Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 80/100
B+
Median home value$530,000
Birmingham $240,200
Median rent$1,515/mo
Birmingham $1,172/mo
Cost-burdened households25%
Birmingham 27%
Vestavia Hills
Jefferson County38,616 residentsVestavia Hills City
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 22 Birmingham suburbs. Strong on schools and commute & transport, held back by cost of living.
72
Birmingham median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Vestavia Hills yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 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 Vestavia Hills is like to live in, by category
Bars show Vestavia Hills against Birmingham. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 85/100
A−
Within-state proficiency99th pct
Birmingham median 69th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.6
Birmingham median 17.0
Graduation rate95%
Birmingham median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 51/100
D+
Housing cost index160
Birmingham 100
Eff. tax rate0.74%
Birmingham 0.48%
Local sales tax9.46%
Birmingham median 9.46%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 80/100
B+
Mean commute19.3 min
Birmingham 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes81%
Birmingham 59%
Transit stops / sq mi0.9
Birmingham median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 52/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés37
Birmingham median 12 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Birmingham median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks6
Birmingham median 7 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 80/100
B+
Median household income$134,369
Birmingham $71,498
Unemployment1.9%
Birmingham 4.5%
Professional occupations64%
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 Vestavia Hills 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 Vestavia Hills on cost of living
Vestavia Hills's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Bessemer15 mi from Vestavia HillsB 37 F Hueytown16 mi from Vestavia HillsB 43 D Leeds11 mi from Vestavia HillsB 54 C− Birmingham6 mi from Vestavia HillsB 51 D+ Irondale7 mi from Vestavia HillsB 49 D+ Center Point13 mi from Vestavia HillsB 44 D Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Vestavia Hills
Is Vestavia Hills, AL a good place to live?
Vestavia Hills scores 72 out of 100, 3rd of 22 Birmingham suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Vestavia Hills expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades D+. The median home is $530,000, 121% above the Birmingham median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.74%. $1,515/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Vestavia Hills?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Vestavia Hills sit at the 99th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 16.6 student–teacher ratio. Vestavia Hills is served by Vestavia Hills City. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Vestavia Hills?
The mean commute is 19.3 min, with 81% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 0.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Vestavia Hills?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 37 restaurants and cafés and 6 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Vestavia Hills old or new?
The median home in Vestavia Hills was built in 1978 — older 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. 76% 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.
Six Birmingham lists
Best Birmingham suburbs for familiesMost affordable Birmingham suburbsBest Birmingham suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown BirminghamMost walkable Birmingham suburbsBest Birmingham suburbs for young professionals