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Alabaster, AL

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

33,917
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

39.6
years ∙ half population younger than 39.6, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
50.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

6.9%
foreign-born population
93.1%Native
6.9% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Alabaster is a city within Shelby County, Alabama, United States.
Location
City in Shelby County, AL, US
Co-ordinates
DEC33.214355° N, 86.823080° W
DMS33° 12′ 51.68″ N, 86° 49′ 23.09″ W

Population Density & area

1,290/sq mi (498.8/km²)
Total Area
26.6 sq mi (68.8 km²)
Land Area
26.3 sq mi (68 km²) · 98.8%
Water Area
0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²) · 1.2%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.6% male
Male 48.6%
Female 51.4%
males per 100 females
Alabaster 94.7
Shelby County 95
Alabama 94.4

Nativity

6.9%
foreign-born population
93.1%Native
6.9% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Alabaster 6.9%
Shelby County 5.5%
Alabama 4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

39.6
years ∙ half population younger than 39.6, half older
Alabaster
39.6
Shelby County
40.3
Alabama
39.3

Dependency ratio

Low High
64.3
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Alabaster 64.3
Shelby County 65.5
Alabama 66.7

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 24.8% 22.8% 22.2%
Working age (18-64) 60.8% 60.4% 60%
Senior (65+) 14.4% 16.8% 17.8%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 64.3 65.5 66.7
Child dependency ratio 40.7 37.7 37.1
Old-age dependency ratio 23.6 27.9 29.6
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
67.1%
Black
16.1%
Asian
1.1%
Hispanic
12.4%
Other
3.3%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
50.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Alabaster 50.8%
Shelby County 43.9%
Alabama 52.8%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Alabaster population
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Hispanic or Latino 12.4% 7.6% 5.6%
Mexican 6.4% 4.5% 3.2%
Puerto Rican 0.5% 0.6% 0.5%
Cuban 1% 0.3% 0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino 4.5% 2.1% 1.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 87.6% 92.4% 94.4%
One race 85% 89.4% 91.1%
White 67.1% 73.2% 63.4%
Black or African American 16.1% 13.4% 25.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3% 0.1% 0.3%
Asian 1.1% 2.2% 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.4% 0.6% 0.4%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.6% 3% 3.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

75.8% family
Family 75.8%
Non family 24.2%
% family households
Alabaster 75.8%
Shelby County 72.7%
Alabama 64.5%

Average household size

2.78
persons per household
Alabaster
2.78
Shelby County
2.61
Alabama
2.48

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Alabaster population
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Total households 12,087 86,866 1,997,247
Average houshold size 2.78 2.61 2.48
Family households 9,161 63,167 1,287,290
Average family size 3.26 3.1 3.11
Married couple family 7,373 52,262 920,332
Other families 1,788 10,905 366,958
Male householder 368 3,141 87,023
Female householder 1,420 7,764 279,935
Non-family households 2,926 23,699 709,957
One-person households 2,671 20,419 615,375
Male householder 1,098 8,069 273,110
Senior (65+) living alone 487 2,658 84,581
Female householder 1,573 12,350 342,265
Senior (65+) living alone 746 6,096 170,988
Other living arrangements 255 3,280 94,582

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

12,534
housing units
Alabaster 12,534
Shelby County 91,995
Alabama 2,337,265

Occupancy status

96.4% occupied
Occupied 96.4%
Vacant 3.6%
vacancy rate
Alabaster 3.6%
Shelby County 5.6%
Alabama 14.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

88.9%
Single family houses
Single family houses
88.9%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
5.2%
Mobile homes
5.9%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1994
Half of houses were built before 1994, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
1.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
6.6%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
60.7%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
31.3%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.6 6.6 5.9
1–3 rooms 2.1% 5% 8.4%
4–6 rooms 45.8% 44% 54.5%
7+ rooms 52.2% 51% 36.9%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.2% 0.6% 1.5%
1 bedroom 1.2% 3.7% 6.3%
2 bedrooms 11.4% 14.4% 21.6%
3 bedrooms 51.2% 43.8% 48.3%
4+ bedrooms 36.1% 37.5% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1994 1998 1987
Total housing units 12,534 91,995 2,337,265
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

87.1% owners
Renter-occupied 12.9%
Owner-occupied 87.1%
homeownership rate
Alabaster 87.1%
Shelby County 81.4%
Alabama 70.2%

Average household size

2.72
Owner-occupied
3.2
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Alabaster 2.72
Shelby County 2.67
Alabama 2.57

