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Alabama›Shelby County

Shoal CreekAL

With 1,328 residents, it is a town in Alabama.

Is Shoal Creek a good place to live?

The best of Shoal Creek’s subject grades are an A+ for incomes, an A for health, and an A− for schools; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 67% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shoal Creek, against 23% in Alabama’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of Alabama’s 306 towns score higher on incomes. Shoal Creek Club is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shoal Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

How Shoal Creek grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Shoal Creek is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

What makes Shoal Creek stand out

Where Shoal Creek beats most towns.

A growing town

Shoal Creek has grown 19% from 2010 to 2020

1,400 counted in 2010 and 1,668 in 2020.

1,4002010
1,6682020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Shoal Creek.

HealthA

Compared with most of Alabama and the rest of the country, fewer of Shoal Creek’s adults report frequent mental distress

93%of U.S. towns are less healthyAHealth Grade

Only 2 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Shoal Creek. 13% of adults say their health is fair or poor locally. Of 32 CDC measures, Shoal Creek beats the Alabama average on 22 and trails it on 1.

Shoal CreekTypical Alabama townTypical U.S. town
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)27%36%33%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)12%18%17%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)17%30%25%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)8.4%16%14%
32 measures vs. Alabama
22 better9 too close to call1 worse
What stands outShoal CreekAL
Fewer adults facing food insecurity6.4%19.2%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity5.3%13.9%
More adults who have had cancer11.6%8.2%
Grandview Medical Center
7.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

SchoolsA−

Shoal Creek’s schools rank ahead of 83% of Alabama districts

83%of AL districts it outscoresA−School Grade

The Shelby County school district runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Enrollment at Shoal Creek’s public school: 498 students.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Mt Laurel Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5Grades K–5498A+

NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+

The median household income in Shoal Creek is higher than in the typical Alabama or U.S. town

2%work in town

Shoal Creek’s average trip to work works out to 32 minutes. It had 405 jobs in 2023, up 58 from 2013. The share of working residents in Shoal Creek who work locally is 2%. The top destinations are Birmingham (22%), Hoover (13%) and Homewood (6%).

Shoal CreekTypical Alabama townTypical U.S. town
Median household income$218,000$62,000$80,000
Average trip to work32 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town2%10%8%

Where working residents work

In Shoal Creek2%
Birmingham22%
Hoover13%
Homewood6%
Vestavia Hills4%
12 mi
median commute distance
405
jobs based in Shoal Creek
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

The biggest natural risk in Shoal Creek is inland flooding, at a high overall level

69risk score of 100

Compared with 69% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Shoal Creek is higher. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 59% come from inland flooding and 28% from tornadoes.

FEMA risk score
69High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Shoal Creek: mild winters and hot summers

90°summer high

The typical July afternoon high in Shoal Creek is 90°F.

Typical low → high °F

Winter35–56°
Spring50–74°
Summer68–89°
Fall51–75°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Mar 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade C

Homes in Shoal Creek sell for about $694K

$694Kmedian sale price

88% of Shoal Creek households live in a home they own. No town among the 178 in Alabama we compare has a higher going rate for rent than Shoal Creek. On the market here: a median 52 days to sell.

Shoal CreekTypical Alabama townTypical U.S. town
Median rent$2,766 a month$940 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home88%69%73%
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
52
days on market
100.1%
sale-to-list price
9
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

OutdoorsC−

0% of Shoal Creek is conserved land

0%conserved

Walkers can cover 1.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parkland in Shoal Creek adds up to 5 acres. For Shoal Creek, the density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.

0%
conserved · 0 of 3,379 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Olmsted Park—3
2. Turtle Back Park—2

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Shoal Creek

17pages on Shoal Creek
Nearby attractions

Legion Field and 19 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shoal Creek. Close and well known come first.

All 30 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Legion 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

Getting set up

Moving to Shoal Creek: who provides what

Shoal Creek is unincorporated, so Shelby County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerAlabama Power17.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCentral Alabama Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesShelby CountyShelby County provides services here
SchoolsShelby County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereShelby County Circuit ClerkShelby County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2024
ZIP codes35242, 3509435242 97% · 35094 3%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

Small town

1,328 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
DunnavantHooverHighland LakesDunnavantHooverHighland LakesShoal Creek
After high school

Colleges nearby

4 within 15 miles of the center of Shoal Creek

About Shoal Creek

Census-designated place in Alabama, United States

Shoal Creek is a residential community and Census-designated place in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Shoal Creek had a population of 1,668. Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club is located in Shoal Creek. It is a part of the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area, approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of downtown Birmingham.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
5.3 sq mi
Elevation
801 ft
Area code
205

Questions about Shoal Creek

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Shoal Creek, AL expensive?

The typical home is worth about $763,000, 220% above the Alabama typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.

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