With 16,534 people, Gardendale is a city in Alabama. The population is up 42% since 2000. The foreign-born share is 1%. 78% of homes are owner-occupied. That is roughly 28% ahead of the Alabama median. The poverty rate is 4.3%, under the national 12.5%.
At a glance
Average income
median household income $82,192, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 33%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Gardendale
What changed most since 1990
Black share1.2% → 21.2%(+20.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
White share98.5% → 69.7%(−28.8 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Population9,251 → 16,534(+79%)US over the same years: +35%
Gardendale's population equals 2.5% of Jefferson County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 0.4% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 0.7% 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)31.5%(274)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)37.8%(329)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era24%(209)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(30)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 871 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
Gardendale, decade by decade
Gardendale 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
9,251
$80,570
$159,845
14.1%
3.7
2000
11,626
$83,406
$189,270
16.6%
8.1
2010
13,893
$86,665
$235,782
24.8%
28.0
2020
16,044
$91,109
$223,258
30.5%
48.7
2024
16,534
$82,192
$252,600
31.2%
58.1
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.
