Jefferson County

Jefferson County is positioned in at the center of the seven-county Birmingham - Hoover Metropolitan Area. With a population of 657,388, Jefferson County contains the state's largest city - Birmingham (population 229,424) and the state's sixth largest city - Hoover (population 68,707). In 2007, Jefferson County was ranked among the top 100 most populated counties in the United States.

The Birmingham central Business district has a daytime business population of more than 80,000 and contains two major employment districts. The medical district is anchored by Alabama's largest employer - the University of Alabama at Birmingham  - and the financial district anchored by major companies such as Region's Financial, BBVA, AT&T and the state's major utility companies. Jefferson County is comprised of four office markets in addition to industrial and technology location options.

Jefferson County is the cultural and economic center of the seven-county metropolitan region. Hosting 1,326 events in 2006, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex had an attendance of 1.15 million and is a major anchor of the region's leisure and hospitality sector. The region's performing arts amenities, major museums, sport venues and super-regional retail amenities are also based in Jefferson County.

Overview

2007 Population

  657,388

2007 Households

  266,977
     

2007 Age Composition

Age 0 to 4 7%
Age 5 to 9 6%
Age 10 to 14 7%
Age 15 to 17 4%
Age 18 to 20 4%
Age 21 to 24 5%
Age 25 to 34   13%
Age 35 to 44   14%
Age 45 to 49 8%
Age 50 to 54 7%
Age 55 to 59   6%
Age 60 to 64 5%
Age 65 to 74 7%
Age 75 to 84 5%
Age 85 and over 2%
     

2007 Household Income

2007 Average  $62,743
2000 Average $51,819
00 to 07 Percent Change 21%
2007 Median $44,996
2000 Median $37,260
00 to 07 Percent Change 21%  
     

2007 Workforce
Educational Attainment

Numeric Percentage
2007 Estimated population
Age 25 and Over
439,697 100%
Less than 9th grade 23,832 5%
Some High School, no diploma 57,544 13%
High School Graduate (or GED) 121,993 28%
Some College, no degree 100,380 23%
Associate Degree 25,071 6%
Bachelor's Degree 71,418 16%
Master's Degree 24,664 6%
Professional School Degree 10,741 2%
Doctorate Degree 4,054 1%

2007 Employment
by Economic Sector

Numeric Percentage
Retail Trade 78,329 17%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 36,430 8%
Services 195,563 42%
Hotels & other lodging 3,964 1%
Personal services 13,754 3%
Business services 27,023 6%
Motion pictures & Amusement 6,539 1%
Health services 66,035 14%
Legal services 8,131 2%
Educational services 31,749 7%
Social services 11,645 3%
Other Services 26,723 6%
Agriculture & Natural Resources 3,387 1%
Resource Extraction 1,434 0%
Construction 22,099 5%
Manufacturing 45,637 10%
Transport/Communication, Utilities 28,824 6%
Wholesale Trade 21,911 5%
Government 27,449 6%
Total Employment 461,063 100%
     

Largest Employers

Employees
1. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 18,750
2. AT&T 5,485
3. Regions Bank 5,000
4. Birmingham Board of Education 5,000
5. City of Birmingham 4,989
6. Jefferson County Board of Education   4,800
7. Baptist Health Systems, Inc. 4,000
8. Jefferson County Commission 3,875
9. Bruno’s Supermarkets Inc. 3,477
10. Children’s Health System 3,200
Source: Michael Shattuck (MDB) using EDPA Claritas statistics