Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median home value$255,800
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,320/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Birmingham 27%
Irondale
Jefferson County13,464 residentsJefferson County
49
D+
Suburbgrade score
19th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
49
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Irondale yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 49 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 Irondale is like to live in, by category
Bars show Irondale 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 ratio16.4
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate93%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index101
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.45%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Mean commute22.3 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes77%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 14/100
F
Restaurants & cafés2
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks0
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median household income$72,343
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment8.5%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations51%
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 Irondale 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 Irondale on amenities
Irondale's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Homewood10 mi from IrondaleB+ 78 B+ Hoover14 mi from IrondaleB 71 B− Birmingham8 mi from IrondaleB 51 D+ Alabaster24 mi from IrondaleC− 64 C+ Vestavia Hills7 mi from IrondaleD+ 72 B− Mountain Brook5 mi from IrondaleD 75 B Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Irondale
Is Irondale, AL a good place to live?
Irondale scores 49 out of 100, 19th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Irondale expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $255,800, 6% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.45%. $1,320/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Irondale?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Irondale sit at the 24th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 16.4 student–teacher ratio. Irondale is served by Jefferson County. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Irondale?
The mean commute is 22.3 min, with 77% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Irondale?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 2 restaurants and cafés and 0 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Irondale old or new?
The median home in Irondale was built in 1979 — close to 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. 67% 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.