Jefferson County, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Jefferson County, Alabama had an estimated 664,744 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.4 percent since the 2020 census base of 674,311, across 1,111 square miles. County output reached $65.54 bn in 2024, 16,989 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 558 7(a) approvals worth $338.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Jefferson County
How many people live in Jefferson County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024667,755
- Households269,883
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$66,388
- Median age37.7
- Median gross rent$1,193 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$240,000
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher36.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over453,037
- Population under 18153,183
- Share under 1822.9 percent
- Population 65 and over112,068
- Share 65 and over16.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64402,504
- Civilian labor force326,550
- Unemployment rate4.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.5 percent
- Rank by population among Alabama counties1st of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included103rd of 3,222
Jefferson County is the 1st largest of 67 Alabama counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.9 percent against 16.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Jefferson County
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024664,744
- Census 2020 base population674,311
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.42 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024660
- Births, 20247,828
- Deaths, 20247,620
- Natural change, 2024208
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,939
- Net international migration, 20242,392
- Total net migration, 2024453
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-14,268
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2331st of 3,144
The county has lost 1.42 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Jefferson County
Where are people moving to Jefferson County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving12,663
- People arriving, from those returns21,433
- Tax returns filed by households leaving14,523
- Net household movement-1,860
- Adjusted gross income arriving$926.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-347.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$73,144
- Average income of a leaving household$87,668
- Largest single originShelby County (2,346 households)
- Largest single destinationShelby County (3,163 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | 2,346 | 3,909 | $207.7 m |
| St. Clair County | 656 | 1,220 | $41.5 m |
| Tuscaloosa County | 638 | 1,044 | $34.8 m |
| Blount County | 337 | 677 | $17.6 m |
| Madison County | 303 | 462 | $14.8 m |
| Montgomery County | 292 | 444 | $17.7 m |
| Walker County | 284 | 509 | $14.3 m |
| Mobile County | 228 | 355 | $11.0 m |
Households arriving report $14,524 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Shelby County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Jefferson County
What is the Jefferson County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$65.54 bn
- County GDP, 2023$62.86 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.3 percent
- GDP change over five years34.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Alabama areas BEA publishes1st of 67
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes85th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$98,149
Output grew 4.3 percent in the latest year and 34.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Jefferson County
Employment by industry in Jefferson County
- Covered employment, annual average367,081
- Establishments reporting22,923
- Average annual pay$71,562
- Average weekly wage$1,376
- Health care and social assistance, employment52,958
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$74,069
- Retail trade, employment37,132
- Retail trade, average annual pay$41,068
- Accommodation and food services, employment30,093
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$27,247
- Manufacturing, employment24,420
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$87,685
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment23,087
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment20,418
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 52,958 | 2,858 | $74,069 |
| Retail trade | 37,132 | 2,725 | $41,068 |
| Accommodation and food services | 30,093 | 1,777 | $27,247 |
| Manufacturing | 24,420 | 834 | $87,685 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 23,087 | 1,180 | $42,156 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 20,418 | 3,265 | $106,932 |
| Finance and insurance | 20,023 | 1,548 | $122,416 |
| Construction | 19,368 | 1,536 | $85,941 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 52,958 jobs, 14.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Jefferson County
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
- Establishments, all industries16,989
- Employment at those establishments341,042
- Annual payroll$22.73 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
Building permits in Jefferson County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242,117
- Declared construction value permitted$657.6 m
- Single family units authorized1,536
- Multifamily units authorized581
- Multifamily share of units27.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$310,617
- Units authorized per 1,000 households7.8
Single-family homes are 72.6 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Jefferson County
SBA loans in Jefferson County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded558
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$338.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$606,404
- Median 7(a) approval$295,550
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,527,900
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)7,308
- Jobs per approval13.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active90
- Distinct industries receiving approvals179
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer15.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms85
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter403
- Franchise loans121
- Franchise share of approvals21.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (37)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (54)
- 504 approvals recorded297
- 504 gross approval dollars$218.3 m
- Average 504 approval$734,953
- Median 504 approval$486,000
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval10.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.8
- Most active CDCBirmingham Citywide Local Development Company (137)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$556.7 m
The average approval of $606,404 sits well above the median of $295,550, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 15.2 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Jefferson County
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded78
- Paid in full71
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans9.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure362
- Status: Paid in full71
- Status: Cancelled84
- Status: Charged off7
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed34
Of the 78 loans that have reached a final outcome, 9.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA lending by place in Jefferson County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending34
- Birmingham, approvals254
- Hoover, approvals59
- Trussville, approvals49
- Bessemer, approvals43
- Vestavia Hills, approvals31
- Homewood, approvals13
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 254 | $153,668,400 |
| Hoover | 59 | $35,721,700 |
| Trussville | 49 | $29,793,300 |
| Bessemer | 43 | $36,977,500 |
| Vestavia Hills | 31 | $14,929,200 |
| Homewood | 13 | $7,315,500 |
| Pinson | 12 | $3,288,000 |
| Vestavia | 11 | $13,299,000 |
| 26 other borrower cities | 86 | $43,380,900 |
Birmingham accounts for 254 approvals against 59 in Hoover. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
How large is Jefferson County?
