Birmingham earns a D−, ranked 164th of 187 in Alabama, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 2,415 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 89% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. 44% of working residents work locally in Birmingham, against 9.8% in Alabama’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Sloss Blast Furnace Site and Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Only 9 of Alabama’s 258 towns score higher on civic life.

StrongestAWalkability A⁻HistoryWeakestD⁻Safety DSchools DHealth CJobs & income

What makes Birmingham stand out

Where Birmingham beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Sloss Blast Furnace Site

HistoryA⁻

Settled in 1870

156 places on the National Register

A history going back 156 years.

Biggest of 5

College	Students
University of Alabama at Birmingham	15,353
Jefferson State Community College	5,747
Lawson State Community College	2,621

Colleges in town

5 colleges

24,006 students on campus

Students are 9% of residents.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Birmingham12.4

Alabama3.5

U.S.3.3

Worth knowing · SafetyD⁻

3.5 times the violent crime than AL

FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.

Sloss Blast Furnace Site · National Register of Historic Places

Birmingham’s story

156 years in pictures

Sloss Blast Furnace Site is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 156 National Register listings are more than in any other Alabama town with a listing.

Census counts: 3,086 in 1880, a peak of 340,887 in 1960, 200,733 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1820 and 4 maps from 1904 on.

1870Birmingham is settled

Explore the history →

The other Birmingham

Birmingham takes its name from Birmingham in West Midlands, England, 4,220 miles across the Atlantic.

UKUK edition

West Midlands, EnglandBirminghamA city of 1,121,367

Photo: Gillie Rhodes · CC BY-SA 2.0

Birmingham, settled in 1870, takes its name from Birmingham, a city in West Midlands, England.

Birmingham, AL4,220 miles · Birmingham, West Midlands

People1,121,367195,893 here

Typical home£225,000$134,000 here

Listed buildings1,41024 of them Grade I

TownGradeDagainst UK towns#21 of 35 in West Midlands · here D− against U.S. towns

Explore Birmingham, West Midlands

3 more U.S. towns are named after Birmingham:Birmingham, MI21,923 Birmingham, MO187 Birmingham, OH132

Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.

How Birmingham grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Birmingham is from typical.

How grading works

Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 90% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the D− overall blends very different results.

SafetyMore crime per resident than almost any U.S. townD⁻Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.6 of 20; 12% of households have no car; 5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →SchoolsDOpen →HealthSt. Vincent's Birmingham 1.4 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & income$46K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC⁺Open →Cost of livingBOpen →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors4% conserved landB⁺Open →History45 notable people born hereA⁻Open →Civic life4.5 library visits per resident; 6.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market54 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.6–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Legion Field and 20 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Birmingham. Close and well known come first.

All 31 attractions →

in town Stadium & arenaLegion Field

in town Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium

in town MuseumSloss Furnaces

in town Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena

in town Stadium & arenaBirmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex

in town MuseumBirmingham Museum of Art

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Legion 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 · Birmingham Museum of Art: Birmingham Museum of Art, CC BY 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Birmingham: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Birmingham, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerAlabama Power17.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterCentral Alabama Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpBy addressTown pickup · day by addressTown site

SchoolsBirmingham City School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereJefferson - Bessemer County Circuit ClerkJefferson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019

ZIP codes35211, 35215, 35205, 3520635211 12% · 35215 10% · 35205 10% · 35206 8%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Birmingham.

Birmingham draws workers from Hoover and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Alabama rate.

SafetyD⁻

Compared with most of Alabama and the rest of the country, violent crime in Birmingham is higher

Violent crime runs at 12.4 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Alabama rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Irondale (C) to Mountain Brook (A−).

Birmingham’s violent crime rate is 12.4 per 1,000 residents. Only 2 of the 138 Alabama towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Birmingham. Birmingham reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.

1%of U.S. towns report more crimeD⁻Safety Grade

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	12.4 per 1,000 residents	2.9	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	43.8 per 1,000 residents	16.9	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Birmingham12.4

Alabama3.5

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Birmingham43.8

Alabama15

U.S.15.5

1st

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

2,415

violent crimes reported in 2025

8,549

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageBirmingham’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type12.4 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsBehind its 7 graded neighbors Questions“Is Birmingham, AL safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

SchoolsD

Birmingham earns a D for schools

Each of its 7 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Mountain Brook highest at A+.

Its public schools are run by the Birmingham City school district. Two of its 82 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

11%of AL districts it outscoresDSchool Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Glen Iris Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6	Grades PK–6	827	D
Huffman High SchoolMagnetLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	1,094	D⁻

Full pageBirmingham’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsBirmingham City Vs. the neighborsBehind its 9 graded neighbors Every school82 schools · Glen Iris Elementary School Questions“Are Birmingham’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation

OutdoorsB⁺

4.3% of Birmingham is conserved land

70 miles of trail in 78 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Ruffner Mountain, 1,396 acres with 8.3 miles of trail.

