based on city or town characteristics, to produce the best crime risk information for every neighborhood in America. We also go extra lengths to produce address-specific crime risk data, available on www.SecurityGauge.com with custom heat maps at 10-meter resolution.
A. Thousands of cities nationwide - both large and small - have multiple agencies with law enforcement responsibility. These include municipal police, county sheriff, transit police, campus police, public school police, park and port police, tribal police, and more. Unlike other crime data providers, our exclusive analysis includes crimes reported by all of these agencies.
This method provides an accurate representation of the complete number and types of crimes that truly occur within any city or town, not just crimes reported by a single municipal agency.
A. NeighborhoodScout uses census tracts as the basis for neighborhood boundaries and profile matches. Census tracts are small, relatively permanent subdivisions of a county that are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. They usually have between 2,500 and 8,000 persons and are defined to contain areas with homogeneous population characteristics, including economic status, and living conditions. The extent of individual census tracts varies widely depending on the density of settlement.
Other sites tend to define neighborhood boundaries by zip codes, but zip code areas often include several census tracts, up to twenty different census tracts in some cases. When distinct census tracts are blended together into a larger zip code area, the data reflects their average conditions and often gives a false sense of the area. Using census tracts helps customers find the specific areas that are best for them and their families, and makes great matches possible.
A. NeighborhoodScout’s Crime Index is a powerful, yet simple to understand crime rating on a 0-100 range where 100 is safest. The Index is based on the crime rate per 1,000 population for all crimes in the neighborhood or city. A Crime Index of 80 means a neighborhood is safer than 80% of the neighborhoods in America, and a 50 means the neighborhood is safer than 50% of the neighborhoods in America.
The data used for the NeighborhoodScout Crime Index are from the seven UCR crimes tracked by the FBI: Homicide, Rape, Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny, and Motor Vehicle Theft. In order to compare statistical information on a national basis the FBI came up with a common definition for UCR crime comparison.
Q. How do you define crime rates in highly-touristed areas?
A. Crime rates can appear higher than expected if there are a lot of tourists (non-permanent residents) in your community, because the number of crimes (violent, property, or both) are divided by the permanent population, creating a crime rate per 1,000 residents. If there are a lot of visitors, these people can increase the number of crimes, but do not count in establishing the rate because they don't permanently reside there, thus increasing the crime rate per 1,000 residents. Therefore it is always valuable to look at both the crime rate, and the actual reported or estimated number of crime incidents in the neighborhood or community.
Q. How can I see the crime rates at the neighborhood level?
A. Click on the map to open the crime report for any neighborhood or city. Or, click on the name of a neighborhood in the list attached to the left side of the map. Crime ratings at the state and city level are free and open to the public, but neighborhood crime data is reserved for subscribers. Once you subscribe and sign in, all of the crime information at the neighborhood level will be unlocked. Go to https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/get-started/choose-subscription-plan to subscribe.
Q. What crime data will be available to me once I subscribe?
A. All crime data at the neighborhood level will become available once you subscribe. For each neighborhood we provide the total crime index (nationally comparable), total crime rate per 1,000 neighborhood residents, violent crime rate per 1,000 neighborhood residents, property crime rate per 1,000 residents, crimes per square mile, a crime density index, and a resident's chance of becoming a victim of a violent or property crime if they live in the neighborhood for one year. We also have numbers of total crimes, violent crimes, and property crimes for each neighborhood in America. It is a very robust, unique set of data for every neighborhood in the United States.
Q. How can a city have a high crime rating if all of its neighborhoods have very low crime ratings?
A. We rate every city based on a comparison to other cities nationwide. Likewise, we rate each neighborhood based on a comparison to other neighborhoods nationwide, of which there are an amazing 73,000 in the US.
So, even though a city may be rated higher for crime in comparison to every other city in the U.S., their respective neighborhoods may be significantly safer in comparison to other U.S. neighborhoods.
Note that you can always see the actual crime rates per 1,000 people who live in the city or neighborhood on the crime report tabs, for direct comparison.
Q. The map on the city page looks like it covers a broader area than the city. Does this mean the crimes used for this report come from a broader area than the city limits?
