Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 73/100
B
Median home value$299,800
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,577/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households19%
Birmingham 27%
Pelham
Shelby County24,827 residentsPelham City
59
C
Suburbgrade score
9th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on employment & income, held back by amenities.
59
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Pelham yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 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 Pelham is like to live in, by category
Bars show Pelham against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.8
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate94%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index109
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.47%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Mean commute28.6 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes48%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 5/100
F
Restaurants & cafés0
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks2
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 78/100
B+
Median household income$101,094
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment2.0%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations48%
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 Pelham 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 Pelham on amenities
Pelham's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Homewood10 mi from PelhamB+ 78 B+ Hoover5 mi from PelhamB 71 B− Birmingham15 mi from PelhamB 51 D+ Alabaster9 mi from PelhamC− 64 C+ Vestavia Hills10 mi from PelhamD+ 72 B− Mountain Brook12 mi from PelhamD 75 B Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Pelham
Is Pelham, AL a good place to live?
Pelham scores 59 out of 100, 9th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on employment & income and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Pelham expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $299,800, 25% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.47%. $1,577/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Pelham?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Pelham sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 15.8 student–teacher ratio. Pelham is served by Pelham City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Pelham?
The mean commute is 28.6 min, with 48% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 19% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Pelham?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 0 restaurants and cafés and 2 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Pelham old or new?
The median home in Pelham was built in 2001 — 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. 91% 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.