Birmingham

Best Birmingham suburbs for young professionals

Ranked on employment and income at 25%, amenities at 25%, commute at 20%, median rent at 15% (lower is better) and cost of living at 15%. Schools are not counted.

Updated Sep 2026·22 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Homewood$559k median · 17.1 min commute
Employment BAmenities B+Commute A−
70
Score
overall 78 B+
2
Riverchase Galleria in 2026
Hoover$412k median · 25.2 min commute
Employment BAmenities BCommute C
64
Score
overall 71 B−
3
The skyline of Birmingham, Alabama, home to an estimated population of 196,357 people.
Birmingham$159k median · 20.8 min commute
Employment FAmenities BCommute B+
62
Score
overall 51 D+
4
Welcome to Vestavia Hills Alabama with Sybil Temple as enter town from Highway 31 (Montgomery Highway)
Vestavia Hills$530k median · 19.3 min commute
Employment B+Amenities D+Commute B+
61
Score
overall 72 B−
5
Mountain Brook, AL
Mountain Brook$916k median · 16.4 min commute
Employment AAmenities DCommute B+
61
Score
overall 75 B
6
City Sign
Jasper$216k median · 26.8 min commute
Employment D+Amenities DCommute D−
57
Score
overall 55 C−
7
Aerial view of Highway 31 in Alabaster, AL
Alabaster$262k median · 30.6 min commute
Employment B−Amenities C−Commute D−
56
Score
overall 64 C+
8
Gardendale Civic Center. July 14, 2015.
Gardendale$253k median · 26.2 min commute
Employment C+Amenities D−Commute C−
53
Score
overall 55 C−
9
Leeds$225k median · 27.0 min commute
Employment CAmenities FCommute D
52
Score
overall 54 C−
10
Old Town Helena, Alabama during a rare snow fall.
Helena$331k median · 30.7 min commute
Employment A−Amenities FCommute F
51
Score
overall 62 C
This list's weighting
Employment 25%Amenities 25%Commute 20%Median rent (lower is better) 15%Cost of living 15%
Other Birmingham lists
Best Birmingham suburbs for familiesMost affordable Birmingham suburbsBest Birmingham suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown BirminghamMost walkable Birmingham suburbsHow we score Birmingham suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Hoover (Johntrinh06 · CC BY 4.0); Birmingham (Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0); Vestavia Hills (Sharon Phelan Evans · CC BY-SA 3.0); Mountain Brook (Robert Donovan from Franklin, TN, USA · CC BY 2.0); Jasper (Bamassippi (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0); Alabaster (AlabasterPIO · CC BY-SA 4.0); Gardendale (Amcannally · CC BY-SA 4.0); Helena (Civilengtiger · CC BY-SA 4.0).