Bessemer, Alabama — Trends and Changes
How has Bessemer, Alabama changed since 2009?
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The population has shrunk about 12 percent, from 28,993 to 25,400 people; the median household income has risen from $28,241 to $39,613 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $82,800 to $135,900; and the share of people working from home has climbed from 0.4% to 9.4%. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year releases, so each point is a rolling five-year estimate.
Each line starts at 100 in 2009; a line reaching 200 means that measure doubled. Exact values for each measure are in the charts and tables below. Source: ACS 5-year estimates.
| Measure | 2009 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 28,993 | 25,400 | -12% |
| Median household income | $28,241 | $39,613 | +40% |
| Median home value | $82,800 | $135,900 | +64% |
| Median rent | $567 | $961 | +69% |
| Median age | 38.3 yrs | 43.3 yrs | +5.0 yrs |
| Average commute | 24.0 min | 26.2 min | +2.2 min |
| College educated | 19.8% | 24.5% | +4.7 points |
| Working from home | 0.4% | 9.4% | +9.0 points |
| Poverty rate | 24.5% | 27.9% | +3.4 points |
| Unemployment | 12.9% | 8.6% | -4.3 points |
| Homeownership | 60.5% | 57.4% | -3.1 points |
| Rent as share of income | 32.1% | 32.1% | +0.0 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 2.1% | 4.0% | +1.9 points |
| Broadband at home | 59.2% | 83.8% | +24.6 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Bessemer earned $28,241 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $39,613, a change of +40 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $28,241 | $42,437 |
| 2010 | $27,590 | $43,720 |
| 2011 | $29,600 | $44,853 |
| 2012 | $30,377 | $45,080 |
| 2013 | $28,910 | $45,192 |
| 2014 | $30,369 | $45,396 |
| 2015 | $29,615 | $45,598 |
| 2016 | $30,682 | $46,825 |
| 2017 | $31,308 | $48,536 |
| 2018 | $31,610 | $50,367 |
| 2019 | $32,301 | $52,656 |
| 2020 | $30,284 | $54,336 |
| 2021 | $32,416 | $57,233 |
| 2022 | $34,953 | $62,334 |
| 2023 | $37,844 | $65,373 |
| 2024 | $39,613 | $67,652 |
The median home in Bessemer was worth $82,800 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $135,900.
| Year | Home Value | Alabama average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $82,800 | $125,974 |
| 2010 | $81,700 | $132,655 |
| 2011 | $86,800 | $135,477 |
| 2012 | $88,400 | $136,788 |
| 2013 | $88,500 | $136,732 |
| 2014 | $90,500 | $138,035 |
| 2015 | $88,100 | $139,232 |
| 2016 | $85,300 | $141,274 |
| 2017 | $84,000 | $144,332 |
| 2018 | $83,500 | $148,418 |
| 2019 | $86,500 | $153,437 |
| 2020 | $100,100 | $160,202 |
| 2021 | $102,200 | $169,466 |
| 2022 | $118,600 | $197,546 |
| 2023 | $129,800 | $213,508 |
| 2024 | $135,900 | $231,263 |
Bessemer counted 28,993 residents in 2009 and 25,400 in 2024.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 28,993 |
| 2010 | 27,824 |
| 2011 | 27,672 |
| 2012 | 27,516 |
| 2013 | 27,336 |
| 2014 | 27,202 |
| 2015 | 27,043 |
| 2016 | 26,856 |
| 2017 | 26,697 |
| 2018 | 26,759 |
| 2019 | 26,680 |
| 2020 | 26,063 |
| 2021 | 26,171 |
| 2022 | 25,890 |
| 2023 | 25,655 |
| 2024 | 25,400 |
Renters here paid a median of $567 a month in 2009 and $961 by 2024. Rents have grown noticeably faster than local incomes over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $567 |
| 2010 | $624 |
| 2011 | $650 |
| 2012 | $678 |
| 2013 | $700 |
| 2014 | $712 |
| 2015 | $713 |
| 2016 | $732 |
| 2017 | $751 |
| 2018 | $758 |
| 2019 | $743 |
| 2020 | $764 |
| 2021 | $786 |
| 2022 | $879 |
| 2023 | $922 |
| 2024 | $961 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 19.8% to 24.5%. Meanwhile remote work went from 0.4% of workers to 9.4%, one of the biggest shifts in how people here live and work. Broadband reached 83.8% of households, from 59.2% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 19.8% | 0.4% | |
| 2010 | 20.6% | 0.4% | |
| 2011 | 19.3% | 0.7% | |
| 2012 | 19.3% | 0.9% | |
| 2013 | 19.4% | 2% | |
| 2014 | 20.9% | 1.9% | |
| 2015 | 20.6% | 2% | |
