Population

Bessemer

25,655

Parker

12,564

Median Income

Bessemer

$37,844

Parker

$38,607

Home Value

Bessemer

$129,800

Parker

$121,800

Rent

Bessemer

$922

Parker

$1,066

Crime Rate

Bessemer

17.44

Parker

N/A

Cost of Living

Bessemer

79.5

Parker

78.7

Avg Temp

Bessemer

N/A

Parker

N/A

Unemployment

Bessemer

8.8%

Parker

5.4%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Bessemer & Parker?

Parker is Bessemer's #21 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Bessemer

25,655

vs

Parker

12,564

Different · 51% difference

Bessemer (25,655) is about 2.0x larger than Parker (12,564).

Political Leaning

Bessemer

44.2%

vs

Parker

60.2%

Different · 27% difference
🗳️

Bessemer leans Democratic while Parker leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Bessemer

8.8%

vs

Parker

5.4%

Different · 38% difference

Bessemer has a 38% higher unemployment than Parker.

Median Income

Bessemer

$37,844

vs

Parker

$38,607

Match · 2% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Bessemer

$129,800

vs

Parker

$121,800

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.

Education

Bessemer

10.1%

vs

Parker

9.7%

Match · 4% difference
🎓

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

Demographics

🌍

Bessemer

19.8%

vs

Parker

41.4%

Different · 52% difference

Parker's demographics is significantly higher than Bessemer's — 52% difference.

Cost of Living

Bessemer

79.5

vs

Parker

78.7

Match · 1% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Bessemer and Parker share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Bessemer

vsof 8

0

Parker

Bessemer leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Bessemer leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Parker scores 59.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 85.6 in Bessemer. Bessemer scores 84.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 91.8 in Parker. Bessemer has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,266 vs $1,339 in Parker (5% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Bessemer79.5
Parker78.7

Housing Index

Bessemer84.1
Parker91.8

Food Index

Bessemer78.9
Parker79.5

Transportation Index

Bessemer85.6
Parker59.0

Healthcare Index

Bessemer83.1
Parker83.6

Utilities Index

Bessemer84.2
Parker86.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Bessemer$34,984
Parker$34,646

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Bessemer$82,690
Parker$81,891

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Bessemer$1,155
Parker$1,221

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Bessemer$1,266
Parker$1,339

Housing Market — Bessemer leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Parker has a vacancy rate of 9.0% compared to 16.0% in Bessemer. Bessemer has a owner-occupied of 55.1% compared to 41.0% in Parker. Bessemer has a single-family homes of 76.3% compared to 67.2% in Parker.

Median Home Value

Bessemer$129,800
Parker$121,800

Median Rent

Bessemer$922
Parker$1,066

Median Property Tax

Bessemer$876
Parker$882

Owner-Occupied

Bessemer55.1%
Parker41.0%

Vacancy Rate

Bessemer16.0%
Parker9.0%

Single-Family Homes

Bessemer76.3%
Parker67.2%

Jobs & Economy — Parker leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer: 10,375 vs Parker: 6,159 for labor force. Parker has a unemployment rate of 5.4% compared to 8.8% in Bessemer. Parker has a work from home of 15.8% compared to 9.6% in Bessemer.

Median Household Income

Bessemer$37,844
Parker$38,607

Per Capita Income

Bessemer$24,074
Parker$21,883

Poverty Rate

Bessemer30.7%
Parker29.2%

Unemployment Rate

Bessemer8.8%
Parker5.4%

Labor Force

Bessemer10,375
Parker6,159

Mean Commute

Bessemer23 min
ParkerN/A

Work from Home

Bessemer9.6%
Parker15.8%

Private Sector

Bessemer83.3%
ParkerN/A

Government Sector

Bessemer39.7%
Parker52.1%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer17.44
ParkerN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer71.24
ParkerN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer0.44
ParkerN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer1.62
ParkerN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer14.77
ParkerN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer11.49
ParkerN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Bessemer50.65
ParkerN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

Bessemer20.4%
ParkerN/A

Property Crime Clearance

Bessemer13.6%
ParkerN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Avg Annual High

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Avg Annual Low

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Sunny Days per Year

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Annual Rainfall

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Annual Snowfall

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Avg Humidity

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Schools & Education — Bessemer leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Bessemer has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 32.4% in Parker. Bessemer has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.1% compared to 9.7% in Parker.

Public Schools

Bessemer0
Parker0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BessemerN/A
ParkerN/A

Colleges & Universities

Bessemer0
Parker0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Bessemer10.1%
Parker9.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Bessemer38.2%
Parker32.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a population of 25,655, about 2x the size of Parker (12,564). Parker skews younger with a median age of 31.8 vs 42.8.

Population

Bessemer25,655
Parker12,564

Median Age

Bessemer43
Parker32

Avg Household Size

Bessemer2.4
Parker2.5

Married Population

Bessemer24.3%
Parker24.2%

Foreign Born

Bessemer3.5%
Parker18.2%

White

Bessemer19.8%
Parker41.4%

Black

Bessemer70.6%
Parker21.6%

Hispanic

Bessemer8.2%
Parker31.4%

Asian

Bessemer0.2%
Parker0.4%

Bessemer

Parker

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Bessemer: 5 vs Parker: 2 for with emergency services. Parker: 3.3 vs Bessemer: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Bessemer5
Parker5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Bessemer2.8
Parker3.3

With Emergency Services

Bessemer5
Parker2

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bessemer has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.2% in Parker. Parker has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.0% in Bessemer. Parker has a work from home of 15.8% compared to 9.6% in Bessemer.

Mean Commute Time

Bessemer23 min
ParkerN/A

Drive Alone

Bessemer76.5%
Parker67.5%

Public Transit

Bessemer1.3%
Parker0.2%

Bicycle

Bessemer0.0%
Parker1.0%

Work from Home

Bessemer9.6%
Parker15.8%

Airports

Bessemer0
Parker0

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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