A. Our map may show census tracts (neighborhoods) assigned to a city for visual purposes, based on a spatial overlay of census tracts to municipal boundaries. Rest assured the data used for the development of these reports are the crimes that occurred within the city limits, along with the population of the city.
Q. Why rank cities on safety even though the FBI cautions against it?
A. This report and/or our data cannot and should not be used as a measure of the effectiveness of law enforcement due to the myriad factors that can contribute to crime in a community. Demographics, transience, household structure, education, poverty, and many other social and economic factors work in concert to create or mitigate criminal activity in any particular community. As such, NeighborhoodScout’s research on the safety of communities illuminates the relative crime risks of communities across America, but should not be used by public officials or members of the public or the media to evaluate or measure the effectiveness of local law enforcement.
NeighborhoodScout’s data and this research report is a fair and objective assessment of the crime risks and safety in a community, regardless of the variables that drive those risks. But these findings are silent on and should not be used to judge the effectiveness of local law enforcement. Regarding community safety from crime, the public has a right to know how dangerous or safe any city or community is, just like they have the right to know how safe a car is, regardless of what goes into making a car more or less safe. NeighborhoodScout supports public discourse on issues of crime and public safety, and we support the right of the public to know the true and objective facts that contribute to their safety from crime. We stand behind the accuracy of our data, and the findings of this report.
Q. Crime has been going down in a city, so how can it have a high crime rating?
A. Crime has recently been going down nationwide. If other areas have crime that is going down faster than another city, then that city will still show more crime. To put it simply, a city may be getting safer, but other cities may be getting safer – faster.
Q. I see crime data on a city’s website or the FBI’s website that is different than the data here. Why is that?
A. The data used here is the most recent ‘Final, non-preliminary’ data available at the time of the research. Sometimes a city law enforcement agency will post preliminary data to its website which would not match our data. Other times, cities only show year-to-date crimes, which by their nature, are only for a partial year. For example only January - September. Also, our data are for the city overall, not just for a single law enforcement agency in the city. FBI reporting is agency-focused and only shows crimes by agency. Similarly, individual city agencies will almost always show only the crimes from their single agency, not from all agencies that have law enforcement responsibility in the city. Our analysis includes all crimes reported by every agency in a city, and is therefore much more comprehensive.
Q. What are the definitions for each type of crime?
A. ARMED ROBBERY: The taking or attempting to take anything of value from a person(s) by force or threat of violence.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT: An attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.
RAPE: All forms of non-consensual sexual penetration. This new expanded definition applies to data reported late 2014 and beyond.
HOMICIDE: The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.
BURGLARY: The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft.
THEFT (LARCENY-THEFT): The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. Does not include farm equipment, bulldozers, airplanes, construction equipment, or water craft.
Q. An area I just reviewed had violent crime stats that were above average, property crime stats that were well above average, but then the Crimes Per Square Mile stats were below average. How can this be?
A. Crime indices are based on anticipated crime rates per 1,000 population in a neighborhood. Crime density is based on anticipated number of crimes per square mile in the neighborhood. This is common in neighborhoods that have smaller populations, but quite a number of crimes per 1,000 neighborhood population. When those same crimes are looked at from a “crimes per square mile” perspective, the numbers are low because when computed, there are not many crimes per square mile, but many crimes per population.
A. You can also search for the safest neighborhoods in any user-defined area by using the “Search” tab at the top of the page. Select “Crime Rates” from the drop-down menu and enter in a city, state and radius (or choose ‘nationwide’ or ‘statewide’). Narrow down your search by selecting your desired ‘Median House Value’ or ‘Setting’ from the Advanced Options below.
Know how good the public schools are before you buy a home, invest, or relocate. You can search for and find the best schools in any area.
Only NeighborhoodScout gives you nationally comparable school rankings based on test scores, so you can directly compare the quality of schools in any location. In fact, our nationally comparable school ratings are patented.
We also give you the ability to put in the school quality and class size you want, and the search engine will return the best neighborhoods for education in a list and map your results to the neighborhood level.
We are the only information provider to have this level of search functionality. Another NeighborhoodScout exclusive.
School
Quality
(100
is best)
Neighborhood
School Quality Rating
Rates the quality of all K-12 public schools that
your children would be exposed to if you lived in this neighborhood.