| 2016 | 21.9% | 2.6% | |
| 2017 | 22.7% | 2.6% | 59.2% |
| 2018 | 23% | 2.3% | 64.3% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | 3.2% | 69.6% |
| 2020 | 22.6% | 6.8% | 73.5% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | 6.8% | 75% |
| 2022 | 20% | 8.4% | 78.7% |
| 2023 | 22.5% | 9.6% | 81.5% |
| 2024 | 24.5% | 9.4% | 83.8% |
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
The median resident of Bessemer was 38.3 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 43.3 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 38.3 |
| 2010 | 38.9 |
| 2011 | 40.1 |
| 2012 | 41.4 |
| 2013 | 40.9 |
| 2014 | 39.4 |
| 2015 | 39 |
| 2016 | 40.1 |
| 2017 | 40.5 |
| 2018 | 39.1 |
| 2019 | 39.5 |
| 2020 | 42.4 |
| 2021 | 42 |
| 2022 | 41.8 |
| 2023 | 42.8 |
| 2024 | 43.3 |
Getting to work took an average of 24.0 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 26.2 minutes.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 24 |
| 2010 | 24.2 |
| 2011 | 24.6 |
| 2012 | 24.1 |
| 2013 | 24.3 |
| 2014 | 23.5 |
| 2015 | 23.1 |
| 2016 | 22.3 |
| 2017 | 22.4 |
| 2018 | 22.4 |
| 2019 | 22.8 |
| 2020 | 23.7 |
| 2021 | 24.8 |
| 2022 | 24.7 |
| 2023 | 25.6 |
| 2024 | 26.2 |
About 27.9% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 24.5% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 8.6%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 24.5% | |
| 2010 | 26.5% | |
| 2011 | 26.5% | 12.9% |
| 2012 | 26.7% | 14.1% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | 15.3% |
| 2014 | 32.7% | 14.2% |
| 2015 | 32.9% | 15.3% |
| 2016 | 30.7% | 14.3% |
| 2017 | 29.7% | 13.9% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | 14.7% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | 14.9% |
| 2020 | 25.9% | 13.8% |
| 2021 | 28.8% | 12.8% |
| 2022 | 32% | 10.8% |
| 2023 | 30.7% | 8.8% |
| 2024 | 27.9% | 8.6% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Bessemer scores 0.47, down from 0.48 - incomes here have grown more equal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.5 |
| 2011 | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 0.5 |
| 2014 | 0.5 |
| 2015 | 0.5 |
| 2016 | 0.5 |
| 2017 | 0.5 |
| 2018 | 0.5 |
| 2019 | 0.5 |
| 2020 | 0.5 |
| 2021 | 0.5 |
| 2022 | 0.5 |
| 2023 | 0.5 |
| 2024 | 0.5 |
57.4% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 60.5% in 2009. The typical renter puts 32.1% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 14.8% of housing units sit vacant.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 60.5% | 32.1% | 15.6% |
| 2010 | 59.8% | 33.7% | 14.9% |
| 2011 | 59.8% | 38.4% | 15.9% |
| 2012 | 59.9% | 36% | 17.2% |
| 2013 | 58.2% | 36.8% | 16.9% |
| 2014 | 57.4% | 35.6% | 17.1% |
| 2015 | 57% | 37.8% | 17.4% |
| 2016 | 56.4% | 36% | 16.3% |
| 2017 | 55.1% | 37% | 18.3% |
| 2018 | 53.3% | 37.7% | 20.4% |
| 2019 | 51.7% | 34.9% | 20.7% |
| 2020 | 52.9% | 34.2% | 17.1% |
| 2021 | 53.2% | 34.2% | 19.4% |
| 2022 | 54.3% | 34.9% | 17.2% |
| 2023 | 55.1% | 31.8% | 16% |
| 2024 | 57.4% | 32.1% | 14.8% |
4.0% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 2.1% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 79.5% of the town, up from 73.8% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2.1% | 73.8% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | 77.3% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | 76% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | 76.4% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | 76% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | 76.1% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | 75.9% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | 76.8% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | 77% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | 78.3% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | 79.5% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | 79% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | 80.6% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | 81.6% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | 81.5% |
| 2024 | 4% | 79.5% |