Pell City

St. Clair County13,587 residentsPell City
51
D+
Suburbgrade score

17th of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Pell City yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 51 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →

What living here is actually like
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What Pell City is like to live in, by category

Bars show Pell City against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median home value$249,600
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,099/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households26%
Birmingham 27%

Schools

18% of the score · 58/100
C
Within-state proficiency54th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.1
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate92%
Birmingham median 93%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index93
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.28%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · Tax Foundation state average, January 1, 2026Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 47/100
D
Mean commute26.7 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 · 26/100
F
Restaurants & cafés3
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks3
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 36/100
F
Median household income$68,638
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment7.4%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations37%
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.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for Pell City 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 Pell City on amenities

Pell City's weakest grade is F. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.

Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026

Common questions about living in Pell City

Is Pell City, AL a good place to live?

Pell City scores 51 out of 100, 17th 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 Pell City expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades B. The median home is $249,600, 4% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.28%. $1,099/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in Pell City?

Schools grade C. The districts serving Pell City sit at the 54th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 17.1 student–teacher ratio. Pell City is served by Pell City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from Pell City?

The mean commute is 26.7 min, with 58% 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 Pell City?

Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 3 restaurants and cafés and 3 parks, which grades F on amenities.

Are the homes in Pell City old or new?

The median home in Pell City was built in 1991 — 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. 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.