You think Huntsville had a dramatic plunge in the U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Live rankings?

It does not compare to the fall of its former rival for U.S. Space Command headquarters, Colorado Springs.

While Huntsville fell from the top spot in 2022 to 85th in this year’s expanded rankings, Colorado Springs, which is losing Space Command to the Rocket City, fell from No. 3 to 406th in just one year.

One reason may add to the incentives for the 1,700 Space Command employees to transfer to Alabama. Colorado Springs ranked in the top 15% of the 850 cities U.S. News & World Report among the highest crime rates.

Both violent and property crime rates are significantly higher in Colorado Springs than in cities of similar size, according to the rankings, while Huntsville’s crime rate is lower than the national average and has been dropping despite the area’s population growth.

And there’s another factor that may provide incentive to move to Huntsville.

“Given the significant cost of living advantages and the significant home affordability advantages in Huntsville versus Colorado Springs, I think this is a very desirable move,” said Boyd Company Principal John Boyd Jr., whose company’s clients include Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies, Safran Landing Systems and Aerospace Industries Association.

In another national ranking, both Huntsville and Colorado Springs stack up well in comparison to other cities. Huntsville ranks No. 4 and Colorado Springs No. 5 in the Milken Institute’s 2025 Best Performing Cities rankings.

When it comes to housing affordability in those rankings, Huntsville ranks fourth nationally among the largest 150 metropolitan areas, while Colorado Springs ranks 126th.

According to Realtor.com, the median home price for Colorado Springs was $475,000 in June. The median home price for the Huntsville market in July was $345.000 during the same month, according to the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors’ Valley MLS data.

“Despite its growth, Huntsville has done an outstanding job supplying affordable housing,” Miken Institute researchers noted.

As for Colorado Springs?

“The state of Colorado suffers from deteriorating affordable housing, and Colorado Springs is no exception to this problem,” Milken noted.

And it is not limited to home sales. According to the Waller, Weeks and Johnson rental index, the average rent in Colorado Springs is $1,925 a month with an affordability salary of $77,000 a year. Huntsville’s average rent is $1,464 a month with an affordability salary of $58,584.

Other rankings

According to Milken, Huntsville ranked seventh nationally in long term job growth from 2018-23 and fifth in short term growth in 2022-23, for which its most recent rankings are based on. Huntsville ranked ninth in short-term wage growth and 10th in high-tech GDP location quotient. It ranked 34th in long-term wage growth.

Milken said Huntsville’s economy was balanced. It labels the Huntsville metro’s high tech sector well diversified and calls the advanced manufacturing sector “standout” with 37.9% employment growth from 2018-23, compared to the national average of 2%.

But Huntsville ranked only 76th in households with broadband. It also ranked 107th in income inequality.

Colorado Springs ranked 30th in long-term job growth, 24th in short-term growth, 50th in long-term wage growth, but 15th in short-term wage growth. It also ranked 2nd nationally with households with broadband and fifth in community resilience, which is the ability to recover from economic or natural disasters, compared to Huntsville at 100th.

The Milken Institute uses the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau data in compiling its rankings.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the median household income in Huntsville is $72,930, compared to $86,162 in Colorado Springs. The national median household income is $79,466.

Similar economies

Both cities’ economies are tied to the defense and aerospace industries. Milken dubs Huntsville “the Pentagon of the South” with more than 50,000 employed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama’s largest employer. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the FBI, defense contractors and private companies tied to the aerospace industry are major employers.

“If you look at the commands that we have here, everything from NASA to FBI to the Missile Defense Agency, the synergy is already there between those commands,” said Redstone Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander Martin Traylor earlier this month. “Most of those elements are already dealing with Space Command on a daily basis now anyway. It just makes it a lot easier because now, in addition to being able to communicate over their secure communications networks, they can literally go down the street and see people face to face. It’s hard to put a price on a relationship factor of leadership like that. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on the national security and operational level of Space Command being here. It’s going to be a win for Space Command.”

The Colorado Springs area is home to North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD, the U.S. Army’s Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever U.S. Space Force Base. Military contractors account for some other major employers in the area.

The Rocket City may have a more diverse economy. The military employs one-fifth of Colorado Springs’ workforce, while Huntsville has seen the recent rise of manufacturing jobs from Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Polaris and other companies. The U.S. Olympic Committee, with its training facilities, is a major employer with non-defense connections in Colorado Springs, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“Given the aerospace and the defense industry is almost double the size in Huntsville versus Colorado Springs, think about the post enlistment employment opportunities for the roster of major employers in Huntsville,” Boyd said. “I think this will be viewed as a very attractive relocation opportunity for many.”

Tourism and outdoor recreation play a major role in Colorado Springs’ economy with Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods attracting travelers with access not far from Interstate 25. The Rocky Mountains in the area also offer hiking opportunities.

Huntsville offers one of Alabama’s top tourist attractions with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and Space Camp. And the city has expanded greenways and hiking around Monte Sano Mountain and lands in the area owned by the Land Trust of North Alabama.

During a roundtable discussion following the announcement of the move of Space Command headquarters to Huntsville, Lucia Cape, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber senior vice president of economic development, said the Chamber’s recruitment effort will be similar to the one used in the recruitment of staff 20 years ago during BRAC.

She said the Chamber has been in contact with the Colorado Springs community for several years and said there are companies that have locations in both communities.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.