Shelby County, Alabama
Population 230,211 · Alabaster, Hoover, Pelham
- Overall cost of living: −8.4% vs the US average, higher than 63% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Unemployment rate: 2.2%, lower than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−8.4% | higher than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Birmingham, AL metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $326,100 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,401 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $216/mo | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,235/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.44% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,423 | lower than 58% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $97,961 | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +9.5% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 391.7 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈216 days | higher than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 91°F | higher than 71% of US counties |
| January low | 34°F | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈1 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Birmingham Airport, AL, 19 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 63 days | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 42 days | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 12.4% of weeks | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈68.6°F | higher than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 57.3 in | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $153/yr | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $113/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.91/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.4/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $31/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.54/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 10.3 µg/m³ | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 195 mi | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈479.7 ft | higher than 54% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.5% | higher than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 46.8% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 16.1% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 17.4:1 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 95.1% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.55 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.47 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.76 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.5 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 77/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 12 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.9★ | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 80 yrs | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.2% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 149/100k | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 50/100k | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 74% | higher than 66% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 39 min | lower than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 39 min | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 30 min | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 94.7% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 16.9% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 180 min | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 22 per sq mi | lower than 50% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.6 per 1k | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 17.4 per 1k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Population | 230,211 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Median age | 40.3 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +8.3 per 1k/yr | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 29% Dem | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 69.9% Rep | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.1% | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % White | 73.2% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 7.6% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Black | 13.4% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Asian | 2.2% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 134 parks | higher than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.4 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.3 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 89 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 23 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 477 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 134 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 77 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 11 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 20 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 45 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data