Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 21,661, settled in 1942. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mountain Brook grades A overall, ranked 6th of 187 in Alabama. The median household earns $201K. Its public schools are among the best in Alabama and it is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 14.7 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. 89% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Mountain Brook, above both Alabama’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 12 of Alabama’s 186 towns score higher on safety. Mountain Brook's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Mountain Brook beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Crestline Elementary School | PK–6 | 743 |
| Brookwood Forest Elementary School | PK–6 | 579 |
| Cherokee Bend Elementary School | PK–6 | 562 |
| Widest gap | Mountain Brook | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 19.2% |
1.4% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Mountain Brook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,359 in 1950, 22,461 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1928 and a map from 1953 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mountain Brook. Close and well known come first.
6 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
5 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 Mountain Brook, 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 Mountain Brook.
Mountain Brook is the healthiest town in Alabama, has schools in the top 5% of Alabama and fares better on crime within Alabama than nationally.
At 14.7 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $1.05M) costs more against local pay than in any other Alabama town; that ratio is one input to that grade. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Homewood is next at $569K.
For Mountain Brook, the typical rent is $1,456 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 8.7% in value. Also worth knowing: in Mountain Brook, nine in ten households live in a home they own.
| Mountain Brook | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,456 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 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 $1.05M.
Below: Three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. The public schools here belong to the Mountain Brook City school district. The 5 public schools in Mountain Brook teach 3,440 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestline Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 743 | A+ |
| Mountain Brook Junior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–9 | Grades 7–9 | 1,005 | A+ |
| Cherokee Bend Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 562 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Among 157 Alabama towns, just 10 have a higher trail network density than Mountain Brook. 12 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 26 acres.
| Mountain Brook | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jemison Park | 0.4 mi | 19 |
| 2. Cahaba River Walk Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 3. Overton Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
It is the healthiest of the 187 Alabama towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Alabama is food insecurity: 5.1% of its 16,374 adults worry about having enough food, against 19.2% statewide.
Only 9 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Mountain Brook. Among adults locally, 34% have high blood pressure. Two figures for adults here: 12% report frequent mental distress, 8.5% report frequent physical distress.
| Mountain Brook | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mountain Brook | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 19.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 10 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Alabama’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 230 to 140 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mountain Brook reports less crime per resident than three quarters of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. In Mountain Brook, the property offense rate is 6.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Mountain Brook | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 17 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mountain Brook has about as many jobs (9,034) as working residents, but only 646 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.4 minutes, against 25.5 across Alabama.
Most working residents leave Mountain Brook for work: only 8% work in town. No town among the 186 in Alabama we compare has a higher income of the median household than Mountain Brook. The town’s average commute stands at 16 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 5 miles away.
| Mountain Brook | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $201,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 6.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
110 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 19 properties have flooded more than once.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Mountain Brook, 58% come from inland flooding and 20% from tornadoes. On expected storm and flood damage, Mountain Brook sits above 55% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 110 claims here since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Mountain Brook
About 3 of every 100 Mountain Brook residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
20,413 counted in 2010 and 22,461 in 2020; an estimated 21,661 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3.9%, after 10% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Mountain Brook on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Alabama, United States
Mountain Brook is a city located in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a suburb of Birmingham. Its population at the 2020 census was 22,461.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Mountain Brook.
At #6 in AL, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Vestavia Hills (A) comes closest. Irondale next door grades lower for schools (C to Mountain Brook’s A+) and higher for cost of living (C+ to D).
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Brook | #6 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Vestavia Hills | #10 | A | D | A− | A+ | A |
| Birmingham | #164 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
| Irondale | #105 | C− | C+ | C | C | B+ |
| Homewood | #36 | B+ | D | C | A+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Mountain Brook grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #6 of 187 in Alabama. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
