Official Federal Data
Shelby County, Alabama
FIPS 01117 · Birmingham, AL · Population 230,211
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$97,961 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.2% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$17.3B ▲
GDP
46.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$97,961 ▲
Per Capita
$49,440 ▲
Mean Household
$128,135 ▲
Poverty Rate
7.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Shelby County$97,961
Alabama$63,999
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.8%
18-34 · 20.5%
35-54 · 27.3%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 16.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.9 pts
46.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +11.1 pts
16.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +2.0 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
230,211
Population
122,104
Labor Force
Employed
118,318
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.2% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min above national avg
29.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.9%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 11.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 10,725 workers (17.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $41,515.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $17.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $116,919 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,595, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Finance & Insurance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
7,833
Cluster Employment
3.03x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
4.26x 958
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3.91x 945
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
3.03x 4,277
Utilities
2.95x 966
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
2.55x 260
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
2.55x 3,556
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
1.82x 762
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.80x 1,343
Repair and Maintenance
1.64x 1,298
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
1.54x 2,851
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.12x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
67 employed
0.18x
Crop Production
53 employed
0.22x
Warehousing and Storage
232 employed
0.26x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
53 employed
0.41x
Food Manufacturing
392 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing concentrates at 4.26x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$326,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,401 ▲
Rent/Mo
81.4% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.6% ▼
Vacancy
3.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,024/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,155/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,266/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,583/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,801/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,449/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 81.4% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,449/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
139,066 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min above national avg
29.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.1%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
46.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
38,131/yr
10,026/yr
8,117/yr
6,393/yr
5,998/yr
3,892/yr
3,705/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
48.9%
Service
12.1%
Sales & Office
21.5%
Construction / Maint.
7.8%
Production / Transport
9.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 118,318 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 24,536 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Shelby County shows meaningful potential for nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing attraction, with a 4.26x concentration and 958 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, wholesale trade agents and brokers, and insurance carriers and related activities creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Shelby County, Alabama, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Shelby County, Alabama?
230,211 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Shelby County, Alabama?
$97,961 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Shelby County, Alabama?
2.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Shelby County, Alabama?
$17.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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