Population

Bessemer

25,655

Fort Valley

8,808

Median Income

Bessemer

$37,844

Fort Valley

$39,714

Home Value

Bessemer

$129,800

Fort Valley

$116,400

Rent

Bessemer

$922

Fort Valley

$830

Crime Rate

Bessemer

17.44

Fort Valley

11.96

Cost of Living

Bessemer

79.5

Fort Valley

74.6

Avg Temp

Bessemer

N/A

Fort Valley

N/A

Unemployment

Bessemer

8.8%

Fort Valley

9.1%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Bessemer & Fort Valley?

Fort Valley is Bessemer's #22 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Bessemer

25,655

vs

Fort Valley

8,808

Different · 66% difference

Bessemer (25,655) is about 2.9x larger than Fort Valley (8,808).

Violent Crime

Bessemer

17.44

vs

Fort Valley

11.96

Different · 31% difference
🚨

Bessemer has a 31% higher violent crime than Fort Valley.

Property Crime

🔒

Bessemer

71.24

vs

Fort Valley

34.21

Different · 52% difference

Bessemer's property crime is significantly higher than Fort Valley's — 52% difference.

Political Leaning

Bessemer

44.2%

vs

Fort Valley

52.8%

Different · 16% difference
🗳️

Bessemer leans Democratic while Fort Valley leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Bessemer

8.8%

vs

Fort Valley

9.1%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.

Median Income

Bessemer

$37,844

vs

Fort Valley

$39,714

Match · 5% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Bessemer

$129,800

vs

Fort Valley

$116,400

Different · 10% difference

Bessemer has a 10% higher home values than Fort Valley.

Education

Bessemer

10.1%

vs

Fort Valley

11.8%

Different · 14% difference
🎓

Fort Valley has a 14% higher education than Bessemer.

Demographics

🌍

Bessemer

19.8%

vs

Fort Valley

24.2%

Different · 18% difference

Fort Valley has a 18% higher demographics than Bessemer.

Cost of Living

Bessemer

79.5

vs

Fort Valley

74.6

Match · 6% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bessemer and Fort Valley differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Bessemer

vsof 8

0

Fort Valley

Bessemer leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Fort Valley leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Fort Valley scores 60.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 85.6 in Bessemer. Fort Valley has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,030 vs $1,155 in Bessemer (12% lower). Fort Valley has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,129 vs $1,266 in Bessemer (12% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Bessemer79.5
Fort Valley74.6

Housing Index

Bessemer84.1
Fort Valley78.6

Food Index

Bessemer78.9
Fort Valley80.4

Transportation Index

Bessemer85.6
Fort Valley60.7

Healthcare Index

Bessemer83.1
Fort Valley84.3

Utilities Index

Bessemer84.2
Fort Valley83.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Bessemer$34,984
Fort Valley$32,816

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Bessemer$82,690
Fort Valley$77,564

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Bessemer$1,155
Fort Valley$1,030

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Bessemer$1,266
Fort Valley$1,129

Housing Market — Bessemer leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a single-family homes of 76.3% compared to 53.8% in Fort Valley. Bessemer has a median property tax of $876 vs $1,335 in Fort Valley (34% lower). Bessemer has a vacancy rate of 16.0% compared to 22.8% in Fort Valley.

Median Home Value

Bessemer$129,800
Fort Valley$116,400

Median Rent

Bessemer$922
Fort Valley$830

Median Property Tax

Bessemer$876
Fort Valley$1,335

Owner-Occupied

Bessemer55.1%
Fort Valley43.8%

Vacancy Rate

Bessemer16.0%
Fort Valley22.8%

Single-Family Homes

Bessemer76.3%
Fort Valley53.8%

Jobs & Economy — Bessemer leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a work from home of 9.6% compared to 1.7% in Fort Valley. Bessemer: 10,375 vs Fort Valley: 3,781 for labor force. Fort Valley has a private sector of 95.6% compared to 83.3% in Bessemer.

Median Household Income

Bessemer$37,844
Fort Valley$39,714

Per Capita Income

Bessemer$24,074
Fort Valley$23,175

Poverty Rate

Bessemer30.7%
Fort Valley30.8%

Unemployment Rate

Bessemer8.8%
Fort Valley9.1%

Labor Force

Bessemer10,375
Fort Valley3,781

Mean Commute

Bessemer23 min
Fort ValleyN/A

Work from Home

Bessemer9.6%
Fort Valley1.7%

Private Sector

Bessemer83.3%
Fort Valley95.6%

Government Sector

Bessemer39.7%
Fort Valley43.9%

Crime & Safety — Fort Valley leads

Source: FBI UCR

Fort Valley has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 5.48 compared to 11.49 in Bessemer. Fort Valley has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 34.21 compared to 71.24 in Bessemer. Fort Valley has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 24.48 compared to 50.65 in Bessemer.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer17.44
Fort Valley11.96

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer71.24
Fort Valley34.21

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer0.44
Fort Valley0.56

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer1.62
Fort Valley1.34

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer14.77
Fort Valley9.84

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer11.49
Fort Valley5.48

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer50.65
Fort Valley24.48

Violent Crime Clearance

Bessemer20.4%
Fort Valley48.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Bessemer13.6%
Fort Valley19.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Avg Annual High

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Avg Annual Low

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Annual Rainfall

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Annual Snowfall

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Avg Humidity

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Bessemer has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 28.6% in Fort Valley. Fort Valley has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.8% compared to 10.1% in Bessemer.

Public Schools

Bessemer0
Fort Valley0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BessemerN/A
Fort ValleyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Bessemer0
Fort Valley0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Bessemer10.1%
Fort Valley11.8%

High School Diploma or Higher

Bessemer38.2%
Fort Valley28.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a population of 25,655, about 2.9x the size of Fort Valley (8,808). Fort Valley skews younger with a median age of 31.6 vs 42.8.

Population

Bessemer25,655
Fort Valley8,808

Median Age

Bessemer43
Fort Valley32

Avg Household Size

Bessemer2.4
Fort Valley2.3

Married Population

Bessemer24.3%
Fort Valley18.3%

Foreign Born

Bessemer3.5%
Fort Valley6.1%

White

Bessemer19.8%
Fort Valley24.2%

Black

Bessemer70.6%
Fort Valley69.5%

Hispanic

Bessemer8.2%
Fort Valley8.3%

Asian

Bessemer0.2%
Fort Valley0.2%

Bessemer

Fort Valley

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Bessemer: 5 vs Fort Valley: 4 for with emergency services. Fort Valley: 3.3 vs Bessemer: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Bessemer5
Fort Valley5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Bessemer2.8
Fort Valley3.3

With Emergency Services

Bessemer5
Fort Valley4

Transportation & Commute — Bessemer leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.1% in Fort Valley. Bessemer has a work from home of 9.6% compared to 1.7% in Fort Valley. Fort Valley has a drive alone of 78.8% compared to 76.5% in Bessemer.

Mean Commute Time

Bessemer23 min
Fort ValleyN/A

Drive Alone

Bessemer76.5%
Fort Valley78.8%

Public Transit

Bessemer1.3%
Fort Valley0.1%

Bicycle

Bessemer0.0%
Fort Valley0.0%

Work from Home

Bessemer9.6%
Fort Valley1.7%

Airports

Bessemer0
Fort Valley0

Cities Similar to Bessemer, AL

Compare Bessemer against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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