METRO AREA
Birmingham Metro
Birmingham, AL · 7 counties · 1,197,766 residents (2025 est.) · 5,280 sq mi
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The short version
With 1,184,613 people, Birmingham is a metro area. That puts it in the top 7% of US metro areas for household income. The foreign-born share is 5%. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $241,872. 71% of homes are owner-occupied. 132,375 more people live here than in 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 47%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
1,184,613
+13%since 2000
from 1,052,238 in 2000
1,197,766 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
5,280 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20241.2M
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(69,155)
5 to 96.2%(73,567)
10 to 146.8%(80,145)
15 to 196.6%(77,811)
20 to 246.2%(73,028)
25 to 3413.4%(158,203)
35 to 4413%(153,888)
45 to 5412.4%(146,394)
55 to 6412.6%(149,298)
65 to 7410.4%(123,032)
75 to 845%(59,292)
85 and over1.8%(20,800)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$72,464
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,551 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
48.1%
+19.0 ptssince 2009
from 29.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.3%
Retail trade9.8%
Other services8.2%
Wholesale trade7%
Finance & insurance6.7%
Public administration6.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
Education & health services1.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
Manufacturing0.6%
Construction0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$241,872
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,229 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.3
+19%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic69%(726,196)
Black27.5%(289,082)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(18,567)
Asian0.7%(7,774)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic60.9%(721,774)
Black28.3%(334,920)
Hispanic / Latino6%(70,807)
Asian1.6%(18,492)
Other3.3%(38,620)
62
+16%since 2009
from 53 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
52
−6%since 2020
from 55 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican3.8%(45,227)
Central American0.7%(8,274)
South American0.4%(5,244)
Puerto Rican0.4%(4,393)
Guatemalan0.3%(3,745)
Cuban0.2%(2,111)
Honduran0.2%(1,954)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,932)
Colombian0.2%(1,781)
Venezuelan0.2%(1,464)
Spaniard0.1%(1,189)
Chilean0.1%(747)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0%(461)
Ecuadorian0%(424)
Argentine0%(369)
Peruvian0%(365)
Panamanian0%(230)
Nicaraguan0%(168)
Costa Rican0%(120)
Bolivian0%(27)
Paraguayan0%(20)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(6,017)
Chinese0.4%(4,348)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,969)
Korean0.1%(1,656)
Filipino0.1%(1,475)
Pakistani0.1%(749)
Japanese0.1%(691)
Taiwanese0%(308)
Malaysian0%(298)
Thai0%(264)
Nepalese0%(218)
Indonesian0%(66)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(1,045)
Samoan0%(189)
Chamorro0%(93)
Fijian0%(70)
Guamanian0%(32)
Marshallese0%(17)
Tongan0%(12)
Ancestry
English12.8%(151,996)
American11.4%(134,486)
Irish7.4%(87,073)
German5.8%(68,201)
Scottish2.2%(26,338)
Italian2%(23,719)
Scotch-Irish1.3%(15,158)
Subsaharan African1.2%(13,846)
French1%(12,045)
Arab0.5%(5,865)
Dutch0.5%(5,811)
Polish0.5%(5,534)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.4%(4,827)
British0.3%(3,893)
Norwegian0.3%(3,491)
Swedish0.3%(3,095)
West Indian0.2%(2,557)
Lebanese0.2%(2,509)
Russian0.2%(2,140)
Greek0.2%(2,087)
Nigerian0.2%(1,645)
Hungarian0.1%(1,586)
Swiss0.1%(1,324)
Danish0.1%(1,267)
Jamaican0.1%(1,265)
French Canadian0.1%(1,130)
Moroccan0.1%(935)
Austrian0.1%(914)
Kenyan0.1%(913)
Finnish0.1%(859)
Portuguese0.1%(833)
Ukrainian0.1%(798)
Czech0.1%(763)
Palestinian0.1%(694)
Canadian0.1%(645)
Iranian0.1%(627)
Lithuanian0.1%(626)
Romanian0.1%(624)
Belgian0.1%(579)
Turkish0.1%(549)
Haitian0.1%(507)
Syrian0.1%(455)
Egyptian0.1%(449)
Croatian0%(437)
Guyanese0.1%(400)
Brazilian0%(373)
Slovak0%(360)
Bulgarian0%(306)
Jordanian0%(125)
Slovene0%(115)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(99)
Latvian0%(91)
Australian0%(88)
Ethiopian0%(73)
Armenian0%(72)
Serbian0%(60)
Macedonian0%(37)
Cape Verdean0%(24)
Israeli0%(22)
Somali0%(22)
Iraqi0%(9)
Barbadian0%(9)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
90.4%
+11.6 ptssince 2000
from 78.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.1%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 70.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
95.2%
+5.1 ptssince 2020
from 90.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.5%(158,082)
Married52.3%(239,585)
Widowed3.2%(14,587)
Divorced10%(45,761)
Women 15+
Never married29.9%(150,779)
Married47.2%(237,574)
Widowed9.9%(50,101)
Divorced13%(65,277)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
13.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 14.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
68.1%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 70.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 33.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
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)23.9%(12,896)
Gulf War (1990s)24.9%(13,436)
Vietnam era32.1%(17,356)
Korean War4.1%(2,236)
World War II1.1%(616)
Share of the 53,996 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
In this metro
Largest cities
BirminghamCENTRAL195,893Hoover93,550Vestavia Hills38,306Alabaster34,748Homewood28,118Trussville27,273Pelham25,664Bessemer24,984Helena23,388Mountain Brook21,661Calera18,992Chelsea17,716Gardendale16,425Hueytown16,159Center Point15,538Jasper14,585Pell City14,320Moody13,559Irondale13,545McCalla13,253Leeds12,831Clay10,198Forestdale9,742Fairfield9,483Pleasant Grove9,346Fultondale9,307Clanton9,289Meadowbrook9,117Brook Highland8,146Montevallo7,872
The 30 most populous of 114 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
7 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Birmingham
Buffalo
Pop 1,155,653
Fresno
Pop 1,203,383
Tucson
Pop 1,074,685
Tulsa
Pop 1,069,273
Places similar to BirminghamHead to head
Compare Birmingham side by side
BIRMINGHAM VS
Buffalo
Income$72,257same
Home value$225,816−7%
Population1,155,653−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BIRMINGHAM VS
Fresno
Income$74,533+3%
Home value$389,401+61%
Population1,203,383same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BIRMINGHAM VS
Tucson
Income$70,315−3%
Home value$319,700+32%
Population1,074,685−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BIRMINGHAM VS
Tulsa
Income$69,648−4%
Home value$220,806−9%
Population1,069,273−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Birmingham, AL?
Birmingham, AL has about 1,184,613 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Birmingham, AL?
The typical household in Birmingham, AL earns about $72,464 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Birmingham, AL expensive?
In Birmingham, AL, the median home is worth about $241,872, and the typical rent is about $1,159 a month.
How educated are people in Birmingham, AL?
About 33.8% of adults age 25 and over in Birmingham, AL hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Birmingham, AL?
About 13.8% of people in Birmingham, AL live below the federal poverty line.
Has Birmingham, AL grown since 1990?
Yes, Birmingham, AL has grown since 1990. The population has added about 227,769 residents, a change of about 24 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024