Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Households in Birmingham earn less than those in 92% of U.S. towns
About two in five stay in Birmingham for work; outside it, Hoover is the main destination (7%, 10 miles). Below the poverty line: 24.7% of residents, next to 15.6% for Alabama as a whole. Jobs and income earn Birmingham C; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Birmingham
Birmingham is where the jobs are
Birmingham has 179,234 jobs, 2.4 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 301,000 people are in town, 54% more than the 196,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
The jobs in Birmingham pay better than its residents’ jobs
68% of the jobs based in Birmingham pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 51% of the jobs Birmingham residents hold. 82% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Birmingham. The jobs ↓
Birmingham draws workers from far and wide
The 179,234 jobs in Birmingham are filled from a wide area. Birmingham’s own residents hold 18% and the ten next-biggest home towns 23%; the other 59% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Birmingham are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 26 across Alabama. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Alabama worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Birmingham
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Birmingham is better than 26% of U.S. towns, #114 of 187 in Alabama. Job access by car holds Birmingham’s grade up (ahead of 89% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Birmingham could be anywhere from C− to C.
How a workday changes Birmingham
On a workday 41,166 residents head out to work, 32,997 work right here, and 146,237 people come in from elsewhere.
About 301,000 people are in Birmingham on a workday afternoon, 54% more than live here.
2.4 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
68% of the jobs in Birmingham pay over $3,333 a month
179,234 jobs are based in Birmingham.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Birmingham, 2013 → 2023: 165,615 → 179,234. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Birmingham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that send workers to Birmingham
Where Birmingham clocks in
7% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
About 21 minutes each way, quicker than most of Alabama
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Birmingham workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 81,274 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Alabama: 88% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Birmingham
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Birmingham, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Birmingham is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #2 of 187 in Alabama. Both inputs place Birmingham near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 90,219 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 77% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 32% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 81% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 12.0% of Birmingham households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Birmingham’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Among U.S. towns of 137,000 to 264,000, Birmingham ranks 126th of 146 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Hempstead NY | 238,982 | $158K | 4.5% | 4.1% | 20% | A |
| 2 | Frisco TX | 236,955 | $150K | 3.6% | 4.6% | 14% | A |
| 3 | Olathe KS | 150,025 | $114K | 5.6% | 2.7% | 26% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Huntsville AL | 233,627 | $75K | 12.6% | 4.1% | 66% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 119 | Mobile AL | 200,824 | $54K | 18.4% | 5.6% | 62% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Thornton Township IL | 152,667 | $59K | 20.8% | 11.8% | 14% | C |
| 125 | Bridgeport CT | 152,273 | $59K | 21.0% | 9.0% | 21% | C |
| 126 | Birmingham AL | 195,893 | $46K | 24.7% | 5.8% | 44% | C |
| 127 | Montgomery AL | 195,300 | $57K | 21.5% | 6.4% | 64% | C |
| 128 | Columbus GA | 202,171 | $58K | 19.0% | 6.3% | 59% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 146 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Birmingham, the top three, the last and three more from Alabama.
Bordering towns draw 22% of Birmingham’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Birmingham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | – | C | A | 21 min | $46,051 |
| Irondale | 2% | C+ | C | 22 min | $72,343 |
| Center Point | under 2% | C | A− | 31 min | $56,417 |
| Homewood | 6% | A | A | 17 min | $94,485 |
| Mountain Brook | 2% | A+ | B− | 16 min | $201,479 |
| Trussville | 2% | A+ | C | 27 min | $123,275 |
| Vestavia Hills | 3% | A | B | 19 min | $134,369 |
| Hoover | 7% | A | C+ | 25 min | $109,253 |
| Leeds | under 2% | B | C | 27 min | $69,737 |
| Forestdale | under 2% | C+ | C | 26 min | $66,569 |
| McDonald Chapel | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. McDonald Chapel: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Hoover. Darker towns draw more of Birmingham’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Birmingham: questions
What is the median household income in Birmingham?
$46,051 (±$1,718) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,999 across Alabama and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Birmingham?
24.7%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Birmingham?
21 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Birmingham work?
44% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hoover (7%, 10 mi), Homewood (6%, 5 mi), Bessemer (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Birmingham walkable?
Birmingham is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Birmingham without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 32% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Birmingham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Birmingham
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.