Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

Independent analysis of official mortgage recordsHMDA 2025 · 7,155,718 applications

Alabama · Birmingham, AL

Blount County, AL: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Blount County actually borrowed, earned and paid in 2025, from the official Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records — plus the 2026 conforming and FHA loan limits.

HMDA 2025 data released June 23, 2026 · Loan limits for calendar year 2026

In 2025, lenders reported 429 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Blount County, AL. The median buyer borrowed $225,000 on a home valued at $255,000 and reported a household income of $89,000.

Buyers financed a median 96.5% of the home's value (roughly 3.5% down), paid a median 6.75% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,310.

Lenders denied 10.9% of completed home-purchase applications.

Conforming limit 2026
$832,750
1-unit home · FHFA
FHA limit 2026
$541,287
1-unit home · HUD
Buyer income
$89,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.75%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,310
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
10.9%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Blount County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($89,000) is 23% lower than the U.S. median ($116,000).
  • The median 30-year fixed conventional rate here was 13 basis points above the U.S. median (6.625%).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,310) were 23% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • FHA loans made up 30.5% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
  • USDA rural loans financed 10.0% of purchases.
  • 21.1% of buyers put at least 20% down (financed 80% or less), compared with 38.5% nationally.
  • 25.2% of single-family purchase mortgages financed manufactured homes.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (34.0% of purchase loans).
  • 55.5% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was collateral (appraisal/property) (27.1% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 1169th · median home-purchase loan 1243rd · median conventional loan costs 1253rd · purchase application denial rate 374th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Blount County

PropertyConforming 2026vs 2025FHA 2026vs 2025
1 unit $832,750 +$26,250 $541,287 +$17,062
2 units $1,066,250 +$33,600 $693,050 +$21,850
3 units $1,288,800 +$40,650 $837,700 +$26,425
4 units $1,601,750 +$50,500 $1,041,125 +$32,825

2026 limits for Blount County, AL: conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) from FHFA; FHA forward-mortgage limits from HUD. FHA limit is at the national floor for low-cost areas. Loans above the conforming limit are "jumbo" loans.

All Alabama counties: Alabama 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Blount County

Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.

Purchase loans
429
of 505 applications
Buyer income
$89,000
Middle half $63,000–$119,000
Home value
$255,000
Middle half $205,000–$325,000
Loan amount
$225,000
Middle half $185,000–$295,000
Down payment
3.5%
21.1% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
55.5%
No co-applicant

Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.

Loan type

Conventional 45.0% 193
FHA 30.5% 131
VA 14.5% 62
USDA 10.0% 43

What the homes were for

Primary residence 94.5% 579
Second home 0.5% 3
Investment property 5.1% 31

All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.

Borrower age

Under 25 14.7%
25–34 34.0%
35–44 22.4%
45–54 15.4%
55–64 9.3%
65–74 2.8%
75 and over 1.4%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 4.0%
20–29% 13.5%
30–35% 20.6%
36–42% 25.4%
43–49% 25.1%
50–60% 11.1%
Over 60% 0.3%

Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.

What borrowing cost in Blount County

Medians for 2025 home-purchase loans. Total loan costs are section D of the Loan Estimate/Closing Disclosure (lender and third-party loan charges, excluding taxes, prepaids and escrow). FHA and VA costs include the upfront mortgage insurance premium or VA funding fee, so compare like with like.

MeasureBlount CountyAlabamaU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.750%6.562%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.250%6.125%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA6.375%6.240%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.874%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.28 pts+0.17 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,310$4,370$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$8,770$8,690$11,310
Total loan costs · VA$5,800$5,090$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$2,300$1,890$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points55.7%53.8%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.76%0.87%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits32.2%31.4%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages1.9%4.1%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)0.0%1.2%3.8%

Medians are shown only when at least 30 loans report the field. Rates are those reported at closing; market rates changed during 2025, which the rate spread (APR minus the average prime offer rate on the lock date) adjusts for.

Approvals and denials

Blount County: 55 of 505 completed home-purchase applications were denied (10.9%).

