Fairhope · Daphne · Spanish Fort — The Eastern Shore
The Baldwin County economy
The fastest-moving side of the bay — where two of AEF's featured voices build, and where the corridor's growth story concentrates.
8,590
Private establishments
73,816
Private employment
14,327
Hospitality jobs
5,859
Construction jobs
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages — 2024 annual averages, private employment.
01
The growth side of the bay
Baldwin County runs on growth: 8,590 private establishments and roughly 74,000 private jobs, with hospitality (14,327 jobs) and construction (5,859) carrying outsized weight for a county its size. From the Eastern Shore towns to the beach communities, this is where the corridor's population and property story is moving fastest.
02
The voices from this side
Two of AEF's featured voices work Baldwin County every day: Maura McGraw, whose real-estate practice runs across Fairhope and the surrounding markets, and William Hanes, whose multi-concept Provision anchors downtown Fairhope. When the record covers Baldwin County, it's told by people with their names on the leases.
03
Why it matters to the room
Mobile and Baldwin are one economy separated by a bay. The decisions that shape one side — a development approved, a franchise expanded, a labor market tightening — land on the other within a quarter. AEF's room seats both sides on purpose.