Birmingham has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Birmingham without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Birmingham: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$201,479 median income · $1,028,341 median home price
Located in
Jefferson County, AlabamaMountain 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 $201,479 a year, which is the highest in the Birmingham region. And only 1.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,028,341 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,275 median income · $394,833 median home price
Located in
St. Clair County, AlabamaTrussville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Birmingham for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 2.7% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,139 median income · $363,042 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaHere in Helena, 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 Helena.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,369 median income · $561,213 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaVestavia Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Birmingham for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Vestavia Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,485 median income · $558,046 median home price
Located in
Jefferson County, AlabamaComing in as the fifth best is Homewood.
Homewood gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the Birmingham area, where houses sell for an average of $558,046. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,253 median income · $437,228 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaHoover 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 3.5%.
According to online reports, Hoover is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Birmingham area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,337 median income · $384,778 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaThe 7th best suburb on our list goes to Chelsea.
Chelsea 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 16.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,429 median income · $306,419 median home price
Kimberly 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 2.7% of people lack insurance, good for 2nd in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,094 median income · $323,686 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, AlabamaIs ‘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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,932 median income · $296,254 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Westover.
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.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alabama’s statewide median.
Alabama statewide median: $63,999
Alabama statewide median: $236,453
Alabama statewide median: 4.7%
Alabama statewide median: 15.6%
On the map
Where the best Birmingham suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Birmingham for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 37 suburbs to evaluate around Birmingham.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 37 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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Birmingham suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Birmingham Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Brook | 2.71 | 22,029 | $201,479 | $1,028,341 |
| 2 | Trussville | 5.79 | 26,673 | $123,275 | $394,833 |
| 3 | Helena | 6.50 | 21,769 | $115,139 | $363,042 |
| 4 | Vestavia Hills | 7.00 | 38,616 | $134,369 | $561,213 |
| 5 | Homewood | 8.36 | 27,829 | $94,485 | $558,046 |
| 6 | Hoover | 8.50 | 92,642 | $109,253 | $437,228 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 9.07 | 16,260 | $115,337 | $384,778 |
| 8 | Kimberly | 10.08 | 4,439 | $97,429 | $306,419 |
| 9 | Pelham | 11.21 | 24,827 | $101,094 | $323,686 |
| 10 | Westover | 13.50 | 2,298 | $96,932 | $296,254 |
| 11 | Alabaster | 13.79 | 33,917 | $91,357 | $303,750 |
| 12 | Springville | 14.64 | 5,081 | $84,231 | $321,266 |
| 13 | Pleasant Grove | 15.29 | 9,442 | $70,317 | $225,144 |
| 14 | Gardendale | 15.64 | 16,534 | $82,192 | $266,523 |
| 15 | Calera | 16.71 | 17,714 | $87,194 | $254,701 |
| 16 | Moody | 16.79 | 13,488 | $86,627 | $259,875 |
| 17 | Fultondale | 17.14 | 9,384 | $73,575 | $228,868 |
| 18 | Clay | 17.29 | 10,273 | $81,920 | $250,060 |
| 19 | Pinson | 20.79 | 7,832 | $76,410 | $216,703 |
| 20 | Columbiana | 21.43 | 4,725 | $80,546 | $305,059 |
| 21 | Irondale | 21.57 | 13,464 | $72,343 | $289,627 |
| 22 | Fairfield | 22.14 | 9,728 | $48,456 | $93,495 |
| 23 | Leeds | 22.93 | 12,028 | $69,737 | $249,223 |
| 24 | Center Point | 23.50 | 15,914 | $56,417 | $152,329 |
| 25 | Montevallo | 24.50 | 7,556 | $56,626 | $248,376 |
| 26 | Adamsville | 24.79 | 4,266 | $62,500 | $140,290 |
| 27 | Sumiton | 24.93 | 2,459 | $65,568 | $146,108 |
| 28 | Hueytown | 25.43 | 16,414 | $62,784 | $163,400 |
| 29 | Midfield | 25.93 | 5,045 | $52,755 | $82,421 |
| 30 | Graysville | 26.07 | 2,509 | $70,208 | $108,663 |
| 31 | Dora | 26.71 | 2,668 | $61,892 | $171,543 |
| 32 | Warrior | 26.86 | 3,207 | $57,557 | $235,636 |
| 33 | Vincent | 29.29 | 2,050 | $52,813 | $260,534 |
| 34 | Lipscomb | 29.50 | 2,214 | $41,875 | $63,702 |
| 35 | Tarrant | 30.50 | 5,925 | $42,070 | $77,451 |
| 36 | Bessemer | 30.57 | 25,400 | $39,613 | $133,911 |
| 37 | Brighton | 31.71 | 3,079 | $38,221 | $44,161 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 37 suburbs within 30 miles of Birmingham.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Birmingham ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Mountain Brook, Trussville, Helena, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Hoover, Chelsea, Kimberly, Pelham, and Westover.
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. Not sold on Alabama? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Birmingham FAQs
What is the best suburb of Birmingham?
Mountain Brook is the best suburb of Birmingham for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Trussville and Helena are next.
What are the best suburbs of Birmingham?
The best suburbs of Birmingham are Mountain Brook, Trussville, Helena, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Hoover, Chelsea, Kimberly, Pelham, and Westover. We ranked all 37 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Mountain Brook?
The median household income in Mountain Brook is $201,479 and the median home costs $1,028,341. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Birmingham?
Any place within 30 miles of Birmingham qualifies. 37 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Birmingham suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Mountain Brook, takes the crown.