- Land area1,111 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Alabama counties5th of 67
- Width, east to west47 mi
- Height, north to south41 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land601
- Establishments per square mile15.29
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
Flood risk in Jefferson County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Jefferson County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 010217
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book38
- Of those, participating in the NFIP35
- NFIP participation rate92.1 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 5
- Communities carrying a CRS class3
- Radon levels in Jefferson County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Jefferson County (community 010217), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Jefferson County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 5, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 92.1 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Jefferson County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Jefferson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024667,755
- Households269,883
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$66,388
- Median age37.7
Common questions
Jefferson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Alabama?
The Census Bureau estimates 664,744 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 667,755, in 269,883 households, ranking 1st of 67 Alabama counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.42 percent since the 2020 census base of 674,311, to 664,744 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 7,828 births against 7,620 deaths, with net migration of 453. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County?
$66,388. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $240,000, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,193 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
16,989 establishments, employing 341,042 people with an annual payroll of $22.73 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Jefferson County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 52,958 jobs, 14.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 367,081 jobs at an average annual pay of $71,562, or $1,376 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County?
558 7(a) approvals totaling $338.4 m since FY2020, across 90 lenders, with a median approval of $295,550, plus 297 504 approvals worth $218.3 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back?
Of the 78 loans that have reached a final outcome, 71 were paid in full and 7 charged off, a charge-off rate of 9.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Jefferson County?
2,117 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $657.6 m. Multifamily was 27.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Jefferson County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Jefferson County come from?
The largest single origin is Shelby County, with 2,346 households. Arriving households report an average income of $73,144 against $87,668 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Jefferson County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Jefferson County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Jefferson County
Cities and places in Jefferson.
48 Census places lie wholly or partly in Jefferson County. All 48 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | city | 198,173 | 254 | 96.6 percent here, 3.4 percent Shelby County |
| Hoover | city | 92,642 | 59 | 56.4 percent here, 43.6 percent Shelby County |
| Vestavia Hills | city | 38,616 | 31 | Wholly in this county |
| Homewood | city | 27,829 | 13 | Wholly in this county |
| Trussville | city | 26,673 | 49 | 93.0 percent here, 7.0 percent St. Clair County |
| Bessemer | city | 25,400 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| Mountain Brook | city | 22,029 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Helena | city | 21,769 | 2 | 11.7 percent here, 88.3 percent Shelby County |
| Gardendale | city | 16,534 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Hueytown | city | 16,414 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Center Point | city | 15,914 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Irondale | city | 13,464 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| McCalla | CDP | 13,253 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Leeds | city | 12,028 | 6 | 86.8 percent here, 10.7 percent St. Clair County, 2.5 percent Shelby County |
| Clay | city | 10,273 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Forestdale | CDP | 9,742 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fairfield | city | 9,728 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Pleasant Grove | city | 9,442 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Fultondale | city | 9,384 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Pinson | city | 7,832 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| Grayson Valley | CDP | 6,077 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Tarrant | city | 5,925 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Midfield | city | 5,045 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Argo | city | 4,479 | None recorded | 3.3 percent here, 96.7 percent St. Clair County |
| Kimberly | city | 4,439 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Adamsville | city | 4,266 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Lake View | city | 4,063 | None recorded | 3.8 percent here, 96.2 percent Tuscaloosa County |
| Mount Olive | CDP | 3,567 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Warrior | city | 3,207 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Brighton | city | 3,079 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Morris | city | 2,673 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Graysville | city | 2,509 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sumiton | city | 2,459 | None recorded | 4.9 percent here, 95.1 percent Walker County |
| Lipscomb | city | 2,214 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Concord | CDP | 1,913 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brookside | town | 1,603 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sylvan Springs | town | 1,490 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Rock Creek | CDP | 1,103 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Minor | CDP | 762 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Edgewater | CDP | 670 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| McDonald Chapel | CDP | 651 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Mulga | town | 602 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| West Jefferson | town | 581 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Trafford | town | 493 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| County Line | town | 358 | None recorded | 34.5 percent here, 65.5 percent Blount County |
| Maytown | town | 314 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| North Johns | town | 129 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cardiff | town | 125 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 28 of the county's 558 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Jefferson County, the largest being Vestavia (11), Mountain Brk (6), Springville (2). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby