Bessemer is home to 25,400 people in Alabama. 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. 27.9% of people here live below the federal poverty line. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $135,900. Households here earn about 38% less than in Alabama as a whole. At a median age of 43.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $39,613, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 32%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Bessemer
What changed most since 1990
Population33,497 → 25,400(−24%)US over the same years: +35%
Black share58.1% → 66.6%(+8.5 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree7.2% → 15.6%(+8.4 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Bessemer's population equals 3.8% of Jefferson County's. Its number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher equals 1.7% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 6.8% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.2%(199)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.2%(275)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.2%(548)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(79)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(11)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,513 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Bessemer, decade by decade
Bessemer population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
33,497
$39,196
$96,243
7.2%
61.3
2000
29,672
$42,018
$102,741
9.2%
54.9
2010
27,456
$39,690
$117,531
13.2%
54.7
2020
26,019
$36,705
$121,325
14.6%
59.0
2024
25,400
$39,613
$135,900
15.6%
62.8
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