Neighborhood Educational Ratings
U.S. Patent 8,376,755 by NeighborhoodScout®
NeighborhoodScout® has developed the first ever nationally comparable school ratings.
The result? - neighborhood educational ratings that facilitate accurate comparison among schools, school districts, and neighborhoods in the same (or different) cities, and even between schools in different states.
It is well known that the quality of education provided by public schools varies greatly from school district to school district, and from city to city. Still further, the quality of a child's education can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood within any city or town.
NeighborhoodScout® has detailed information on school district quality for every neighborhood in the country and specific school attendance patterns for over 85% of neighborhoods in the country. The quality of the specific schools that serve each neighborhood determines the school ratings of the neighborhood, and thus the school quality of any neighborhood may vary significantly from other neighborhoods, even within the same school district.
Where specific school attendance zones are not available, the neighborhood school quality ratings are based on the quality of the local school district(s) that serve the neighborhood along with the neighborhood-specific educational environment. Educational environment is assessed by the percentage of adults living in the neighborhood that have achieved at least a 4-year college degree, combined with rankings of the percentage of children living in poverty in the neighborhood.
Schools In This Neighborhood *
Locked
Neighborhood Educational Environment
Adults In Neighborhood With College Degree Or Higher
Children In The Neighborhood Living In Poverty
This neighborhood is served by 2 districts:
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Students Enrolled
in This District
Schools in District
Students Per Classroom
District
Quality
Compared to Alabama
(10
is best)
District
Quality
Compared to U.S.
The Only Nationally Comparable School Quality Ratings Available Today
U.S. Patent 8,376,755 by NeighborhoodScout®
NeighborhoodScout® has developed the first ever nationally comparable school ratings.
The result? - neighborhood educational ratings that facilitate accurate comparison among schools, school districts, and neighborhoods in the same (or different) cities, and even between schools in different states.
It is well known that the quality of education provided by public schools varies greatly from school district to school district, and from city to city. Still further, the quality of a child's education can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood within any city or town.
NeighborhoodScout® has detailed information on school district quality for every neighborhood in the country and specific school attendance patterns for over 85% of neighborhoods in the country. The quality of the specific schools that serve each neighborhood determines the school ratings of the neighborhood, and thus the school quality of any neighborhood may vary significantly from other neighborhoods, even within the same school district.
Where specific school attendance zones are not available, the neighborhood school quality ratings are based on the quality of the local school district(s) that serve the neighborhood along with the neighborhood-specific educational environment. Educational environment is assessed by the percentage of adults living in the neighborhood that have achieved at least a 4-year college degree, combined with rankings of the percentage of children living in poverty in the neighborhood.
The Only Nationally Comparable School Quality Ratings Available Today
U.S. Patent 8,376,755 by NeighborhoodScout®
NeighborhoodScout® has developed the first ever nationally comparable school ratings.
The result? - neighborhood educational ratings that facilitate accurate comparison among schools, school districts, and neighborhoods in the same (or different) cities, and even between schools in different states.
It is well known that the quality of education provided by public schools varies greatly from school district to school district, and from city to city. Still further, the quality of a child's education can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood within any city or town.
NeighborhoodScout® has detailed information on school district quality for every neighborhood in the country and specific school attendance patterns for over 85% of neighborhoods in the country. The quality of the specific schools that serve each neighborhood determines the school ratings of the neighborhood, and thus the school quality of any neighborhood may vary significantly from other neighborhoods, even within the same school district.
Where specific school attendance zones are not available, the neighborhood school quality ratings are based on the quality of the local school district(s) that serve the neighborhood along with the neighborhood-specific educational environment. Educational environment is assessed by the percentage of adults living in the neighborhood that have achieved at least a 4-year college degree, combined with rankings of the percentage of children living in poverty in the neighborhood.
The Only Nationally Comparable School Quality Ratings Available Today
U.S. Patent 8,376,755 by NeighborhoodScout®
NeighborhoodScout® has developed the first ever nationally comparable school ratings.
The result? - neighborhood educational ratings that facilitate accurate comparison among schools, school districts, and neighborhoods in the same (or different) cities, and even between schools in different states.
