Jefferson County · Birmingham-Hoover · population 196,357
Where Birmingham stands
15% off 5-year peak. population shrinking 0.5% per year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
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 · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 8.8 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Birmingham on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 8.8 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Birmingham has held up across the cycle: home values at $137,201 with +0.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Birmingham's population is shrinking 0.5% 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 Birmingham
Birmingham is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, with an estimated population of 196,357. It anchors the Birmingham-Hoover metro area. The population has contracted 0.5% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Birmingham is $137,201 as of 2026-04, down 2.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +0.4% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 15% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Birmingham average $1,303 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.4%). The composite momentum score is 40 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Birmingham (Wikipedia)
Birmingham is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the third-most populous city in the state, with an estimated population of 196,357 as of 2024. The Birmingham metropolitan area, with over 1.19 million residents, is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama and 47th-most populous in the US. Birmingham serves as a major regional economic, medical, and educational hub of the Deep South, Piedmont, and Appalachian regions. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Birmingham(Other attractions)
- Vulcan statue
- Red Mountain
- Birmingham Zoo
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens
- Aldridge Botanical Gardens
- Splash Adventure
- Kelly Ingram Park
- Railroad Park
- Great Smoky Mountains
- Tannehill Iron Furnaces
- The Summit
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Playbook
You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.
Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.
Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Jefferson County right now.
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.
Neighborhoods of Birmingham
75 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Cities like Birmingham
Run the numbers for Birmingham
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
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
Find rentals & listings
Open current Birmingham listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- This Alabama city is ranked one of the most desirable places to live in the entire countryAL.com · 1d ago
- Birmingham Police investigating 3 separate overnight shootingsWBRC · 16h ago
- 2026 primary election: What the Birmingham metro area needs to knowBham Now · 2d ago
- This Alabama City Has A Signature Hot Dog With An Unusual But Legendary ToppingSouthern Living · 15h ago
- News | Birmingham, Alabama-area industrial building sells for $7.25 millionCoStar · 1d ago
- AL gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville speaks on election nightMontgomery Advertiser · 1d ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
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 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.
Cities similar to Birmingham
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.