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Fast Facts

Huntsville is ASmartPlace because of our employers. We are home to Fortune 500 Companies, high-tech startups, space and defense agencies and contractors, state-of-the-art medical research facilities, and prestigious education and research institutions. We have become one of the fastest growing tech cities in the nation, while keeping a high quality of life and a low cost of living.

248,800
Annual Average Employment
56
Foreign-based companies from 14 countries
2.5%
Unemployment rate compared to 5.3% national average

Huntsville Metro Population

With a 16-county regional population of 1.3 million people, our economy is strong and growing. We have recovered and even surpassed our prepandemic employment, and we grew by 32 per day in 2020. Based on projected job growth, an increasingly educated workforce, and investments in infrastructure and quality of life, Huntsville is prepared not only to get bigger but to keep getting better.

491,723
Huntsville Metro Area Population
U.S. 2020 Census
1.3M
Population in 16-county Labor Shed
19%
Huntsville Growth Since 2010
U.S. 2020 Census
More about the Huntsville Metro Population
Detailed information on the Huntsville/Madison County, Huntsville workforce region, and Huntsville metro population.

Huntsville Economic Development

According to Moody’s Analytics, “Huntsville will be an above-average performer in the short term because of the strength in manufacturing and federal government, as well as a skewing toward high-wage jobs. Longer term, Huntsville will benefit from a high-quality workforce and strong population trends, giving it an edge over other Alabama metros.”

17%
Projected 5-year GDP growth
2021-2026 Moody’s Analytics
87.6%
Cost of Living Index
Compared to U.S. average
19,300
Expected job growth over the next 5 years
More about Huntsville Economic Development
Detailed employment and economic growth data.

Workforce

 Our workforce of highly skilled, highly educated people supports a diverse industrial base, including aerospace, defense, information technology, bioscience, and advanced manufacturing.

39%
Employment growth 2000-2020
U.S. comparison: 16%
600,867
Huntsville Regional Labor Force
68%
Workers who have attended college
Workforce Data
Detailed information on our workforce of highly skilled, highly educated people in a diverse community of industries.