Orange Beach, AL · standard
ZIP Code 36561
Baldwin County, Alabama - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 5,808
- 138/sq mi
- $98,295
- Median income
- $574,500
- Median home value
- 43.1%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Orange Beach pairs an upper-quartile household income with top-decile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 20%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 10%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 138
- people per sq mi
- 70%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 36561 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 36561 (Orange Beach, AL) rose +6.8% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 360.1 in 2023 to 384.6 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 36561 is a mid-sized community (a standard USPS delivery area) in Orange Beach, Baldwin County, Alabama, home to 5,808 residents across 42.0 square miles, a density of 138 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 36561 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $98,295 (61% above the average Alabama ZIP), while per-capita income is $65,588. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 2.7% and unemployment is 3.5%. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $574,500 (224% above the average Alabama ZIP), while 70.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and median rent is $1,591.
A solid share of residents have a four-year degree: 43.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 53.4, and the average commute is 25 minutes. The page also surfaces 2 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Baldwin County, so 36561 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 36561
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Orange Beach, AL
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 36561.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
103 establishments
- Real estate and rental and leasing
Real estate and rental and leasing
96 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
91 establishments
- Construction
Construction
48 establishments
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Professional, scientific, and technical services
47 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 36561, Orange Beach, AL · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
5,808
Population
42.0
Area (sq mi)
138
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 36561?
53.4
Median Age
48.1%
Male
51.9%
Female
3.2%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$98,295
Median Household Income
+61% vs state ZIP avg
$65,588
Per Capita Income
2.7%
Poverty Rate
3.5%
Unemployment Rate
25.1 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
15,926
Total Housing Units
4,467
Occupied Units
11,459
Vacant Units
2.13
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$574,500
Median Home Value
+224% vs state ZIP avg
$1,591
Median Rent
2000
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+6.8%
YoY Change (2024)
385
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+285%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 36561 have increased 6.8% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +285% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +6.6% | 229 |
| 2021 | +12.8% | 258 |
| 2022 | +22.2% | 316 |
| 2023 | +14.1% | 360 |
| 2024 | +6.8% | 385 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 549 business establishments in ZIP 36561, employing approximately 7,053 people with a combined annual payroll of $277,801,000.
549
Businesses
7,053
Employees
$277.8M
Annual Payroll
15
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 103 | 18.8% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 96 | 17.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 91 | 16.6% |
| Construction | 48 | 8.7% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 47 | 8.6% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 39 | 7.1% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 31 | 5.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 21 | 3.8% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 19 | 3.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 19 | 3.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 10 | 1.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 9 | 1.6% |
| Information | 6 | 1.1% |
| Educational services | 4 | 0.7% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 3 | 0.6% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 36561 vs 36530 →
ZIP 36561 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 36530
Elberta (36530)
6,873 residents
- 36561
Orange Beach (36561)
5,808 residents
- 36549
Lillian (36549)
4,271 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 36561 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 36561 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 36561
Orange Beach (36561)
$98,295 median income
- 36530
Elberta (36530)
$63,393 median income
- 36549
Lillian (36549)
$63,019 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 36561 ranks the highest of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.