PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Birmingham, AL

54.5
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#131
of 387 metros
66%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Birmingham ranks #131 of 387 US metros, ahead of 66% - carried by its childcare (93/100) and held back most by environment (9/100).

93
strongest: Childcare
69
then: Schools
9
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Birmingham sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

55 66th percentile higher than 66% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Birmingham Life Score

Birmingham's composite score of 54.5 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #131 of 387, ahead of 66% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (93/100) and Schools (69/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (9/100) and Safety (42/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 91.6 (rent-RPP 71.9). BLS median salary $63,237, 497,490 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). HUD 2BR FMR $1,266/mo (studio $1,024).

FBI UCR (AL): 376 violent, 1622 property/100K. NCES: 17.7:1 ratio, 1.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,896/yr. EPA: 16 Superfund sites (AL). Ranks #128-#134 below.

Dimension detail

How Birmingham scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 66/100 (20%)
Wages 49/100 (20%)
Rent 55/100 (15%)
Safety 42/100 (15%)
Schools 69/100 (10%)
Childcare 93/100 (10%)
Environment 9/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,237
Avg Median Salary
$1,266
2BR Fair Market Rent
376
Violent Crime/100K (AL)
17.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,896
Infant Childcare/yr (AL)
16
Superfund Sites (AL)
497,490
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Birmingham With...

Birmingham vs Tuscaloosa Compare → Birmingham vs Mobile Compare → Birmingham vs Decatur Compare → Birmingham vs Wildwood Compare → Birmingham vs Waterloo Compare → Birmingham vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Birmingham outranks 66% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#128 Williamsport, PA 54.7 B
#129 St. Louis, MO-IL 54.7 B
#130 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 54.7 B
#131 Birmingham, AL 54.5 B
#132 Monroe, MI 54.4 B
#133 Yakima, WA 54.4 B
#134 Albany, GA 54.3 B

AL Metro Scores

Tuscaloosa, AL A+ 66.3 Mobile, AL A 62.3 Decatur, AL A 61.9 Montgomery, AL A- 60.5 Gadsden, AL A- 59.6 Dothan, AL A- 59.5

Using Birmingham's Life Score

Birmingham is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (93/100) and its weakest is environment (9/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Birmingham head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Birmingham lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Birmingham's biggest strengths? ▼
Birmingham's strongest dimensions are Childcare (93/100), Schools (69/100), Cost of Living (66/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Birmingham's weakest areas? ▼
Birmingham's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (9/100), Safety (42/100), Wages (49/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Birmingham compared to the national average? ▼
Birmingham's Regional Price Parity is 91.6 (8.4% less than national); rent RPP 71.9.
What is the average salary in Birmingham? ▼
Birmingham median salary: $63,237, 497,490 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Birmingham's 54.5/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.