Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 26/100
F
Median home value$135,900
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$961/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households41%
Birmingham 27%
Bessemer
Jefferson County25,400 residentsBessemer City
37
F
Suburbgrade score
22nd of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
37
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Bessemer yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 37 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 Bessemer is like to live in, by category
Bars show Bessemer against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 19/100
F
Within-state proficiency7th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.2
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate78%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index80
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.50%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 51/100
D+
Mean commute26.2 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes56%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi3.3
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 44/100
D
Restaurants & cafés28
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks10
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 10/100
F
Median household income$39,613
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment8.6%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations26%
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 Bessemer 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 Bessemer on employment & income
Bessemer's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Mountain Brook16 mi from BessemerA 75 B Helena8 mi from BessemerA− 62 C Vestavia Hills15 mi from BessemerB+ 72 B− Pelham14 mi from BessemerB+ 59 C Homewood11 mi from BessemerB 78 B+ Calera22 mi from BessemerB 60 C Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Bessemer
Is Bessemer, AL a good place to live?
Bessemer scores 37 out of 100, 22nd of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Bessemer expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $135,900, 43% below the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.50%. $961/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Bessemer?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Bessemer sit at the 7th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 78% graduation rate and a 19.2 student–teacher ratio. Bessemer is served by Bessemer City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Bessemer?
The mean commute is 26.2 min, with 56% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 9.4% working from home. Transit density is 3.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Bessemer?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 28 restaurants and cafés and 10 parks, which grades D on amenities.
Are the homes in Bessemer old or new?
The median home in Bessemer was built in 1963 — older 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. 78% 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.