Pay and cost of living in Jefferson County, AL
Across the 12 occupations we cover in Jefferson County, AL, the middle median salary is $39,015 a year. Pay runs from $27,020 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $123,560 for General and Operations Managers, a spread of $96,540. Wages come from the Birmingham, AL survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in Jefferson County, AL has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,263 a month and a two-bedroom $1,375. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $22,270 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $40,130 a year, and every one of the 12 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in Jefferson County, AL
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Jefferson County, AL, set beside the Alabama and national medians.
Median household income in Jefferson County, AL is $66,388, 4% above the Alabama median of $63,999 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($15,156) equals 22.8% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $39,015, is 41% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in Jefferson County, AL pay a median of $1,409 a year in real estate taxes, 79% above the Alabama median of $788. With a median home value of $240,000, 14% above the Alabama median of $209,900, the ratio of the two medians is 0.59% a year.
Renters in Jefferson County, AL pay a median gross rent of $1,193 a month in the Census survey, 18% above the Alabama median of $1,007. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,263; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in Jefferson County, AL who travel to a workplace spend an average of 24.1 minutes each way, 5% below the Alabama average of 25.5. 11.1% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.