What it's like to live in Pelham
Pelham is a small city in Alabama with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Pelham deals with commute times longer than most cities, hot summers, above-average rainfall, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Pelham compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Pelham
Based on Pelham's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,154
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,080 a year
- 49% of Pelham renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$59,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,980
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 12% above US
$1,577/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,577 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $299,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $299,800 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 51% below US
2.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 2.1%, well below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 53% below US
156 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 821/100k · Pelham Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 10% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.6 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; 19% work from home.
How workers get to work
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
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 31% above US
47% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 47% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (14 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Pelham's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,577/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Pelham
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