Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,538, settled in 1938.
CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Overall it grades C−, ranked 116th of 187 in Alabama. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. Only 7 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on hazard risk. Center Point's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. Center Point’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, above both Alabama’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Where Center Point beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Center Point | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21% | 9.6% |
Where Center Point’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Center Point is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 15,675 in 1970, a peak of 23,317 in 1980, 16,406 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1905 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Center Point. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
11 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
11 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
11 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena32 mi LakeLewis Smith Lake6 mi MuseumSouthern Museum of FlightLegion Field: USGS, Public domain · Protective Stadium: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sloss Furnaces: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legacy Arena: AuburnShuffle, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Center Point, 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 Center Point.
Center Point carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Alabama (mostly inland flooding), has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Alabama.
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its D−, from Birmingham (D) to Grayson Valley (B−).
42% of Center Point adults feel lonely. Among 187 Alabama towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Center Point. 30% of Center Point adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Center Point | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 19% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 43% | 35% |
| What stands out | Center Point | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 8.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 14.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Center Point High School, with 685 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erwin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 585 | D |
| Center Point High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 685 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
At 2.2 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $155K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Center Point home is worth about $155,000, up 3.2% in a year, 35% below the Alabama typical home. 61% of households own their home in Center Point.
| Center Point | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,218 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Center Point for work: only 2% work in town. Center Point’s median household income is $56,000. The top destinations are Birmingham (41%), Hoover (6%) and Homewood (5%).
| Center Point | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Alabama towns, with expected losses of about $291 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Center Point is 27 of 100. Since 2009, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Center Point.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Pinson weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 212 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 83% of Alabama places with climate records.
Center Point has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 33° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5 within 15 miles of the center of Center Point
About 6 of every 100 Center Point residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alabama.
City in Alabama, United States
Center Point is a city and a former census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area. At the 2020 census, the population was 16,406. However, after its incorporation in 2002, the city's boundaries are much smaller than those of the CDP. As of the 2010 census, the population of the incorporated city was 16,921. The public high school for Center Point is Center Point High School grades 9th-12th. The public middle school for Center Point is Erwin Middle School grades 6th-8th. Center Point has 2 public elementary schools, Erwin Intermediate School grades 3rd-5th and Center Point Elementary School grades K-2nd.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Center Point.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Point | #116 | C− | B | — | C | D− |
| Birmingham | #164 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
| Pinson | #146 | D | B− | — | C | C− |
| Grayson Valley | #113 | C− | B− | — | C | B− |
| Clay | #132 | D | C+ | — | C | C+ |
Center Point, Pinson, Grayson Valley and Clay report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Center Point with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Center Point grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #116 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.2 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.