It is well known that the quality of education provided by public schools varies greatly from school district to school district, and from city to city. Still further, the quality of a child's education can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood within any city or town.
NeighborhoodScout® has detailed information on school district quality for every neighborhood in the country and specific school attendance patterns for over 85% of neighborhoods in the country. The quality of the specific schools that serve each neighborhood determines the school ratings of the neighborhood, and thus the school quality of any neighborhood may vary significantly from other neighborhoods, even within the same school district.
Where specific school attendance zones are not available, the neighborhood school quality ratings are based on the quality of the local school district(s) that serve the neighborhood along with the neighborhood-specific educational environment. Educational environment is assessed by the percentage of adults living in the neighborhood that have achieved at least a 4-year college degree, combined with rankings of the percentage of children living in poverty in the neighborhood.
The Scout Vision™ Opportunity Index rates a neighborhood’s 3 year appreciation forecast on a 1 -5 scale, from 1 (Very Low) to 5 (Rising Star). The 3 year appreciation forecast for each neighborhood is classified into 1 - 5 categories based on how this neighborhood's forecast 3 year performance compares to the real estate appreciation rates experienced in all neighborhoods nationwide for every 3 year period since 1999. This provides context for comparing what is very low, low, moderate, high, and rising star appreciation performance.
1
- Very Low
(Forecast to appreciate less than 7.5% over the next 3 years).
2
- Low
(Forecast to appreciate between 7.5% and 12.5% over the next 3 years).
3
- Moderate
(Forecast to appreciate between 12.5% and 21% over the next 3 years).
4
- High
(Forecast to appreciate between 21% and 30% over the next 3 years).
5
- Rising Star
(Forecast to appreciate 30% or more over the next 3 years).
Scout Vision’s™ exclusive Investment Security Index rates a neighborhood’s past performance and current fundamentals on a 1 -5 scale. Past performance takes into account the last 10 years of observed home value appreciation and current fundamentals include key ingredients that NeighborhoodScout’s analyses have found to ensure properties hold value in a downturn.
1
- Very Low
(Ranked in the bottom 20% of all neighborhoods in the nation for Investment Security).
2
- Low
(Ranked in the bottom 40% of all neighborhoods in the nation for Investment Security).
3
- Moderate
(Ranked in the middle 20% of all neighborhoods in the nation for Investment Security).
4
- High
(Ranked in the top 40% of all neighborhoods in the nation for Investment Security).
5
- Blue Chip
(Ranked in the top 20% of all neighborhoods in the nation for Investment Security).
LOCKED
Past Appreciation and existing fundamentals
RATINGS:
1=Very Low
2=Low
3=Moderate
4=High
5=Blue Chip
SCOUT VISION Neighborhood Home Value Trend and Forecast
Know the Future: Appreciation 3 Year Forecast
Scout Vision™: Accurate Predictive Neighborhood Home Value Forecasting
Developed by industry veterans and PhD geographers, Scout Vision uniquely solves for risk by forecasting home values with unprecedented geographic granularity and predictive accuracy:
#1 Accuracy:
Three-year property appreciation forecasts with up to 90% predictive accuracy. (5-Yr available for Scout Vision API clients)
#1 Resolution:
The highest resolution product in existence: forecasts to the micro-neighborhood (nearly 10X smaller than a Zip Code).
#1 Coverage:
100% seamless U.S. coverage
#1 Depth:
200+ independent factors, 35+ unique data dimensions, and 23 models undergird Scout Vision
Know the Past: Neighborhood Home Value Trends
Scout Vision’s™ Exclusive Home Appreciation Rates
NeighborhoodScout reveals the home value trends and appreciation rates for every state, city, town, neighborhood, and micro-neighborhood in America.
NeighborhoodScout has calculated and provides home appreciation rates as a percentage change in the resale value of existing homes in that city, town, neighborhood or micro-neighborhood over the latest quarter, the last year, 2-years, 5-years, 10-years, and even from 2000 to present. We show both the cumulative appreciation rate, and the average annual appreciation rate for each time period (e.g., last 5-years: 84% total appreciation, Avg. per year: 16.8%). We also show how each city, town, neighborhood or micro-neighborhood's appreciation rate compares to others across the U.S. and within the same metropolitan area or nonmetropolitan region (e.g., 9 relative to the nation, 5 relative to the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metro Area [10 is highest]). This makes comparisons of house appreciation rates equally easy for professional investors and individual homebuyers. In this example, the neighborhood is one of the highest appreciating in the nation over the last 5-years, but is only average in appreciation for the same period relative to other neighborhoods in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metro Area.
