About Huntsville/Madison

What makes Huntsville a great place to invest? In short, the economy is strong and growing, the population is rapidly increasing, household incomes are high and the cost of living is low. These factors result in an increasing population, with expendable income, which translates into excellent investment opportunities. In addition, the Huntsville MSA is beginning to receive national attention, which will further fuel the growth and investment opportunities. The time is right for investors!

Huntsville's economy -
A barometer of the strength of Huntsville's economy is the tax revenue that it generates. During fiscal year 2005 the City of Huntsville reported growth in General Fund revenues of 5% and projects an 8% growth rate for 2006. The economy is strong and growing!

Huntsville's population -
During 2000 - 2005 the Huntsville Metropolitan Statistical Area's (MSA) grew at a rate of 6% and it added more people than any other area in the state. The MSA currently has a population of 362,459 which is anticipated to grow at an increasing rate over the next several years. Amongst other factors fueling Huntsville's growth, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) in Washington DC recently announced the transfer of an estimated 4,700 Department of Defense (DOD) jobs to the area. In addition, the region is anticipating that an additional 5,000 contractor jobs will also follow. These jobs will bring new families and supporting businesses resulting in a population growth that is a multiple of the 9,700 new jobs. Some projections have the Huntsville MSA growing as much as 50% to over 500,000 people over the next 25 years!

Huntsville's income -
The median household income for the Huntsville MSA is the highest in the state at greater than $52k and is 23% higher than the national average of $42k. In fact, the median household income for Huntsville rivals major metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta, Georgia, which have a considerably higher cost of living. All this translates into the local residents making a good living and spending money that fuels business development and creates investment opportunities.

Huntsville's cost of living -
The cost of living in the Huntsville MSA is amongst the lowest in the United States. The composite cost of living index, which compares the cost of items such as groceries, housing, utilities, health care etc., shows that Huntsville is 7% below the national average.

When the area's low cost of living is considered in conjunction with the high wages it is clear that local residents have amongst the highest standard of living in the nation. In fact, studies have shown that local residents would have to earn between 7% and 36% more in after tax wages to maintain the same standard of living they currently have. These facts help to ensure that current residents will stay, and that significant growth is virtually assured.

Huntsville receives national attention -
The impressive growth, and related investment opportunities, demonstrated by the Huntsville MSA have gained national attention. Huntsville is consistently named as one of the best places to live and work by a variety of national publications and is regularly named as a premier location for both business and quality of life. A sample of the city's recent headlines reads:

  • Manpower states that the Huntsville job market is expected to be among the best in the nation (Manpower, September 2005)

  • Huntsville was named as one of the country's leading knowledge Worker Metros and one of America's Super Cities of the Future (Expansion Management magazine, May 2005)

  • Huntsville was rated the country's 2nd best value for salaries and cost of living (Salary.com, May 2005)

  • Huntsville ranks as one of America's Top Business Cities (Forbes Magazine, May 2005)

Given the area's explosive population growth, high salary levels, low cost of living and increasing national recognition it is clear that the Huntsville MSA represents excellent investment possibilities. The time is right to invest and take advantage of the opportunities the region will certainly generate.