Bessemer, AL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Alabama·Bessemer

Jefferson County · Birmingham-Hoover · population 25,079

AffordabilityShrinking
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
48
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Bessemer stands

Population shrinking 0.9% per year.

Median home $133,314
1-year +1.8%
5-yr CAGR +1.2%
vs 5-yr peak -12.6%
Population -0.9%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-09$133k$70k$100k$129k$159k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
56/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,341/mo$1,017$1,223$1,429202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent99124100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 8.3
Buy

At a 8.3 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Bessemer on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 8.3 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
59 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
42 · w22%
Distance from peak
37 · w18%
Population growth
31 · w16%
Rent YoY
65 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Bessemer is 13% off its 5-year peak and turning back up (+1.8% in the last year). Classic 'bought back the dip' setup — risk is that the trend reverses, reward is that it doesn't and you got in early.

Short thesis

Bessemer's population is shrinking 0.9% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Bessemer

Bessemer is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, with an estimated population of 25,079. It anchors the Birmingham-Hoover metro area. The population has contracted 0.9% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Bessemer is $133,314 as of 2026-04, up 1.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +1.2% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 13% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Bessemer average $1,341 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+3.0%). The composite momentum score is 48 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Cheap entry point: $133,314 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.
○The data is the data: Bessemer has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●13% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.
●Flat or shrinking population: -0.9% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Jefferson County right now.

NWS active alerts (AL)Alabama Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Jefferson County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Bessemer

Tuskegee, AL50 · StableCenter Point, AL55 · StableEufaula, AL54 · StableLanett, AL50 · Stable

Run the numbers for Bessemer

ToolCan I afford Bessemer?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Bessemer rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Bessemer to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBessemer cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
56° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
215
~59% of year
Annual precip
58″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Bessemer listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Birmingham-Hoover area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$56,900
Alabama state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareRetail

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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