While big cities like Birmingham offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Birmingham. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Birmingham without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Birmingham are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Birmingham area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Birmingham for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Birmingham? Mountain Brook ranks as the best suburb of Birmingham for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mountain Brook, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Birmingham ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Alabama:
The 10 Best Birmingham Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 22,259
Median Income: $167,007
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Mountain Brook: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Mountain Brook is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Birmingham area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Mountain Brook.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $167,007 a year, which is the highest in the Birmingham region. And only 0.9% are out of work. Homes average more than $887,856 each.
/10
Population: 38,600
Median Income: $127,582
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Vestavia Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Vestavia Hills is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Birmingham for 2024.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.86% of residents lack insurance, good for 5th best.
/10
Here in Kimberly, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Birmingham metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Kimberly.
/10
Population: 27,557
Median Income: $97,366
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Homewood: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Homewood ranks as the 4th best suburb of Birmingham for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Homewood and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 25,621
Median Income: $118,028
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 1.7%
More on Trussville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Trussville.
Trussville gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Birmingham area, where houses sell for an average of $376,558. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 21,036
Median Income: $107,360
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Helena: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Helena is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.14%.
According to online reports, Helena is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Birmingham area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 91,995
Median Income: $101,765
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Hoover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Hoover.
Hoover schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 10.4 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Hoover is a suburban community just outside the city of Birmingham. Crime is low, schools are consistently rated in “Best Schools in America” lists and there are many recreational options nearby, including many parks. Plenty of shopping from high-end to budget-friendly available. Residents take pride in their neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are cookie-cutter, but homes and lawns are maintained well and there is no littering or trash in public spaces. It’s a small and safe place to live!
Oak Mountain is a favorite. You can hike, swim, fish, camp or go to a concert at the outdoor theater venue. Hoover is in a great location, so you have easy access to museums, botanical gardens, historic movie theaters, shopping, and the airport. Hoover has grown rapidly and the roadways haven’t kept up, so traffic is an inevitable frustration. Popular stores and restaurants seem to be on side of town and creates a lot of congestion. There is a lot of open space in the city, so building places in other parts of town would help.
/10
Population: 15,201
Median Income: $102,344
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.4%
More on Chelsea: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Chelsea is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.88% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 24,221
Median Income: $94,108
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Pelham: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Pelham?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 3,611
Median Income: $86,552
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Lake View: Data | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Lake View.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Birmingham for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Birmingham was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Birmingham.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 41 suburbs to evaluate around Birmingham.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 41 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Birmingham.” We’re lookin’ at you, Mountain Brook.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Birmingham suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Birmingham ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Birmingham are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Birmingham but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Alabama reading, check out:
Table: Best Birmingham Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Brook, AL | 22,259 | $167,007 | $887,856 |
| 2 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 38,600 | $127,582 | $517,867 |
| 3 | Kimberly, AL | 4,045 | $107,670 | $285,863 |
| 4 | Homewood, AL | 27,557 | $97,366 | $496,963 |
| 5 | Trussville, AL | 25,621 | $118,028 | $376,558 |
| 6 | Helena, AL | 21,036 | $107,360 | $344,616 |
| 7 | Hoover, AL | 91,995 | $101,765 | $423,088 |
| 8 | Chelsea, AL | 15,201 | $102,344 | $372,677 |
| 9 | Pelham, AL | 24,221 | $94,108 | $300,946 |
| 10 | Lake View, AL | 3,611 | $86,552 | $269,961 |
| 11 | Alabaster, AL | 33,417 | $89,423 | $288,633 |
| 12 | Morris, AL | 2,273 | $91,750 | $251,792 |
| 13 | Springville, AL | 4,824 | $62,386 | $319,368 |
| 14 | Gardendale, AL | 16,051 | $78,719 | $257,779 |
| 15 | Argo, AL | 4,416 | $87,134 | $259,408 |
| 16 | Calera, AL | 16,644 | $73,775 | $248,784 |
| 17 | Clay, AL | 10,315 | $74,198 | $244,802 |
| 18 | Westover, AL | 2,404 | $87,772 | $288,213 |
| 19 | Pinson, AL | 7,209 | $83,673 | $206,702 |
| 20 | Margaret, AL | 5,294 | $83,814 | $259,656 |
| 21 | Pleasant Grove, AL | 9,549 | $72,917 | $224,499 |
| 22 | Moody, AL | 13,235 | $77,680 | $257,342 |
| 23 | Fultondale, AL | 9,756 | $72,741 | $220,246 |
| 24 | Leeds, AL | 12,292 | $67,159 | $237,534 |
| 25 | Columbiana, AL | 4,552 | $58,214 | $270,933 |
| 26 | Mount Olive, AL | 2,144 | $46,824 | $91,968 |
| 27 | Irondale, AL | 13,455 | $68,869 | $266,185 |
| 28 | Fairfield, AL | 9,975 | $45,646 | $89,729 |
| 29 | Hueytown, AL | 16,655 | $64,176 | $162,864 |
| 30 | Center Point, AL | 16,279 | $49,886 | $152,646 |
| 31 | Montevallo, AL | 7,288 | $56,500 | $225,034 |
| 32 | Sumiton, AL | 2,516 | $63,682 | $177,436 |
| 33 | Midfield, AL | 5,159 | $48,219 | $81,363 |
| 34 | Graysville, AL | 2,700 | $65,671 | $103,093 |
| 35 | Warrior, AL | 3,206 | $53,258 | $229,502 |
| 36 | Lipscomb, AL | 2,390 | $46,767 | $59,070 |
| 37 | Adamsville, AL | 4,325 | $58,631 | $133,754 |
| 38 | Dora, AL | 2,718 | $55,189 | $163,638 |
| 39 | Tarrant, AL | 6,077 | $37,768 | $66,566 |
| 40 | Bessemer, AL | 25,890 | $34,953 | $113,657 |
| 41 | Brighton, AL | 2,983 | $34,471 | $39,182 |