Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 28,118, settled in 1930. A regional job hub with 34,782 jobs.
Trash day: look up yoursFor most people who can afford it, yes. Homewood grades B+ overall, 36th of 187 graded towns in Alabama. Its public schools beat 96% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. It is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $94K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $568K, 8 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. 71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Homewood, against 23% in Alabama’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 2 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better. Homewood is home to Samford University.
Where Homewood beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Edgewood Elementary School | K–5 | 935 |
| Hall Kent Elementary School | PK–5 | 717 |
| Shades Cahaba Elementary School | K–5 | 507 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Homewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,103 in 1930, 26,414 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Homewood. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
5 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
4 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
5 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena
5 mi Stadium & arenaBirmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
4 mi MuseumBirmingham Museum of ArtLegion 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Homewood, 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 Homewood.
Homewood has schools in the top 5% of Alabama and draws workers from Birmingham and beyond, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Alabama.
At 8 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $569K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,478, against $788 across Alabama, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Homewood is $1,463 a month. Typical home values rose 6.6% in the year to September 2026. 62% of households own their home in Homewood.
| Homewood | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,463 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #6 of the 187 Alabama towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $569K.
Its public schools are run by the Homewood City school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homewood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,000 | A+ |
| Homewood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,333 | A+ |
| Edgewood Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 935 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
34,782 jobs are based in Homewood, 3.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.1 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
Homewood’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Most working residents leave Homewood for work: only 15% work in town. 8.9% of Homewood residents live below the poverty line.
| Homewood | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 6.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Alabama is COPD: 4% of its 20,236 adults have COPD, against 8% statewide.
Homewood beats the Alabama average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Only 4 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Homewood.
| Homewood | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 43% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Homewood | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4% | 8% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.1% | 14.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is West Homewood Park, at 82 acres.
| Homewood | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Homewood Central Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
| 2. West Homewood Park | — | 82 |
| 3. Homewood Soccer Park | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 736 to 531 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Alabama, it does better than 65% of towns.
| Homewood | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.3 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homewood 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
84 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 84 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Homewood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Homewood
College town 17 of every 100 Homewood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
Where Homewood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Homewood on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Homewood.
City in Alabama, United States
Homewood is a city located in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area, it is located to the side of Red Mountain from Birmingham, due south of the city center. The population was estimated at 26,414 in the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Homewood.
Birmingham next door grades lower for schools (D to Homewood’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B to D).
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homewood | #36 | B+ | D | C | A+ | A |
| Birmingham | #164 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
| Vestavia Hills | #10 | A | D | A− | A+ | A |
| Hoover | #19 | A− | C− | B | A+ | A |
| Mountain Brook | #6 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Homewood grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #36 of 187 in Alabama. It grades A for health, C for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Alabama, it does better than 65% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
4 notable people were born here, including Ameer Abdullah and Katy Freels.
