How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Birmingham, AL
196,357 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 0107000 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Birmingham ranked #325 of 340 cities and 10th of 14 in its peer group, on 9 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Birmingham and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Jackson MS, Baton Rouge LA, Knoxville TN, Cincinnati OH, Mobile AL, St. Louis MO, Shreveport LA, Dayton OH, Toledo OH, Savannah GA, Augusta GA, Springfield MA, Buffalo NY · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #325 of 340 cities · 10th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #335 | #302 | #335 | #319 | #327 | #200 | #328 | #325 | #324 | #327 | #328 | #315 | #326 | #332 | #318 | #180 | #298 | #322 | #325 | #307 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 224,379 | 221,936 | 218,880 | 216,505 | 214,394 | 212,328 | 212,095 | 211,287 | 211,765 | 211,651 | 212,259 | 211,977 | 211,533 | 210,487 | 209,403 | 200,270 | 197,645 | 196,898 | 196,818 | 196,357 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #175 of 340 cities · 8th of 14 in its peer group | -0.5 | -0.3 | -0.6 | -0.3 | -0.2 | — | -0.4 | -0.4 | -0.2 | -0.2 | -0.3 | -0.4 | -0.4 | -0.3 | -0.4 | +0.1 | -0.7 | -0.7 | -0.5 | -0.3 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #175 of 269 cities with data · 1st of 8 in its peer group with data · 2023 | 3.0 | 5.8 | — | — | 0.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 4.5 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 0.5 | — | 0.9 | — | 3.2 | 6.2 | 2.2 | — | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #284 of 340 cities · 12th of 14 in its peer group | 26.1% | 25.4% | 24.1% | 24.1% | 29.4% | 26.7% | 28.5% | 27.1% | 27.9% | 29.1% | 27.5% | 25.7% | 28.2% | 28.1% | 27.4% | — | 29.3% | 29.4% | 29.4% | 28.2% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #304 of 304 cities with data · 12th of 12 in its peer group with data | 46.4 | 46.9 | 39.3 | 37.9 | 30.3 | — | 25.5 | 31.7 | 29.8 | 24.6 | 37.2 | 36.8 | — | 41.8 | — | — | — | 72.6 | 62.0 | 59.1 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #293 of 295 cities with data · 11th of 11 in its peer group with data | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 714.6 | 678.3 | 481.8 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 189,081 | 195,108 | 192,013 | 187,461 | 176,965 | 178,459 | 177,161 | 174,864 | 175,977 | 174,100 | 175,297 | 179,508 | 180,055 | 185,283 | 188,622 | 181,703 | 182,401 | 186,658 | 190,989 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #220 of 329 cities with data · 7th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | -3.7 | +1.0 | -3.2 | -1.8 | -0.2 | +1.5 | -1.8 | -3.5 | -0.3 | -1.4 | -1.0 | +1.3 | -0.1 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +1.0 | -3.4 | +0.1 | -0.8 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 80,252 | 87,059 | 90,632 | 88,555 | 95,476 | 96,222 | 96,459 | 88,405 | 95,404 | — | 88,071 | 90,012 | 92,612 | 96,609 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #144 of 340 cities · 2nd of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18.6% | 13.1% | 12.8% | 13.1% | 10.2% | 9.9% | 8.7% | 10.0% | 7.3% | — | 7.4% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 4.6% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | 92% | 93% | 92% | 87% | 81% | 79% | 74% | 72% | 71% | 72% | 73% | 74% | 72% | 71% | 69% | 66% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #184 of 314 cities with data · 9th of 14 in its peer group | 11% | 3% | 12% | 21% | 9% | -0% | 9% | 9% | 7% | 12% | 12% | 14% | 15% | 16% | 18% | 16% | 26% | 23% | 22% | 20% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #208 of 314 cities with data · 11th of 14 in its peer group | $9,280 | $6,031 | $6,433 | $4,156 | $3,976 | $3,353 | $3,772 | $8,934 | $8,939 | $9,442 | $9,130 | $9,568 | $8,783 | $8,296 | $8,633 | $8,870 | $8,948 | $8,666 | $5,897 | $3,597 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Birmingham. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.