Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 67/100
C+
Median home value$261,700
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,372/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households21%
Birmingham 27%
Alabaster
Shelby County33,917 residentsAlabaster City
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
6th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by commute & transport.
64
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Alabaster yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Alabaster is like to live in, by category
Bars show Alabaster against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Within-state proficiency80th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.1
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate97%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index101
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.41%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 38/100
D−
Mean commute30.6 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes46%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 56/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés26
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks17
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 72/100
B−
Median household income$91,357
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment2.5%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations47%
Birmingham 42%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Alabaster yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Alabaster on commute & transport
Alabaster's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Homewood17 mi from AlabasterA− 78 B+ Mountain Brook20 mi from AlabasterB+ 75 B Vestavia Hills18 mi from AlabasterB+ 72 B− Birmingham22 mi from AlabasterB+ 51 D+ Irondale24 mi from AlabasterC+ 49 D+ Hoover11 mi from AlabasterC 71 B− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Alabaster
Is Alabaster, AL a good place to live?
Alabaster scores 64 out of 100, 6th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Alabaster expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $261,700, 9% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.41%. $1,372/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Alabaster?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Alabaster sit at the 80th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 97% graduation rate and a 16.1 student–teacher ratio. Alabaster is served by Alabaster City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Alabaster?
The mean commute is 30.6 min, with 46% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Alabaster?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 26 restaurants and cafés and 17 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Alabaster old or new?
The median home in Alabaster was built in 1994 — newer than the Birmingham median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 89% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.