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Total occupied units 12,087 86,866 1,997,247
Year moved in
2020 or later 19.8% 24.3% 23.9%
2010 to 2019 40.5% 41.1% 38.3%
2000 to 2009 23.5% 19.7% 16.7%
1999 or earlier 16.3% 14.9% 21.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.1% 99% 98.3%
1.01 to 1.50 0.7% 0.9% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0.2% 0.1% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 2.2% 2.5% 5.4%
1 vehicle 24% 25.4% 31.6%
2 vehicles 42.6% 43.1% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 31.2% 29.1% 26.4%
House heating fuel used
Gas 33.1% 43.5% 31%
Electricity 66.3% 55.7% 67.4%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0% 0.1%
All other fuels 0% 0.3% 0.8%
No fuel used 0.6% 0.5% 0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.4% 0.3% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.4% 0.6% 0.7%
No telephone service available 0.5% 0.7% 1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$261,700
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Alabaster
$261,700
Shelby County
$326,100
Alabama
$209,900

Housing Cost Burden

19.7%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
19.7%
Owners without a mortgage
7.3%
Renters
54%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Property value
Median Value $261,700 $326,100 $209,900
Under $100,000 4.2% 6.3% 22.3%
$100,000 - $200,000 19.3% 12.8% 25.2%
$200,000 - $300,000 40.3% 25.1% 21.7%
$300,000 - $500,000 30% 36.2% 20.8%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 5.2% 17.6% 8.3%
$1,000,000 and more 0.9% 2% 1.7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 74.1% 68% 54.1%
Without a mortgage 25.9% 32% 45.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,563 $1,734 $1,433
Without a mortgage $437 $556 $447
Gross rent
Median rent $1,372 $1,401 $1,007

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

41.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Alabaster 41.1%
Shelby County 46.8%
Alabama 28.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Alabaster 6.5%
Shelby County 5.4%
Alabama 11.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

8,809
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
6.1%
K–12
72.7%
College / Undergraduate
16.7%
Graduate / Professional
4.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

35.3%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Alabaster
35.3%
Shelby County
41.8%
Alabama
42.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Total enrolled (age 3+) 8,809 55,886 1,213,681
Nursery / preschool 6.1% 5.4% 5.9%
K–12 72.7% 72.1% 67.7%
Kindergarten 5.4% 5.2% 5.1%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 22.5% 19.8% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 21.4% 22.6% 21.1%
High School: Grades 9–12 23.3% 24.5% 21.7%
College or graduate school 21.2% 22.5% 26.4%
College, undergraduate 16.7% 17.4% 21.4%
Graduate, professional school 4.5% 5.2% 5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 35.3% 41.8% 42.5%
School type
Public school 81.6% 80.7% 83.6%
Private school 18.4% 19.3% 16.4%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

22,502
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
3.9%
HS graduate
25.2%
Some college no degree
18.4%
Associates degree
8.8%
Bachelors degree
28.4%
Graduate or professional degree
12.7%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
59.1% · 40.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
51.7% · 48.3%
HS graduate
53.5% · 46.5%
Some college no degree
47% · 53%
Associates degree
35.4% · 64.6%
Bachelors degree
46.9% · 53.1%
Graduate or professional degree
38.8% · 61.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Population (25+) 22,502 158,564 3,473,706
Less than 9th grade 2.6% 1.8% 3.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 3.9% 3.6% 7.8%
High school diploma or GED 25.2% 20.4% 30.3%
Some college, no degree 18.4% 19.3% 20.8%
Associate's degree 8.8% 8% 9.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 41.1% 46.8% 28.4%
Bachelor's degree 28.4% 30.7% 17.3%
Graduate or professional 12.7% 16.1% 11.1%
High School or higher 93.5% 94.5% 88.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$55,733
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$32,388
HS graduate
$46,054
Some college or associates
$50,338
Bachelors degree
$65,600
Graduate or professional degree
$81,156

Poverty Rate

3.7%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
12.7%
HS graduate
10.9%
Some college or associates
6.5%
Bachelors degree or higher
3.7%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Alabaster Shelby County Alabama
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $55,733 $60,085 $46,831
Less than high school graduate $32,388 $34,509 $30,696
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $46,054 $45,895 $37,156
Some college or associate's degree $50,338 $51,544 $43,231
Bachelor's degree $65,600 $71,024 $61,115
Graduate or professional degree $81,156 $85,375 $75,030
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 12.7% 20.5% 28.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 10.9% 11.6% 16.1%
Some college or associate's degree 6.5% 6.3% 11.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.7% 2.7% 4.7%

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