Moving to
McCalla.

All McCalla data Compare McCalla

13,253people live here $87,468median household incomeNear US average $1,777median rent per month▲ 26% above US $279,900median home value▼ 16% below US

McCalla is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, AL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in McCalla

McCalla is an unincorporated community in Alabama with home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. McCalla deals with rent well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, larger class sizes than the national average, and hot summers.

The good

Affordable home prices
Low unemployment in the county

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Air quality concerns
High student-teacher ratio
Hot summers
Above-average rainfall
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How McCalla compares

Median household income

McCalla$87,468

Alabama avg$63,999

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

McCalla$1,777

Alabama avg$1,007

US$1,413

Median home value

McCalla$279,900

Alabama avg$209,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to McCalla

Based on McCalla's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,554

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,080 a year
33% of McCalla renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$55,980

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $27,990
Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 26% above US

$1,777/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,777 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $279,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $279,900 · 33% 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

McCalla 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 aroundNear US average

27 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

80%

Work from home

14%

Carpool

4.3%

Other

1.6%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. It's a wet climate overall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

35% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (16 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

McCalla's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,777/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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