The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Birmingham, AL For 2024


The best Birmingham neighborhoods are Southside and Red Mountain for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In Birmingham
Source: Flickr User argusfoto | CC BY-ND 2.0

What’s the best part of Birmingham?

It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Birmingham are the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Birmingham neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

If you’re thinking of moving to Alabama and Birmingham is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2024.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In Birmingham For 2024

  1. Southside
  2. Red Mountain
  3. Maple Grove
  4. Airport Hills
  5. Evergreen
  6. Norwood
  7. Five Points South
  8. Brownsville Heights
  9. Woodlawn
  10. Smithfield

So what’s the best neighborhood to live in Birmingham for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Southside looks to be the best Birmingham neighborhood to live in.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Birmingham that deserve a little bragging rights, or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Birmingham.

For more Alabama reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Birmingham

1. Southside

Population: 18,410
Median Home Value: $123,783 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $34,863 (Seventh best)
More on Southside: Real Estate

2. Red Mountain

Population: 11,498
Median Home Value: $343,155 (best)
Median Income: $75,381 (best)
More on Red Mountain: Real Estate

3. Maple Grove

Population: 2,365
Median Home Value: $98,412 (Eighth best)
Median Income: $36,125 (Fifth best)
More on Maple Grove: Real Estate

4. Airport Hills

Population: 5,760
Median Home Value: $119,811 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $35,514 (Sixth best)
More on Airport Hills: Real Estate

5. Evergreen

Population: 1,610
Median Home Value: $80,795 (11th best)
Median Income: $25,508 (15th best)
More on Evergreen: Real Estate

6. Norwood

Population: 4,121
Median Home Value: $66,344 (19th best)
Median Income: $28,856 (12th best)
More on Norwood: Real Estate

7. Five Points South

Population: 12,236
Median Home Value: $114,391 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $27,449 (13th best)
More on Five Points South: Real Estate

8. Brownsville Heights

Population: 1,071
Median Home Value: $154,974 (Second best)
Median Income: $47,821 (Third best)
More on Brownsville Heights: Real Estate

9. Woodlawn

Population: 11,023
Median Home Value: $73,338 (14th best)
Median Income: $38,389 (Fourth best)
More on Woodlawn: Real Estate

10. Smithfield

Population: 7,317
Median Home Value: $77,460 (12th best)
Median Income: $29,602 (11th best)
More on Smithfield: Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Birmingham, AL Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in Birmingham, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 21 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Birmingham.” We’re lookin’ at you, Southside.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Birmingham, Alabama has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Birmingham.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Birmingham

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Birmingham where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in Birmingham are Southside, Red Mountain, Maple Grove, Airport Hills, Evergreen, Norwood, Five Points South, Brownsville Heights, Woodlawn, and Smithfield.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Birmingham aren’t all good. Druid Hills takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Birmingham.

The worst neighborhoods in Birmingham are Druid Hills, Airport Highlands, Central City, Fountain Heights, and Titusville.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more Alabama reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Birmingham For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Southside 18,410 $123,783 $34,863
2 Red Mountain 11,498 $343,155 $75,381
3 Maple Grove 2,365 $98,412 $36,125
4 Airport Hills 5,760 $119,811 $35,514
5 Evergreen 1,610 $80,795 $25,508
6 Norwood 4,121 $66,344 $28,856
7 Five Points South 12,236 $114,391 $27,449
8 Brownsville Heights 1,071 $154,974 $47,821
9 Woodlawn 11,023 $73,338 $38,389
10 Smithfield 7,317 $77,460 $29,602
11 East Birmingham 5,794 $73,206 $31,530
12 Glen Iris 4,598 $140,333 $24,667
13 Northside 16,674 $67,003 $29,887
14 Penfield Park 692 $154,974 $24,441
15 West End 12,821 $96,290 $26,227
16 Woodland Park 507 $85,767 $25,121
17 Titusville 4,329 $73,534 $21,709
18 Fountain Heights 8,923 $68,273 $32,496
19 Central City 417 $63,154 $52,107
20 Airport Highlands 307 $70,342 $23,306
21 Druid Hills 2,001 $58,004 $15,826
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.