What it's like to live in Center Point
Center Point is a small city in Alabama with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Center Point deals with household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- High rent burden for renters
How Center Point compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Center Point
Based on Center Point's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,436
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,720 a year
- 53% of Center Point renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$30,340
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,170
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 14% below US
$1,218/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,218 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $151,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $151,700 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Jefferson County is 2.9%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Jefferson County (county-wide)
Safety
376 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Center Point doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1533/100k · Policed by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 19% above US
31 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.9 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 33°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 53% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (12 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Center Point's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,218/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Center Point
All Alabama guides →Moving to Trussville →
6 mi away · pop. 26,673
Rent $1,711/mo · Income $123,275
Compare with Center Point →Moving to Irondale →
7 mi away · pop. 13,464
Rent $1,320/mo · Income $72,343
Compare with Center Point →Not sure Center Point is the one?
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