Orange Beach is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alabama. With a population of 8,534 people and four associated neighborhoods, Orange Beach is the 86th largest community in Alabama. Much of the housing stock in Orange Beach was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Orange Beach economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Orange Beach, where the median household income is $89,034.00.
Orange Beach home prices are not only among the most expensive in Alabama, but Orange Beach real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 19.62% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Another notable thing is that Orange Beach is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the city experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller city.
It is a fairly quiet city because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Orange Beach has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Orange Beach has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Orange Beach than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Orange Beach may be for you.
One of the nice things about Orange Beach is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.
As is often the case in a small city, Orange Beach doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The population of Orange Beach is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 37.68% of adults in Orange Beach have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Orange Beach in 2022 was $55,769, which is wealthy relative to Alabama and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $223,076 for a family of four.
The people who call Orange Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Orange Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Orange Beach include Irish, English, German, French, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Orange Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Slavic languages and Spanish.