Denial rate

ApplicationBlount CountyAlabamaU.S.
Home purchase10.9%9.1%8.5%
Conventional12.3%7.2%7.1%
FHA11.3%12.1%12.5%
VA7.2%8.1%8.0%
USDA8.2%13.8%12.5%
Refinance17.7%18.4%17.9%
Cash-out refinance29.5%38.0%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Collateral (appraisal/property) 27.1%
Debt-to-income ratio 25.0%
Credit history 14.6%
Credit application incomplete 12.5%
Other 10.4%
Employment history 4.2%
Unverifiable information 4.2%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 2.1%

First reason the lender reported.

Denial rate = denied ÷ (originated + approved but not accepted + denied). Withdrawn and incomplete applications are excluded. Differences between places reflect who applies, not only lender behavior.

Refinancing in Blount County

Refinances
120
Median loan $225,000
Refi rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$5,450
Conventional
Cash-out refis
142
Median loan $175,000
Cash-out rate
6.99%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$77,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Blount County

133 lenders originated at least one home-purchase or refinance loan here in 2025. The table ranks them by loan count; pricing columns compare conventional purchase loans only.

#LenderLoansShareDenial rate30-yr rate*Spread*Costs*
1 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 76 11.0% 8.3% — — —
2 The Hometown Bank of Alabama 67 9.7% 8.5% — — —
3 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 51 7.4% 25.0% — — —
4 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 32 4.6% 6.9% — — —
5 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 23 3.3% 0.0% — — —
6 Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC 20 2.9% 13.6% — — —
7 Veterans United Home Loans 19 2.8% — — — —
8 Guild Mortgage Company 18 2.6% — — — —
9 Regions Bank 16 2.3% — — — —
10 America's First 13 1.9% — — — —
11 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 13 1.9% — — — —
12 loanDepot.com, LLC 12 1.7% — — — —
13 Towne Mortgage Company 12 1.7% — — — —
14 Mortgage Investors Group, Inc. 12 1.7% — — — —
15 Movement Mortgage, LLC 10 1.5% — — — —
16 Kind Lending, LLC 9 1.3% — — — —
17 Rate 9 1.3% — — — —
18 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 8 1.2% — — — —
19 Assurance Financial Group, L.L.C. 7 1.0% — — — —
20 Mortgage Right 7 1.0% — — — —
21 Newrez LLC 7 1.0% — — — —
22 First Federal Bank, A FSB 7 1.0% — — — —
23 Cadence Bank 7 1.0% — — — —
24 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 7 1.0% — — — —
25 Leaderone Financial Corporation 6 0.9% — — — —

Lenders in Blount County, AL. Loans = home-purchase, refinance and cash-out originations (2025); share = share of those loans here; denial rate = home-purchase applications. *Medians for conventional home-purchase loans, shown with at least 20 loans; spread = APR minus the average prime offer rate at rate lock (percentage points); costs = total loan costs (section D).

Check a quote for Blount County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.30% = median real estate taxes ÷ median home value, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Nearby counties

CountyDistancePurchase loansMedian loanBuyer incomeConforming limitFHA limit
Cullman County, AL20 mi724$235,000$86,000$832,750$541,287
St. Clair County, AL23 mi1,149$265,000$87,000$832,750$541,287
Marshall County, AL27 mi799$245,000$88,000$832,750$541,287
Etowah County, AL31 mi821$205,000$79,000$832,750$541,287
Jefferson County, AL35 mi5,749$275,000$97,000$832,750$541,287
Morgan County, AL37 mi1,133$235,000$86,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Blount County?

$832,750 for a one-unit home (FHFA). Two- to four-unit limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, $1,601,750. Loans above the limit are jumbo loans and are not eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Blount County?

$541,287 for a one-unit home (HUD). This is the national floor for low-cost areas.

How much do home buyers in Blount County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $89,000; the middle half of buyers reported $63,000 to $119,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Blount County get in 2025?

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.75%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.25%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Blount County?

10.9% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025; the most common stated reason was collateral (appraisal/property).

Sources: FFIEC/CFPB HMDA 2025 public loan/application register (Snapshot as of June 1, 2026); FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits; HUD 2026 FHA forward-mortgage limits; U.S. Census Bureau. Figures describe typical 2025 loans, not your offer. Methodology