City profile · Alabama · Census ACS 2023

Vestavia Hills, AL

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Vestavia Hills — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

38,704
Residents
$129,171
Median income
$494,500
Median home
$936
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Vestavia Hills, AL

Vestavia Hills is a city in Alabama with a population of 38,704 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $129,171 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 2.4%. Typical homes in Vestavia Hills are valued around $494,500, and the median resident age is 42.0 years. About 62.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 102 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Growing), up 13% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 727.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Alabama registers 88.8 (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $936 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $245 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 61.5 out of 100 (Moderate).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

38,704 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Alabama

Median Household Income

$129,171 /yr

Poverty 2.4%

Cost of Living Index

88.8 (US=100)

Below Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Vestavia Hills compare to other US cities?

Where Vestavia Hills sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 90% higher than other cities
Home value 85% pricier than other cities
Median rent 1% pricier than other cities
Safety 75% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Vestavia Hills against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Vestavia Hills, AL Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Vestavia Hills, AL. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Vestavia Hills, AL — median $129,171/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Vestavia Hills, AL — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 62.2%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.4%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.0%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
38,704
Median Income
$129,171
Median Home Value
$494,500
Median Age
42.0
Poverty Rate
2.4%
Labor force participation
59.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
62.2%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
727.6
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
82.3
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
645.3
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Growing
Total Permits (2024)
102
housing units authorized
Single-Family
102
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.6
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 90
2020 112
2021 34
2022 66
2023 108
2024 102

Permit volume increased 13% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
76.3%
Carpool
6.1%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
1.1%
Work from Home
15.6%
Other
0.8%

Based on 17,891 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Alabama — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$138
avg/month
Natural Gas
$62
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$245
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Alabama state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Alabama state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
88.8
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$936/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
61.5 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Vestavia Hills, AL Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Vestavia Hills, AL — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Vestavia Hills compares to nearby Alabama cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Vestavia Hills) plus the nearest peer cities in Alabama, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

AL

Vestavia Hills

129.17% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$129,171
Brackets
39
Selected

AL

Prattville

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,890
Brackets
39
Selected

AL

Phenix City

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,850
Brackets
38
Selected

AL

Florence

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,120
Brackets
41
Census ACS 5-year FIPS AL FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Vestavia Hills, AL?

What is the population of Vestavia Hills, AL? +

Vestavia Hills, AL has a population of 38,704 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Vestavia Hills, AL? +

The median household income in Vestavia Hills is $129,171 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Vestavia Hills? +

Vestavia Hills has a cost of living index of 88.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Vestavia Hills, AL safe? +

Vestavia Hills has a total crime rate of 727.6 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Vestavia Hills, AL? +

The median home value in Vestavia Hills is $494,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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