About the appreciation rate data
Our data are designed to capture changes in the value of single-family homes at the state, city, town, neighborhood and even micro-neighborhood level. Different micro-neighborhoods within a city or town can have drastically different home appreciation rates. NeighborhoodScout vividly reveals such differences. Our data are built upon median house values per square foot in each neighborhood. The data reflect appreciation rates for the micro-neighborhood or neighborhood, not necessarily each individual property in the neighborhood.
Our data are calculated and updated every three months for each geography, approximately two months after the end of the previous quarter.
What transactions are covered in the appreciation rate data?
Neighborhood appreciation rate data are based on transactions involving conforming, conventional mortgages. Conforming refers to a mortgage that both meets the underwriting guidelines of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and that doesn't exceed the conforming loan limit, a figure linked to an index published by the Federal Housing Finance Board. Conventional means that the mortgages are neither insured nor guaranteed by the FHA, VA, or other federal government entity.
Mortgages on properties financed by government-insured loans, such as FHA or VA mortgages, are excluded, as are properties with mortgages whose principal amount exceeds the conforming loan limit.
Scout Vision™ Home Value Trends and Forecast
Know the Future: Appreciation 3 Year Forecast
Scout Vision™: Accurate Predictive Neighborhood Home Value Forecasting
Developed by industry veterans and PhD geographers, Scout Vision uniquely solves for risk by forecasting home values with unprecedented geographic granularity and predictive accuracy:
#1 Accuracy:
Three-year property appreciation forecasts with up to 90% predictive accuracy. (5-Yr available for Scout Vision API clients)
#1 Resolution:
The highest resolution product in existence: forecasts to the micro-neighborhood (nearly 10X smaller than a Zip Code).
#1 Coverage:
100% seamless U.S. coverage
#1 Depth:
200+ independent factors, 35+ unique data dimensions, and 23 models undergird Scout Vision
Know the Past: Neighborhood Home Value Trends
Scout Vision’s™ Exclusive Home Appreciation Rates
NeighborhoodScout reveals the home value trends and appreciation rates for every state, city, town, neighborhood, and micro-neighborhood in America.
NeighborhoodScout has calculated and provides home appreciation rates as a percentage change in the resale value of existing homes in that city, town, neighborhood or micro-neighborhood over the latest quarter, the last year, 2-years, 5-years, 10-years, and even from 2000 to present. We show both the cumulative appreciation rate, and the average annual appreciation rate for each time period (e.g., last 5-years: 84% total appreciation, Avg. per year: 16.8%). We also show how each city, town, neighborhood or micro-neighborhood's appreciation rate compares to others across the U.S. and within the same metropolitan area or nonmetropolitan region (e.g., 9 relative to the nation, 5 relative to the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metro Area [10 is highest]). This makes comparisons of house appreciation rates equally easy for professional investors and individual homebuyers. In this example, the neighborhood is one of the highest appreciating in the nation over the last 5-years, but is only average in appreciation for the same period relative to other neighborhoods in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metro Area.
About the appreciation rate data
Our data are designed to capture changes in the value of single-family homes at the state, city, town, neighborhood and even micro-neighborhood level. Different micro-neighborhoods within a city or town can have drastically different home appreciation rates. NeighborhoodScout vividly reveals such differences. Our data are built upon median house values per square foot in each neighborhood. The data reflect appreciation rates for the micro-neighborhood or neighborhood, not necessarily each individual property in the neighborhood.
Our data are calculated and updated every three months for each geography, approximately two months after the end of the previous quarter.
What transactions are covered in the appreciation rate data?
Neighborhood appreciation rate data are based on transactions involving conforming, conventional mortgages. Conforming refers to a mortgage that both meets the underwriting guidelines of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and that doesn't exceed the conforming loan limit, a figure linked to an index published by the Federal Housing Finance Board. Conventional means that the mortgages are neither insured nor guaranteed by the FHA, VA, or other federal government entity.
