Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median home value$224,600
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,058/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Birmingham 27%
Leeds
Jefferson & St. Clair counties12,028 residentsLeeds City
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
13th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
54
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Leeds yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 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 Leeds is like to live in, by category
Bars show Leeds against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Within-state proficiency47th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio18.2
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate98%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 76/100
B
Housing cost index91
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.44%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 43/100
D
Mean commute27.0 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes57%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 32/100
F
Restaurants & cafés11
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks16
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 61/100
C
Median household income$69,737
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment2.6%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations36%
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 Leeds 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 Leeds on amenities
Leeds's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Homewood15 mi from LeedsB+ 78 B+ Hoover18 mi from LeedsB 71 B− Birmingham13 mi from LeedsB 51 D+ Vestavia Hills11 mi from LeedsD+ 72 B− Mountain Brook10 mi from LeedsD 75 B Center Point9 mi from LeedsD− 44 D Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Leeds
Is Leeds, AL a good place to live?
Leeds scores 54 out of 100, 13th 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 Leeds expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $224,600, 6% below the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.44%. $1,058/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Leeds?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Leeds sit at the 47th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 98% graduation rate and a 18.2 student–teacher ratio. Leeds is served by Leeds City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Leeds?
The mean commute is 27.0 min, with 57% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.5% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Leeds?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 11 restaurants and cafés and 16 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Leeds old or new?
The median home in Leeds was built in 1980 — 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. 75% 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.