Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Median home value$279,900
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,777/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households18%
Birmingham 27%
McCalla
Jefferson County13,253 residentsJefferson County
52
D+
Suburbgrade score
15th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on housing & affordability, held back by amenities.
52
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for McCalla yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 52 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 McCalla is like to live in, by category
Bars show McCalla against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Within-state proficiency24th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.9
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate93%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index108
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.47%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 49/100
D+
Mean commute27.1 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 6/100
F
Restaurants & cafés0
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks1
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 61/100
C
Median household income$87,468
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment3.8%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations55%
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 McCalla 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 McCalla on amenities
McCalla's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Homewood16 mi from McCallaB+ 78 B+ Hoover13 mi from McCallaB 71 B− Birmingham20 mi from McCallaB 51 D+ Alabaster13 mi from McCallaC− 64 C+ Vestavia Hills20 mi from McCallaD+ 72 B− Mountain Brook21 mi from McCallaD 75 B Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in McCalla
Is McCalla, AL a good place to live?
McCalla scores 52 out of 100, 15th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on housing & affordability and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is McCalla expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $279,900, 17% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.47%. $1,777/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in McCalla?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving McCalla sit at the 24th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 17.9 student–teacher ratio. McCalla is served by Jefferson County. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from McCalla?
The mean commute is 27.1 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in McCalla?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 0 restaurants and cafés and 1 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in McCalla old or new?
The median home in McCalla was built in 2003 — 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. 90% 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.