Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Median home value$220,600
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$2,240/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households29%
Birmingham 27%
Clay
Jefferson County10,273 residentsJefferson County
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on housing & affordability, held back by commute & transport.
50
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Clay yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 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 Clay is like to live in, by category
Bars show Clay against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Within-state proficiency24th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.7
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate93%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index100
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.47%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 26/100
F
Mean commute32.4 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes46%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 29/100
F
Restaurants & cafés6
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks4
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$81,920
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment4.6%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations36%
Birmingham 42%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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 Clay yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Clay on commute & transport
Clay's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Homewood20 mi from ClayA− 78 B+ Mountain Brook16 mi from ClayB+ 75 B Vestavia Hills18 mi from ClayB+ 72 B− Birmingham16 mi from ClayB+ 51 D+ Irondale11 mi from ClayC+ 49 D+ Gardendale12 mi from ClayC− 55 C− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Clay
Is Clay, AL a good place to live?
Clay scores 50 out of 100, 18th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on housing & affordability and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Clay expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $220,600, 8% below the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.47%. $2,240/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Clay?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Clay sit at the 24th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 16.7 student–teacher ratio. Clay is served by Jefferson County. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Clay?
The mean commute is 32.4 min, with 46% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.4% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Clay?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 6 restaurants and cafés and 4 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Clay old or new?
The median home in Clay 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. 93% 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.