Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 65/100
C+
Median home value$235,300
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,601/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households23%
Birmingham 27%
Calera
Shelby County17,714 residentsShelby County
60
C
Suburbgrade score
8th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strong on schools and employment & income, held back by commute & transport.
60
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Calera yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 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 Calera is like to live in, by category
Bars show Calera against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 75/100
B
Within-state proficiency88th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.0
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate94%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index98
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.43%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 31/100
F
Mean commute33.0 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes43%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 37/100
F
Restaurants & cafés18
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks6
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Median household income$87,194
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment2.7%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations46%
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 Calera 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 Calera on commute & transport
Calera's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Homewood24 mi from CaleraA− 78 B+ Vestavia Hills24 mi from CaleraB+ 72 B− Hoover18 mi from CaleraC 71 B− Bessemer22 mi from CaleraD+ 37 F McCalla20 mi from CaleraD+ 52 D+ Pelham14 mi from CaleraD 59 C Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Calera
Is Calera, AL a good place to live?
Calera scores 60 out of 100, 8th 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 Calera expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $235,300, 2% below the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.43%. $1,601/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Calera?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Calera sit at the 88th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 17.0 student–teacher ratio. Calera is served by Shelby County. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Calera?
The mean commute is 33.0 min, with 43% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Calera?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 18 restaurants and cafés and 6 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Calera old or new?
The median home in Calera was built in 2006 — 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. 91% 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.