Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 30/100
F
Median home value$158,800
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,107/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households41%
Birmingham 27%
Birmingham
Jefferson County198,173 residentsBirmingham City
51
D+
Suburbgrade score
16th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strong on commute & transport and cost of living, held back by schools.
51
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Birmingham yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 51 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 Birmingham is like to live in, by category
Bars show Birmingham against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 28/100
F
Within-state proficiency13th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.6
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate82%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index91
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.50%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Mean commute20.8 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes79%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi31
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés149
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks58
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 34/100
F
Median household income$46,051
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment5.8%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations37%
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 Birmingham 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 Birmingham on schools
Birmingham's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Mountain Brook4 mi from BirminghamA+ 75 B Homewood5 mi from BirminghamA+ 78 B+ Vestavia Hills6 mi from BirminghamA− 72 B− Hoover11 mi from BirminghamA− 71 B− Trussville16 mi from BirminghamA− 66 C+ Alabaster22 mi from BirminghamB 64 C+ Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Birmingham
Is Birmingham, AL a good place to live?
Birmingham scores 51 out of 100, 16th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Birmingham expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $158,800, 34% below the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.50%. $1,107/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Birmingham?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Birmingham sit at the 13th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 19.6 student–teacher ratio. Birmingham is served by Birmingham City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Birmingham?
The mean commute is 20.8 min, with 79% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 9.9% working from home. Transit density is 31 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Birmingham?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 149 restaurants and cafés and 58 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Birmingham old or new?
The median home in Birmingham was built in 1965 — 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. 60% 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.