The 10 Best Suburbs In Alabama For 2024


The best suburbs in Alabama are Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you sick of being a city slicker?

Do you long for life in suburban Alabama? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.

We do, too.

If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Montgomery, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Alabama suburb was best?

No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.


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


These are the 10 best suburbs in the Heart Of Dixie

  1. Mountain Brook
  2. Vestavia Hills
  3. Homewood
  4. Madison
  5. Hoover
  6. Helena
  7. Trussville
  8. Pelham
  9. Alabaster
  10. Gardendale

Mountain Brook is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban Alabama.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in Alabama, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in Alabama and the best places to raise a family in Alabama.

Best Suburbs In Alabama For 2024

Mountain Brook, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Robert Donovan from Franklin, TN, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 22,259
Median Income: $167,007
Average Home Price: $887,856
More on Mountain Brook: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Mountain Brook is located 4 miles east of Birmingham.

Vestavia Hills, AL

Source: Flickr User Andy Montgomery | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 38,600
Median Income: $127,582
Average Home Price: $517,867
More on Vestavia Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Vestavia Hills is located 5 miles south of Birmingham.

Homewood, AL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 27,557
Median Income: $97,366
Average Home Price: $496,963
More on Homewood: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Homewood is located 4 miles south of Birmingham.

Madison, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Pruitt | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 56,967
Median Income: $118,132
Average Home Price: $371,983
More on Madison: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Madison is located 5 miles west of Huntsville.

Hoover, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Elizabeth Swift | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 91,995
Median Income: $101,765
Average Home Price: $423,088
More on Hoover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Hoover is located 10 miles south of Birmingham.

Helena, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Civilengtiger | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 21,036
Median Income: $107,360
Average Home Price: $344,616
More on Helena: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Helena is located 17 miles south of Birmingham.

Trussville, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Joshhearts | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 25,621
Median Income: $118,028
Average Home Price: $376,558
More on Trussville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Trussville is located 16 miles east of Birmingham.

Pelham, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Betsy | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,221
Median Income: $94,108
Average Home Price: $300,946
More on Pelham: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Pelham is located 14 miles south of Birmingham.

Alabaster, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Rivers Langley; SaveRivers | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 33,417
Median Income: $89,423
Average Home Price: $288,633
More on Alabaster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Alabaster is located 21 miles south of Birmingham.

Gardendale, AL

Source: Wikipedia User Amcannally | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 16,051
Median Income: $78,719
Average Home Price: $257,779
More on Gardendale: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Gardendale is located 10 miles north of Birmingham.

Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Heart Of Dixie

We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Alabama. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”

First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Alabama, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.

In other words, suburbs.

We paid particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is Better)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Commute Time
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We ranked each suburb in Alabama across these criteria from one to 34, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Alabama.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Alabama.

Read on to see why Mountain Brook is the ‘burb with the most, while Bessemer is probably not the best place to live in Alabama.

Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Alabama

If you’re measuring the locations in Alabama where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best suburbs in Alabama are Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Madison, Hoover, Helena, Trussville, Pelham, Alabaster, and Gardendale.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in Alabama according to the data:

  1. Bessemer
  2. Tarrant
  3. Center Point

For more Alabama reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In Alabama

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Mountain Brook 22,259 $167,007 $887,856
2 Vestavia Hills 38,600 $127,582 $517,867
3 Homewood 27,557 $97,366 $496,963
4 Madison 56,967 $118,132 $371,983
5 Hoover 91,995 $101,765 $423,088
6 Helena 21,036 $107,360 $344,616
7 Trussville 25,621 $118,028 $376,558
8 Pelham 24,221 $94,108 $300,946
9 Alabaster 33,417 $89,423 $288,633
10 Gardendale 16,051 $78,719 $257,779
11 Hartselle 15,414 $64,876 $231,775
12 Pleasant Grove 9,549 $72,917 $224,499
13 Chelsea 15,201 $102,344 $372,677
14 Margaret 5,294 $83,814 $259,656
15 Moody 13,235 $77,680 $257,342
16 Fultondale 9,756 $72,741 $220,246
17 Irondale 13,455 $68,869 $266,185
18 Calera 16,644 $73,775 $248,784
19 Leeds 12,292 $67,159 $237,534
20 Clay 10,315 $74,198 $244,802
21 Montevallo 7,288 $56,500 $225,034
22 Athens 26,179 $57,444 $292,471
23 Smiths Station 5,441 $55,676 $256,069
24 Pinson 7,209 $83,673 $206,702
25 Decatur 57,525 $55,164 $206,372
26 Valley 10,442 $54,237 $146,407
27 Hueytown 16,655 $64,176 $162,864
28 Midfield 5,159 $48,219 $81,363
29 Arab 8,552 $56,471 $218,349
30 Fairfield 9,975 $45,646 $89,729
31 Lanett 6,880 $48,125 $107,150
32 Center Point 16,279 $49,886 $152,646
33 Tarrant 6,077 $37,768 $66,566
34 Bessemer 25,890 $34,953 $113,657
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.