Population
Birmingham
199,322
Roanoke
98,677
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Roanoke
$52,671
Home Value
Birmingham
$138,600
Roanoke
$180,500
Rent
Birmingham
$1,047
Roanoke
$964
Crime Rate
Birmingham
12.48
Roanoke
6.20
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Roanoke
91.4
Avg Temp
Birmingham
N/A
Roanoke
N/A
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Roanoke
5.5%
How Similar Are Birmingham & Roanoke?
Roanoke is Birmingham's #10 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Birmingham
199,322
Roanoke
98,677
Birmingham (199,322) is about 2.0x larger than Roanoke (98,677).
Violent Crime
Birmingham
12.48
Roanoke
6.20
Birmingham has a 50% higher violent crime than Roanoke.
Property Crime
Birmingham
40.31
Roanoke
40.56
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.
Political Leaning
Birmingham
44.2%
Roanoke
37.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Birmingham has a stronger Democratic lean (15% difference).
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Roanoke
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Roanoke
$52,671
Roanoke has a 16% higher median income than Birmingham.
Home Values
Birmingham
$138,600
Roanoke
$180,500
Roanoke has a 23% higher home values than Birmingham.
Education
Birmingham
21.2%
Roanoke
20.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Birmingham
25.6%
Roanoke
57.5%
Roanoke's demographics is significantly higher than Birmingham's — 56% difference.
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Roanoke
91.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Birmingham and Roanoke share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Birmingham
0
Roanoke
Roanoke leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Birmingham leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRoanoke has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,053 vs $1,155 in Birmingham (10% lower). Birmingham scores 83.9 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 90.3 in Roanoke. Birmingham has a living wage (1 adult) of $37,482 vs $40,220 in Roanoke (7% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Roanoke leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRoanoke has a vacancy rate of 11.2% compared to 18.7% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a median property tax of $930 vs $1,828 in Roanoke (49% lower). Roanoke has a median home value of $180,500 vs $138,600 in Birmingham (23% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Roanoke leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBirmingham: 97,022 vs Roanoke: 49,076 for labor force. Roanoke has a poverty rate of 19.7% compared to 25.2% in Birmingham. Roanoke has a work from home of 10.7% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Roanoke leads
Source: FBI UCRRoanoke has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.11 compared to 0.59 in Birmingham. Roanoke has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.30 compared to 9.72 in Birmingham. Roanoke has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.93 compared to 2.01 in Birmingham.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRoanoke has a high school diploma or higher of 44.0% compared to 40.7% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.2% compared to 20.2% in Roanoke.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBirmingham has a population of 199,322, about 2x the size of Roanoke (98,677). Birmingham skews younger with a median age of 35.9 vs 38.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Birmingham
Roanoke
Healthcare — Roanoke leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareRoanoke: 3.8 vs Birmingham: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Roanoke leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBirmingham has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.2% in Roanoke. Roanoke has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 1.3% in Birmingham. Roanoke has a work from home of 10.7% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Birmingham, AL
Compare Birmingham 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.