Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Jefferson County, AL

Welcome to Jefferson County.

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Jefferson County is the most populous in the state of Alabama, representing 13% of the state's population.

Total GDP for the county increased 30%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $57.9 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Jefferson County voted four out of six times for Democratic candidates and two times for Republicans.

Jefferson County comprises Birmingham-Hoover, AL metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Birmingham.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Bibb County, Blount County, St. Clair County, Shelby County, Tuscaloosa County, and Walker County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
47.45%50.59%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
45.15%54.16%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
52.15%47.07%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
52.6%46.62%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
51.57%44.3%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
55.76%42.61%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%30%
Government
Enterprises
13%23%
Private Industries87%31%
Agriculture<1%-100%
Mining1%51%
Utilities3%36%
Construction5%40%
Manufacturing6%19%
– Durable5%25%
– Nondurable2%7%
Trade14%26%
– Wholesale9%24%
– Retail6%30%
Transportation4%43%
Information3%35%
Finance & Insurance10%24%
Real Estate11%44%
Professional &
Business Services
12%30%
Educational Services1%9%
Healthcare &
Social Services
12%28%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%79%
Accommodation &
Food Services
3%33%
Other Services22%22%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers11689
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
13487
📺 Electronics & Appliance4080
🛒 Grocery Stores22291
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores6283
⚕️ Health & Personal Care29993
⛽ Gasoline Stations38195
👕 Clothing Stores29390
👠 Shoe Stores7085
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry4879
🏸 Sporting Goods3878
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers1770
🏬 Department Stores15694
💐 Florists1977
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops3576
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 1250
🍺 Bars & Taverns5582
🍽️ Full-service restaurants41390
🍔 Limited-service restaurants70793
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers27287
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation12791
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%125%$464,300 N/A
Top 20%54%$251,500 More than $250,000
Next highest 20%22%$103,900 $135,300
Middle 20%14%$64,000 $80,000
Second lowest 20%8%$36,700 $49,300
Bottom 20%3%$12,800 $24,800
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries74%$95,000
Self-Employment8%$42,600
Investment Income116%$25,800
Social Security32%$22,100
Supplemental Security7%$11,600
Public Assistance2%Below $10,000
Retirement22%$30,300
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
2%6%6%7%
$25K
– $49K
1%7%6%6%
$50K
– $99K
1%10%11%7%
$100K
– $199K
<1%8%9%4%
$200K
& more
<1%3%5%2%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$61,900 $40,400
African-American$34,300 $30,700
Hispanic$34,500 $23,700
Asian$54,800 $43,000
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$30,600 $19,600
Highschool & GED$41,200 $27,700
Some College to
Associate’s
$46,300 $34,000
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$76,800 $50,800
Graduate Degree$91,900 $65,100
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$81,100 $56,200
STEM2$85,500 $69,800
Gray-Collar3$50,300 $38,000
Pink-Collar4$20,800 $16,200
Sales5$53,100 $22,700
Blue-Collar6$37,000 $24,300
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves
Drought+
Earthquake++$
Hail+
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm++
Landslide++
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding++++$
Strong Wind+++$
Tornado+++$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather++
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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