What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for College Hills?
College Hills is ranked #77 of 88 eligible neighborhoods in Birmingham; #239 of 258 eligible neighborhoods in AL; and #14,431 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
College Hills
Birmingham, AL | Jefferson County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
22.8
Stability and Strength
25.4
Value Opportunity
32.4
Momentum
5.2
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Birmingham, AL |
| County | Jefferson County |
| National rank | #14,431 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #239 of 258 |
| City rank | #77 of 88 |
| County rank | #77 of 88 |
| National percentile | 3.6 |
| National band | LOWER_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $109,416 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -5.1% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -1.18% |
| Home value to income ratio | 4.80 |
| Median household income | $22,781 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.8% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 9.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 50.4% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 17.4% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 41.3% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in College Hills
Is College Hills one of the best neighborhoods in Birmingham?
College Hills has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 22.8 and a city ranking of #77 of 88 eligible neighborhoods in Birmingham.
How much are homes worth in College Hills?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for College Hills is approximately $109,416.
Are home values rising or falling in College Hills?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -5.1% year over year and -1.18% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for College Hills?
College Hills has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 5.2. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in College Hills?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $22,781.
How affordable is College Hills relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 4.80. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is College Hills primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 50.4%.
What is the unemployment rate in College Hills?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 9.0%.
How educated are residents of College Hills?
Approximately 27.8% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in College Hills face high rent burden?
Approximately 41.3% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score College Hills?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications24
Estimated originations8
Home-purchase applications9
Origination rate34.9%
Home-purchase share38.7%
Average application loan$95,739
Total application loan amount$2,326,313
National application rank#10,000 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 11.7% YoY; originations 2.6% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.