Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 34,748, settled in 1951. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Trash & recyclingAlabaster is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A− overall, 22nd among Alabama's 187 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 86% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $91K. A typical home there costs about $305K, 4.3 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. Only 21 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on health. Alabaster's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. On history, just 10 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse.
Where Alabaster beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Alabaster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,623 in 1960, 33,284 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alabaster, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Alabaster.
Alabaster fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally, trades workers with Birmingham and other neighbors and has better schools than Calera or any other neighbor.
Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; Calera (A−) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Alabaster City school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,444 | B+ |
| Thompson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,060 | B+ |
| Meadow View Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 953 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Alabama is tooth loss: 8.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide.
Alabaster beats the Alabama average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 12% of Alabaster adults report frequent physical distress, against 15% in Alabama’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 21% of Alabaster adults get no exercise outside work.
| Alabaster | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 30% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Alabaster | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 19.2% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.6% | 78% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $1,221, against $788 across Alabama, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
87% of Alabaster households own their home, above both the Alabama town median (69%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The median rent in Alabaster is $1,372 a month. The typical Alabaster home is worth about $305,000, up 2.9% in a year, 28% above the Alabama typical home.
| Alabaster | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,372 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3.8 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Veteran's Park, at 100 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Alabaster | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veteran's Park | 1.3 mi | 100 |
| 2. Warrior Park | 0.4 mi | 18 |
| 3. Limestone Park | — | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Alabaster has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Alabaster’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Alabaster has about as many jobs (13,283) as working residents, but only 1,776 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Alabaster for work: only 12% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in Alabaster. Since 2013, Alabaster has added 3,043 jobs, to 13,283 in 2023.
| Alabaster | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alabaster.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 17.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 588 to 367 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alabaster. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
22 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
21 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
21 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena15 mi Theme parkAlabama Adventure & Splash Adventure
21 mi Stadium & arenaBirmingham–Jefferson Convention ComplexLegion Field: USGS, Public domain · Protective Stadium: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sloss Furnaces: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legacy Arena: AuburnShuffle, CC0 · Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex: Chris Pruitt, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alabaster
About 6 of every 100 Alabaster residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
5 notable people were born in Alabaster.
City in Alabama, United States
Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 33,284. Alabaster is the 16th largest city in Alabama by number of residents.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Alabaster.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabaster | #22 | A− | B− | B− | A | A− |
| Pelham | #28 | A− | B− | B | B+ | A− |
| Calera | #40 | B+ | B− | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Brantleyville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Helena | #15 | A− | C+ | A | B− | A |
Brantleyville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Alabaster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Alabaster grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #22 of 187 in Alabama. It grades A− for health, B− for safety and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Chaney Johnson and April Weaver.