#30for trails in AL

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.5 miles per square mile	0.1	0.4
Conserved land	4.3%	1.2%	4.3%

4.3%

conserved · 4,084 of 95,248 acres

70 mi

of trails · 0.5 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Red Mountain Park	9.5 mi	1,047
2. Ruffner Mountain	8.3 mi	1,396
3. Birmingham Botanical Gardens	2.8 mi	50

Full pageBirmingham’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map70 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk9.5 miles of trail · Red Mountain Park Conserved land4.3% conserved · 4,084 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Birmingham?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

About one in two working residents works right in Birmingham

179,234 jobs are based in Birmingham, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.

25% of Birmingham residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Birmingham grew to 179,234 in 2023, 13,619 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Birmingham is 21 minutes.

44%work in town

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Below the poverty line	25%	16%	9.6%
Average trip to work	21 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$46,000	$62,000	$80,000
Work from home	9.9%	6.7%	11%

Where working residents work

In Birmingham44%

Hoover7%

Homewood6%

Bessemer4%

Vestavia Hills3%

8 mi

median commute distance

179,234

jobs based in Birmingham

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns

Full pageBirmingham’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here179,234 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work44% work in Birmingham Commute times21 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 8 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthD

Birmingham is less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns

Against the 4,368 U.S. towns with household incomes like Birmingham’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.

Birmingham beats the Alabama average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 19% of adults have diabetes in Birmingham. Only 9 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Birmingham.

15%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	19%	15%	12%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	41%	36%	33%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	31%	19%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	47%	43%	35%

32 measures vs. Alabama

2 better17 too close to call13 worse

What stands out	Birmingham	AL
Fewer adults who have had cancer	5.8%	8.2%
More women getting mammograms	83.2%	77.9%
More adults facing a utility shut-off	17.2%	9.6%

St. Vincent's Birmingham

1.4 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

30th

percentile among AL towns

Full pageBirmingham’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby1.4 miles to an ER · St. Vincent's Birmingham How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than AL on 2 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

HousingCost of living grade B

A typical Birmingham home is worth about $134K

At 1.9 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $134K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Values fell 2.4% in the past year while the Alabama typical home rose 1.9%.

The typical Birmingham home is worth about $134,000, 44% below the Alabama typical home. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 7 have a lower share of households owning their home than Birmingham.

$134KZillow home value

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	46%	70%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	56%	46%	48%
Median rent	$1,107 a month	$940 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Birmingham$134K

Alabama$239K

Market temperature

days on market

96%

sale-to-list price

−2.4%

value change, 1 year

177

homes sold in May

Full pageBirmingham’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 2.4% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 2.9 years of income Rents$1,107 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of 6 of its 9 graded neighbors

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Birmingham

Birmingham has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.

1″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter35–57°

Spring50–75°

Summer68–90°

Fall52–75°

Nov 11

typical first frost

Mar 21

typical last frost

+1.0°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageBirmingham’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 91°, January lows 33°Rain & snow1″ of snow a winter · 57 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+1.0° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

More young adults than Alabama overall

Only 45.5% of households own their home, against 70.2% across Alabama.

Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (22% statewide). Birmingham has lost 2.3% of its people since 2020, down to 195,893 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Alabama.

35.6median age · AL 39.3

	Birmingham	Alabama towns	U.S. towns
Under 18	19%	23%	22%
Median age	35.6 years	39.2 years	40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	31%	23%	29%
Aged 65 or older	16%	18%	18%

BirminghamAlabamaUnited States

ALU.S.

Ages · share of residents

18%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma11%

High school28%

Some college21%

Associate’s8%

Bachelor’s19%

Graduate12%

Women and men · all residents

53.1% women, 46.9% men

About 88 men for every 100 women. Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.6, men 34.1.

Ages and education in Birmingham
	Birmingham	AL	U.S.
Under 10	10.3%	11.8%	11.6%
10 to 17	8.6%	10.4%	10.3%
18 to 24	12.1%	9.5%	9.1%
25 to 34	18.2%	12.9%	13.7%
35 to 44	11.9%	12.4%	13.2%
45 to 54	10.2%	12.2%	12.2%
55 to 64	12.4%	13%	12.7%
65 to 74	10.6%	10.7%	10.2%
75 and older	5.8%	7.1%	7%
No diploma	11%	11.4%	10.4%
High school	28.3%	30.3%	26%
Some college	21.3%	20.8%	19.1%
Associate’s	8.3%	9.1%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	18.8%	17.3%	21.6%
Graduate	12.3%	11.1%	14.1%

Full pageBirmingham by the numbersOpen the page

Ages35.6 median age · 16% are 65 or older Schooling31% have a four-year degree Homes46% own their home · Homeowners Income$46K a year · Median household income

Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C⁺

High risk in Birmingham, with inland flooding at the top

898 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 106 properties have flooded more than once.

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 898 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Birmingham.

60risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves

898

paid flood claims since 1978

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageBirmingham’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims898 paid flood claims · Since 1978 Past disasters13 federal disasters · Paid out in Birmingham Get ready4.2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Birmingham

20pages on Birmingham

The big questions

SchoolsDBehind 89% of AL districts · 82 schools SafetyD⁻12.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than AL on 2 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingB$134K typical home · down 2.4% in a year Work & commuteC$46K median household income · 179,234 jobs here Natural hazardsC⁺FEMA risk higher than 60% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsB⁺70 mi of trails · 4% conserved land PlacesAttractions31 nearby · Legion Field under 1 mi LibraryB4.5 library visits per resident CollegesLawson State Community College, in town

The story

HistoryA⁻Settled 1870 · 156 on the National Register Famous people45 born in Birmingham Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 48 residents Climate91° summer highs · 1″ of snow

Day to day

News8 recent stories about Birmingham WeatherHandbookZIP code 35201, 35202, 35203 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

7 within 15 miles of the center of Birmingham

Lawson State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · BirminghamIn town$5,040 in-state tuition University of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity or college · Public · BirminghamIn town$9,098 in-state tuition Herzing University-BirminghamUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · BirminghamIn town$13,450 tuition

About 9 of every 100 Birmingham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

University of Alabama at Birmingham calls Birmingham home

5 colleges in town.

University of Alabama at Birmingham15,353 students on campus

Admission: 88%
Net price: $18,749
Graduate: 64%

Jefferson State Community College5,747 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $9,086
Graduate: 26%

Lawson State Community College2,621 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $6,275
Graduate: 27%

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

156 places in Birmingham on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Sloss Blast Furnace SiteBuilt 1983 · National Historic Landmark

Sixteenth Street Baptist ChurchBuilt 1911 · National Historic Landmark

Bethel Baptist Church, Parsonage, and GuardhouseNational Historic Landmark

ArlingtonBuilt 1845

Famous people from Birmingham

45 notable people were born in Birmingham.

See all 45 →

Condoleezza RiceAmerican diplomat and political scientist · born 1954

Angela DavisAmerican political activist, scholar, and author · born 1944

Courteney CoxAmerican actress and producer · born 1964

Carl LewisUS track & field athlete · born 1961

Edward O. WilsonAmerican biologist, naturalist, and writer · 1929–2021

Louise FletcherAmerican actress · 1934–2022

About Birmingham

City in Alabama, United States

Official town website ↗

Birmingham ( BUR-ming-ham) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the third-most populous city in the state, with an estimated population of 196,357 as of 2024. The Birmingham metropolitan area, with over 1.19 million residents, is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama and 47th-most populous in the US. Birmingham serves as a major regional economic, medical, and educational hub of the Deep South, Piedmont, and Appalachian regions. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. Founded in 1871 during the Reconstruction era, Birmingham was formed through the merger of three smaller communities, most notably Elyton. It quickly grew into an industrial and transpor…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1871
Area: 149 sq mi
Elevation: 614 ft
ZIP code: 35201, 35202, 35203
Area code: 205

Birmingham’s neighbors

10 towns share a border with Birmingham.

Explore the map →

All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Center Point (C−) is closest. Mountain Brook next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Birmingham’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to B).

How the neighbors grade

Town	AL rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Birmingham	#164	D⁻	B	D⁻	D	D
Irondale	#105	C⁻	C⁺	C	C	B⁺
Center Point	#116	C⁻	B	—	C	D⁻
Homewood	#36	B⁺	D	C	A⁺	A
Mountain Brook	#6	A	D	A⁻	A⁺	A⁺
Trussville	#21	A⁻	C⁺	C⁺	A⁺	A
Vestavia Hills	#10	A	D	A⁻	A⁺	A
Hoover	#19	A⁻	C⁻	B	A⁺	A

Center Point reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Birmingham with a neighbor →

Questions about Birmingham

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Birmingham, AL a good place to live?

Birmingham grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #164 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Birmingham, AL expensive?

That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($71,498 across the Birmingham, AL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.

What is Birmingham, AL known for?

45 notable people were born here, including Condoleezza Rice and Angela Davis.

Post to Birmingham

Check your email

BirminghamAL

Is Birmingham a good place to live?

What makes Birmingham stand out

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

156 years in pictures

The other Birmingham

How Birmingham grades

Legion Field and 20 more within 40 miles

Moving to Birmingham: who provides what

The data

Compared with most of Alabama and the rest of the country, violent crime in Birmingham is higher

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Birmingham earns a D for schools

4.3% of Birmingham is conserved land

About one in two working residents works right in Birmingham

Where working residents work

Birmingham is less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns

A typical Birmingham home is worth about $134K

Typical home value

Mild winters and hot summers in Birmingham

Typical low → high °F

More young adults than Alabama overall

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

High risk in Birmingham, with inland flooding at the top

Everything we know about Birmingham

Colleges nearby

University of Alabama at Birmingham calls Birmingham home

Landmarks

Famous people from Birmingham

About Birmingham

Birmingham’s neighbors

Questions about Birmingham