Foley has been ranked among the Top 10 fastest-growing cities in the United States, according to the U-Haul Growth Index, which analyzes one-way customer moves over the past year. The study placed Foley at 10th nationwide, making it the city with the highest growth rate in Alabama. Auburn followed as the second-highest in the state at 12th, with Huntsville in 14th; no other Alabama cities made the Top 25.

Foley’s population was 20,335 in the 2020 census. The current population is estimated to be about 26,500.

The U-Haul study found that 53.1% of the company’s traffic coming into Foley was coming into the city, while 46.9% was going out of the community.

Arrivals were up 5% in 2024, while departures were down 2%.

Chad Rome, U-Haul Company of Southern Alabama president, credited several factors to the increase in Foley.

“The biggest factors bringing people to Foley are the cost of living and general affordability of Foley. You have all the same activities as other places but with significantly lower costs,” Rome said.

“You have great beaches nearby in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Foley has a good public school system, which is a big draw for families. It also tends to be a second-home community. There are a lot of Airbnb rentals and real estate is available for people to get a second home,” he added.

Rome said other Baldwin cities, including Fairhope and Daphne, have also had significant growth rates.

Ocala, Florida was the fastest growing city in the study. Florida had five cities in the Top 25 cities in the study. In addition to Alabama, Tennessee and Washington also had three cities in the Top 25. Two of the cities in the top five of the list were in Virginia.

The study also listed the Top 25 metro areas with the fastest growth rate. 

Dallas, Texas had the highest growth rates among metropolitan areas.

The U-Haul Growth Index is compiled from more than 2.5 million one-way truck, trailer and U-Box portable moving container transactions that occur annually in the U.S. and Canada.