HomeAlabamaJefferson CountyBessemer
Bessemer, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Bessemer is a Census city of 25,400 people across 40.64 square miles of land, in Jefferson County. Median household income is $39,613, 57.4 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 43 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $37.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Bessemer
What Bessemer is
- Census place typecity
- Land area40.64 sq mi
- Water area0.21 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land625
- County holding the largest share of its areaJefferson County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bessemer
How many people live in Bessemer
- Population25,400
- Median age43.3
- Population under 185,076
- Share under 1820.0 percent
- Population 65 and over5,601
- Share 65 and over22.1 percent
- Households10,925
- Family households5,860
- Share of households that are families53.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bessemer
Income and work in Bessemer
- Median household income$39,613
- Per capita income$25,797
- Civilian labor force10,222
- Employed9,346
- Unemployed876 plus or minus 258
- Unemployment rate8.6 percent plus or minus 2.4
- Adults 25 and over18,178
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher86.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.4 percent plus or minus 1.4
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bessemer
Housing in Bessemer
- Housing units12,827
- Occupied units10,925
- Vacant units1,902
- Vacancy rate14.8 percent
- Owner occupied6,273
- Renter occupied4,652
- Ownership rate57.4 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$135,900
- Median gross rent, monthly$961
- Annual rent as a share of median income29.1 percent
- Single family units9,971
- Share single family77.7 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more2,569
- Share in buildings of two or more20.0 percent
- Mobile homes287 plus or minus 115
- Median year structure built1963
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bessemer
How Bessemer gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute8,254
- Commuting under 15 minutes1,582 plus or minus 387
- Share commuting under 15 minutes19.2 percent plus or minus 4.4
- Commuting 30 minutes or more3,612
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more43.8 percent
- Drove alone75.7 percent
- Carpooled11.4 percent plus or minus 3.8
- Public transport1.3 percent plus or minus 1.0
- Walked1.0 percent plus or minus 1.0
- Worked from home9.4 percent plus or minus 3.9
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bessemer
SBA loans in Bessemer (7(a))
- Approvals43
- Gross approval$36,977,500
- Average approval$859,942
- Median approval$340,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$2,358,800
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported559
- Jobs per approval13.0
- Loans with a final outcome2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more32.6 percent
- Share to franchises4.7 percent
- Distinct lenders21
- Distinct industries by NAICS31
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Bessemer, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Bessemer
SBA loans in Bessemer (504)
- Approvals19
- Gross approval$17,285,000
- Average approval$909,737
- Median approval$569,000
- Largest approval$3,382,000
- Jobs supported360
- Loans with a final outcome6
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs5
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Bessemer, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 6 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Bessemer
Flood risk in Bessemer
- NFIP communityCity of Bessemer
- NFIP community number010115
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date09/24/21
The City of Bessemer participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 010115 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Jefferson County, not Bessemer
Jefferson County context, not Bessemer figures
- Establishments in Jefferson County16,989
- Covered employment, Jefferson County367,081
- Average annual pay, Jefferson County$71,562
- Housing units permitted, Jefferson County2,117
Every figure in this section is published for Jefferson County as a whole and is not a measurement of Bessemer.
All Jefferson County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, 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 →
Common questions
Bessemer questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Bessemer, Alabama?
25,400, in 10,925 households. Bessemer city covers 40.64 square miles of land, which is 625 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Bessemer in?
Jefferson County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Bessemer?
$39,613. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $135,900. Median gross rent is $961 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Bessemer businesses?
43 7(a) approvals totaling $37.0 m since FY2020, across 21 lenders, median approval $340,000, plus 19 504 approvals worth $17.3 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Bessemer, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Bessemer borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Bessemer. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Bessemer in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Bessemer appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Bessemer, city of, community 010115, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Bessemer figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Jefferson County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Bessemer.
Is zoning published for Bessemer?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.