Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Irondale is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 105th of 187 in Alabama, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 75% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 69% of U.S. towns, with 28 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $286K, 4 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. Only 22 of Alabama’s 308 towns score lower on cost of living. 42% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Irondale, above both the Alabama town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On civic life, just 17 of Alabama’s 258 towns do better.
Where Irondale beats most towns.
Where Irondale’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 Irondale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 525 in 1900, 13,497 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Irondale. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
9 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
8 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
9 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena38 mi LakeLewis Smith Lake5 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 Irondale, 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 Irondale.
Irondale draws workers from Birmingham and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has property taxes 1.6 times the Alabama norm.
8.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ruffner Mountain, at 141 acres.
| Irondale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flora Johnston Nature Park | 0.5 mi | 53 |
| 2. Ruffner Mountain | 0.3 mi | 141 |
| 3. Beacon Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Shades Valley High School, with 1,094 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irondale Community SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 435 | C |
| Shades Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,094 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
8,968 jobs are based in Irondale, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Irondale for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Irondale grew to 8,968 in 2023, 1,520 more than in 2013. Irondale’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
| Irondale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 11% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,701 U.S. towns with household incomes like Irondale’s, it is healthier than 90%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Alabama is tooth loss: 9.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide.
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Irondale. Irondale beats the Alabama average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Irondale.
| Irondale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Irondale | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.5% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.7% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in Irondale is 22.7 per 1,000 residents. Irondale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 69% report less. Within Alabama, it does better than 63% of towns.
| Irondale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.7 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Irondale has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $1,223, against $788 across Alabama, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
60% of Irondale households own their home. The typical Irondale home is worth about $286,000, up 2.6% in a year, 20% above the Alabama typical home.
| Irondale | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,320 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Irondale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Irondale
About 8 of every 100 Irondale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
City in Alabama, United States
Irondale is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, northeast of Homewood and Mountain Brook. At the 2020 census, the population was 13,497. The city is the site of Catholic radio/television broadcaster Eternal Word Television Network, or (EWTN). The city's annual Whistle-Stop Festival attracts thousands to its eclectic mix of art, food and music.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Irondale.
Mountain Brook next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Irondale’s C) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irondale | #105 | C− | C+ | C | C | B+ |
| Birmingham | #164 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
| Trussville | #21 | A− | C+ | C+ | A+ | A |
| Leeds | #87 | C | B+ | C− | C+ | B− |
| Vestavia Hills | #10 | A | D | A− | A+ | A |
| Mountain Brook | #6 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Irondale grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #105 of 187 in Alabama. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Within Alabama, it does better than 63% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
