Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Median home value$412,200
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,457/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households24%
Birmingham 27%
Hoover
Jefferson & Shelby counties92,642 residentsHoover City
71
B−
Suburbgrade score
4th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by commute & transport.
71
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Hoover yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 71 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 Hoover is like to live in, by category
Bars show Hoover against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 83/100
A−
Within-state proficiency93rd pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.5
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate95%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Housing cost index135
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.58%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute25.2 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes66%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.6
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 76/100
B
Restaurants & cafés74
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks44
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Median household income$109,253
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment3.5%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations59%
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 Hoover 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 Hoover on commute & transport
Hoover's weakest grade is C. Five suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Homewood6 mi from HooverA− 78 B+ Mountain Brook9 mi from HooverB+ 75 B Vestavia Hills7 mi from HooverB+ 72 B− Birmingham11 mi from HooverB+ 51 D+ Irondale14 mi from HooverC+ 49 D+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Hoover
Is Hoover, AL a good place to live?
Hoover scores 71 out of 100, 4th 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 Hoover expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $412,200, 72% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.58%. $1,457/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Hoover?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Hoover sit at the 93rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 14.5 student–teacher ratio. Hoover is served by Hoover City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Hoover?
The mean commute is 25.2 min, with 66% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Hoover?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 74 restaurants and cafés and 44 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Hoover old or new?
The median home in Hoover 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. 71% 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.