Birmingham, AL
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| | Overall Rankings | |
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| | Metro Area (out of 45): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 44th | |
| | Prior Rank: 35th
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| | Central City (out of 44): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 44th | |
| | Prior Rank: 39th
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| | Click here for comparison to prior report. | |
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| | Data source: 2011 American Housing Survey | |
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Location Summary
Positive Findings: Compared to the national average, the Birmingham metro area had fewer homes experiencing flush toilet breakdowns or lacking kitchen facilities. Central city properties were less likely to experience flush toilet breakdowns when compared to the national average. Properties outside the central city were less likely to lack kitchen facilities. Rental properties were less likely to have flush toilet breakdowns or lack kitchen facilities. Owner-occupied properties had better than the national average statistics for water leaks from the outside and lack of kitchen facilities.
Areas for Improvement: Compared to the national average, the Birmingham metro area had more severe physical problems, holes in floors, open cracks or holes in the walls, broken plaster and peeling paint, signs of rats and mice, water leaks from inside, sewage disposal breakdown, lack of complete plumbing, rooms with no working electrical outlet, and roofing, siding, window, and foundation problems. In addition to the issues found in the MSA, central city homes were more likely to have severe physical problems, open cracks, holes in floors and walls, water leaks from the outside, broken plaster or peeling paint, evidence of mice, water leaks from inside, sewage disposal breakdowns, incomplete plumbing, room heaters without a flue, rooms without working electrical outlets, and roofing, siding, window, or foundation problems. Statistically, areas outside the central city were more likely to have holes in the floors and walls, cracks in the walls, broken plaster or peeling paint, signs of rats, water leaks from inside, room heaters without a flue, rooms without a working electrical outlet, and roofing, window, and foundation problems. Rental homes were more likely to have issues in all of the categories except signs of rats or mice, water supply stoppage, heating equipment breakdowns, and electrical issues. Owner-occupied homes were more likely to have holes in floors or walls, cracks in the walls, broken plaster or peeling paint, signs of rats and mice, lack of complete plumbing, room heaters without a flue, rooms without a working outlet, and roofing, siding, window, or foundation problems.
Community Information: The Birmingham MSA is comprised of Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby counties, Alabama. In 2011, the MSA included 425,415 occupied dwelling units, 22.0% of which were located in the central city of Birmingham. Rankings of the housing stock of the MSA showed an average age and a below-average percentage of rental units of the cities surveyed. The percentage of pre-1940 homes ranked 19th-youngest (9.0%) for the MSA and 21st-youngest (23.2%) for the central city. The median house age in the Birmingham MSA was 1977. The percentage of rental units ranked 3rd-least heavily rental (27.2%) for the MSA and 21st-least heavily rental (49.2%) for the central city. Compared to other locations, Birmingham had a higher poverty rate. Its poverty rate ranked 43rd (17.5%) for the entire MSA and 38th (27.3%) for homes in the central city.