Mortgages on properties financed by government-insured loans, such as FHA or VA mortgages, are excluded, as are properties with mortgages whose principal amount exceeds the conforming loan limit.
Time Period
Total Appreciation
Avg. Annual Rate
Compared To
Metro*
Compared To
America*
3 Year Forecast:
2017 Q1 - 2020 Q1
Latest Quarter:
2016 Q3 - 2016 Q4
Last 12 Months:
2015 Q4 - 2016 Q4
Last 2 Years:
2014 Q4 - 2016 Q4
Last 5 Years:
2011 Q4 - 2016 Q4
Last 10 Years:
2006 Q4 - 2016 Q4
Since 2000:
2000 Q1 - 2016 Q4
* 10 is highest
Key price drivers at this location
Pros
Factors likely to drive home values upward over the next few years or indicators of upward trends already underway.
Cons
Impediments to home value appreciation over the next few years or indicators of negative trends already underway.
Scout Vision™ Proximity Index
Price advantage over surrounding neighborhoods
Price Advantage
Scout Vision’s™ exclusive Price Advantage Score compares home values per square foot in the neighborhood to other neighborhoods nearby. The average nearby price per square foot is based on other locations a short drive away from the neighborhood.
1
- Strong Disadvantage
(At least 17.5% more expensive per square foot than other neighborhoods nearby).
2
- Disadvantage
(At least 7.5% more expensive per square foot than other neighborhoods nearby).
3
- Similar Price
(Similar price per square foot to other neighborhoods nearby).
4
- Advantage
(At least 10% less expensive per square foot than other neighborhoods nearby).
5
- Strong Advantage
(At least 20% less expensive per square foot than other neighborhoods nearby).
The Scout Vision™ Jobs Score Index rates neighborhoods on a 1-5 scale according to how many high paying jobs are within commuting range of the location. We consider short, medium and longer one way commute times of 15, 30, and 45 minutes and sum up the total number of jobs paying at least $75,000 within each. Then every neighborhood is ranked relative to both other neighborhoods in the region and all other neighborhoods in the nation.
1
- Limited
(On average in the bottom 20% for job accessibility).
2
- Below Average
(On average in the bottom 40% for job accessibility).
3
- Average
(On average in the middle 20% for job accessibility).
4
- Very Good
(On average in the top 40% for job accessibility).
5
- Excellent
(On average in the top 20% for job accessibility).
LOCKED
Jobs score
RATINGS:
1=Limited
2=Below Average
3=Average
4=Very Good
5=Excellent
Jobs within an hour
Within
High-paying* jobs
5 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
60 minutes
*Annual salary of $75,000 or more
Scout Vision™ REAL ESTATE TRENDS
Scout Vision™ REAL ESTATE TRENDS
Homeownership Trend
The average annual change in homeownership rates in the neighborhood during the latest five years.
Vacancy Trend
The average annual change in the vacancy rate in the neighborhood during the latest five years. Trend is based on the percentage of properties that are vacant year round.
Rental Price Trend
The market rental prices may be low, but are they going up? We calculate rental price trends as the average annual change in market rent paid in the neighborhood over the latest 5 years.
Avg. Annual Homeownership Trend
Over last 5 years
Avg. Annual Rent Price Trend
Over last 5 years
Avg. Annual Vacancy Trends
Over last 5 years
Scout Vision™ Crime Trends and Forecast
Scout Vision™ Education TRENDS
Scout Vision™ Education TRENDS
Avg. Annual Change in College Graduates (over last 5 years)
We measure the average annual increase or decrease in the percentage of college graduates living in a neighborhood over the most recent 5 years. College graduates are defined here as adults 25 and older with at least a 4-year college degree.
Avg. annual change in K-12 school performance (over last 5 years)
We analyze school test performance for all schools that serve this location, and calculate the average annual increase or decrease in the school performance index, based on the percentage of students testing proficient or advanced in standardized testing.
Avg. annual change in college graduates
Over last 5 years
Avg. annual change in K-12 school performance
Over last 5 years
Scout Vision™ Economic TRENDS
Scout Vision ™ Economic Trends
Avg annual change in per capita income (over last 5 years)
We measure the average annual increase or decrease in per capita income in the neighborhood over the most recent 5 years.
