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Salaries & Cost of Living in Shelby County, AL

Median pay, take-home pay and what is left after rent, food and energy for 12 occupations in Shelby County, AL.

Jobs listed
12
Birmingham, AL
Median of medians
$39,015
per year, before tax
1-bedroom rent
$1,263
HUD Fair Market Rent / month
Jobs covering basics
100%
12 of 12
Household income
$97,961
Census median per year
Property tax
$1,423
Census median per year

Pay and cost of living in Shelby County, AL

Shelby County, AL is part of the Birmingham, AL labor market, and this page summarizes 12 occupations with published wages there. The median of their median salaries is $39,015 a year. The best-paid occupation listed is General and Operations Managers at $123,560, and the lowest is Fast Food and Counter Workers at $27,020.

A one-bedroom apartment in Shelby 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.

Each occupation links to a detailed page with gross pay, take-home pay, rent, food and energy costs, and the monthly budget margin. All pages share one method, which makes it easy to compare jobs inside Shelby County, AL or against other counties.

Housing, taxes and commute in Shelby County, AL

The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Shelby County, AL, set beside the Alabama and national medians.

Median household income in Shelby County, AL is $97,961, 53% above the Alabama median of $63,999 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($15,156) equals 15.5% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $39,015, is 60% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.

Homeowners in Shelby County, AL pay a median of $1,423 a year in real estate taxes, 81% above the Alabama median of $788. With a median home value of $326,100, 55% above the Alabama median of $209,900, the ratio of the two medians is 0.44% a year.

Renters in Shelby County, AL pay a median gross rent of $1,401 a month in the Census survey, 39% 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 Shelby County, AL who travel to a workplace spend an average of 29.5 minutes each way, 16% above the Alabama average of 25.5. 16.9% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.

All jobs in Shelby County, AL, highest paying first

Showing 1–12 of 12.

Occupations in Shelby County, AL ranked by median salary
#OccupationMedian salaryTake-homeLeft per month
1General and Operations Managers$123,560$90,409$5,678
2Registered Nurses$78,680$60,671$3,200
3Accountants and Auditors$78,660$60,658$3,199
4Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$54,460$43,649$1,782
5Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$44,580$36,146$1,156
6Customer Service Representatives$40,530$33,070$900
7Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$37,500$30,768$708
8Stockers and Order Fillers$35,660$29,371$592
9Retail Salespersons$31,450$26,173$325
10Cashiers$29,310$24,548$190
11Waiters and Waitresses$27,670$23,302$86
12Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,020$22,796$44