HomeAlabamaShelby CountyHelena
Helena, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Helena is a Census city of 21,769 people across 22.33 square miles of land, lying across Shelby County and Jefferson County. Median household income is $115,139, 91.1 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 27 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $15.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Helena
What Helena is
- Census place typecity
- Land area22.33 sq mi
- Water area0.32 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land975
- County holding the largest share of its areaShelby County, 88.3 percent
- Counties this place lies inShelby County 88.3 percent, Jefferson County 11.7 percent
Helena crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Helena
How many people live in Helena
- Population21,769
- Median age37.8
- Population under 186,013
- Share under 1827.6 percent
- Population 65 and over2,740
- Share 65 and over12.6 percent
- Households7,613
- Family households5,929
- Share of households that are families77.9 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Helena
Income and work in Helena
- Median household income$115,139
- Per capita income$52,640
- Civilian labor force11,830
- Employed11,597
- Unemployed233 plus or minus 102
- Unemployment rate2.0 percent plus or minus 0.9
- Adults 25 and over14,301
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher97.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher51.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree16.9 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Helena
Housing in Helena
- Housing units8,092
- Occupied units7,613
- Vacant units479 plus or minus 216
- Vacancy rate5.9 percent plus or minus 2.7
- Owner occupied6,936
- Renter occupied677 plus or minus 194
- Ownership rate91.1 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$330,700
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,574
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.4 percent
- Single family units7,835
- Share single family96.8 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more208 plus or minus 141
- Share in buildings of two or more2.6 percent plus or minus 1.7
- Mobile homes49 plus or minus 53
- Median year structure built2001
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Helena
How Helena gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute9,276
- Commuting under 15 minutes1,587 plus or minus 368
- Share commuting under 15 minutes17.1 percent plus or minus 3.8
- Commuting 30 minutes or more5,469
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more59.0 percent
- Drove alone73.0 percent
- Carpooled6.1 percent plus or minus 1.8
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked0.4 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Worked from home19.5 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Helena
SBA loans in Helena (7(a))
- Approvals27
- Gross approval$15,181,300
- Average approval$562,270
- Median approval$265,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,025,840
- Largest approval$3,770,000
- Jobs supported212
- Jobs per approval7.9
- Loans with a final outcome3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more14.8 percent
- Share to franchises7.4 percent
- Distinct lenders16
- Distinct industries by NAICS19
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Helena, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 3 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.
Helena
SBA loans in Helena (504)
- Approvals3
- Gross approval$985,000
- Average approval$328,333
- Median approval$207,000
- Largest approval$653,000
- Jobs supported9
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Helena, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 0 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.
Helena
Flood risk in Helena
- NFIP communityCity of Helena
- NFIP community number010294
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date09/24/21
The City of Helena participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 010294 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.
Shelby County, not Helena
Shelby County context, not Helena figures
- Establishments in Shelby County5,610
- Covered employment, Shelby County85,169
- Average annual pay, Shelby County$66,772
- Housing units permitted, Shelby County990
Every figure in this section is published for Shelby County as a whole and is not a measurement of Helena.
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
Helena questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Helena, Alabama?
21,769, in 7,613 households. Helena city covers 22.33 square miles of land, which is 975 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Helena in?
Helena lies in more than one. By area it is 88.3 percent in Shelby County, 11.7 percent in Jefferson County. This page sits under Shelby County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Helena?
$115,139. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $330,700. Median gross rent is $1,574 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Helena businesses?
27 7(a) approvals totaling $15.2 m since FY2020, across 16 lenders, median approval $265,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $985,000 since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Helena, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Helena borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Helena. Only 3 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 Helena in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Helena appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Helena, city of, community 010294, 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 Helena figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Shelby 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 Helena.
Is zoning published for Helena?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.