Avg annual change in household income (over last 5 years)
We measure the average annual increase or decrease in household income in the neighborhood over the most recent 5 years.
Avg annual change in unemployment rate (over last 5 years)
We measure the average annual increase or decrease in unemployment in the neighborhood over the most recent 5 years.
Avg annual change in per capita income
Over last 5 years
Avg annual change in household income
Over last 5 years
Avg annual change in unemployment rate
Over last 5 years
Scout Vision™ Demographic Trends
Distance from Location
Population 5 years ago
Current Population
Percent Change
Half Mile
1 Mile
3 Miles
5 Miles
10 Miles
15 Miles
25 Miles
50 Miles
Scout Vision™ REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET ANALYSIS
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area regional investment potential
Regional Investment Potential
The Scout Vision™ Regional Investment Index rates a region’s 3 year appreciation forecast on a 1 -5 scale, from 1 (Very Low) to 5 (Rising Star). The 3 year appreciation forecast for each region is classified into 1 - 5 categories based on how this region’s forecast 3 year performance compares to the real estate appreciation rates experienced in all regions nationwide for every 3 year period since 1999. This provides context for comparing regional performance against historical benchmarking.
1
- Very Low
(Forecast to depreciate over the next 3 years).
2
- Low
(Forecast to appreciate between 0.0% and 10.0% over the next 3 years).
3
- Moderate
(Forecast to appreciate between 10% and 20% over the next 3 years).
4
- High
(Forecast to appreciate between 20% and 30% over the next 3 years).
5
- Very High
(Forecast to appreciate 30% or more over the next 3 years).
Housing Affordability Trends:
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area
Housing Affordability Trends
The Scout Vision™ Regional Housing Affordability Index is the ratio of the years of median household income in the region, to the median house value in the region. As this ratio becomes high, it becomes more difficult for local wages to support housing prices. As the Index approaches historical highs, it can be a warning of an overheated housing market that may be due for a pricing correction.
Because demand varies from region to region and the proportion of household income expected to be spent on housing also varies greatly from region to region, the Scout Vision Housing Affordability Index is best used to compare affordability in a region over time to assess overheated markets, rather than using the Index to compare different regions at one point in time to assess market overheating. The Regional Housing Affordability Index is reassessed and recalculated annually.
Years of average household income needed to buy average home
Region's Historical Low
Region's Historical High
Current
Regional 1 and 2 Year Growth Trends
Regional 1 and 2 Year Growth Trends
The Scout Vision™ Regional 1 and 2 Year Growth Trends are a set of exclusive assessments of important conditions which influence a region’s housing market, prices, security, and economic outlook.
Regional Trend
Last 2 years
Compared to Nation*
Last 1 year
Compared to Nation*
Population Growth
Job Growth
Income Trend (Wages)
Unemployment Trend
Stock Performance of Region's Industries
Housing Added
Vacancy Trend
* 10 is highest
Disclaimer
Forecasts of potential occurrences or non-occurrences of future conditions and events are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ materially from what is predicted in any information provided by location inc. Nothing contained in or generated by a Location Inc. Product or services is, or should be relied upon as, a promise or representation as to the future performance or prediction of real estate values. No representation is made as to the accuracy of any forecast, estimate, or projection. Location Inc. Makes no express or implied warranty and all information and content is provided "As is" without any warranties of any kind. Location inc. Expressly disclaims any warranty of accuracy or predictability, and any warranty of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Location Inc. Further disclaims any liability for damages, loss, or injury arising out of the use this site and the data. All risks associated with using the site and the data are borne by the user at user's sole cost and expense. By using the site you agree to our
Terms of Use.
SCOUT’s patented match algorithm identifies the most similar neighborhoods to a subject location, and quantifies the similarity to the subject location. This allows analysts to identify the most similar neighborhoods in a local market area for appraisals, investments, and research.
The algorithm uses 273 neighborhood conditions, identifies the dominant dimensions underlying the conditions and calculates the similarity. This captures the true culture and character of locations, economic conditions, and trends.
The closer to 100% means the locations are nearly identical. 80% is a very good, but not excellent match, and so forth.
3
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Trends and Forecast
