35405 — Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 35405. Its median household income runs 21% above Tuscaloosa as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 15 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 5.1% and the Opportunity signal places 35405 in the bottom 24%. The unemployment rate is published for Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, rather than for 35405 alone.
In the public schools here, 42% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 18.2 students for every teacher.
429 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 2% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, rather than for 35405 alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, is 5.1% — higher than in all but 24% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, fell 0.8% over the past year, to 48,430 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsTuscaloosa County, AL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $51,393 | 12th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftTuscaloosa County, AL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $57,401 | 26th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$6,0492024 ACS 5-Year | $62,301 | Bottom 34%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,0282024 ACS 5-Year | $36,235 | Bottom 49%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.3% | Bottom 40%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.1 min | Top 25%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.3% | Top 34%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.0% | 66th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentTuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | 48,430 | Top 50%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Tuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | 0.0% | Top 47%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Tuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.8% | Bottom 48%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceTuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | 51,018 | 51st percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 83.1% | Top 29%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageTuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $54,150 | Bottom 6%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageTuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $45,220 | Bottom 11%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 76th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Tuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.3% | Bottom 30%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateTuscaloosa, AL’s figureJuly 2026 | 5.1% | Bottom 24%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.2% | 31st percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Tuscaloosa, AL
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 7,320 | $53,050 |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,990 | $29,630 |
| Cashiers | 2,660 | $28,110 |
| Registered Nurses | 2,590 | $75,250 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,360 | $24,630 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 2,330 | $41,550 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Tuscaloosa, AL, the city containing this ZIP code.
42% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 39% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 18.2 students for every full-time teacher across 7 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest High School | Tuscaloosa County | 1,434 | 18.2 | 49% | 45% |
| Southview Elementary School | Tuscaloosa City | 644 | 17.9 | 36% | 30% |
| Taylorville Primary School | Tuscaloosa County | 578 | 18.6 | — | — |
| Woodland Forrest Elementary School | Tuscaloosa City | 544 | 18.1 | 36% | 36% |
| Hillcrest Middle School | Tuscaloosa County | 542 | 19.4 | 36% | 43% |
| Englewood Elementary School | Tuscaloosa County | 522 | 18.6 | 50% | 48% |
| Skyland Elementary School | Tuscaloosa City | 459 | 17.0 | 32% | 22% |
| Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Detention Center | Tuscaloosa County | 0 | — | — | — |
58.7% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Alabama’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 11% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 89.1, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area is up 33% over five years, but down 0.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $800 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.34% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,169, some 10% above the $1,061 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,169 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,800 a year, about 75% of the median household income here of $62,301.
The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,061 a month.
A median home at $234,000 costs 2.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $83,629, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 11% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against 35405’s median household income of $62,301, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2023 | 89.1 | Top 8%of 2,737 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | −0.1% | 7th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +32.7% | 18th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +68.5% | 12th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8 | Bottom 47%of 29,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 54.4% | 11th percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±9392024 ACS 5-Year | 22,891 | 98th percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $972 | Top 26%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,490 | Top 22%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,169 | Top 24%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$292024 ACS 5-Year | $1,061 | Bottom 46%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$7,7812024 ACS 5-Year | $234,000 | 54th percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$512024 ACS 5-Year | $800 | 13th percentileof 28,935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$5,5382024 ACS 5-Year | $83,629 | Top 49%of 29,802 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.34% | 3rd percentileof 24,099 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 26.5% | Top 39%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±2322024 ACS 5-Year | 693 | 96th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.0% | 65th percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.5% | 48th percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±4192024 ACS 5-Year | 2,190 | 97th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 429 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 15% are in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, rather than for 35405 alone.
At 3.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Tuscaloosa, AL, which contains 35405, rather than for 35405 alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Jefferson County, AL 1,004 people · 13% of arrivals
- Hale County, AL 389 people · 5.2% of arrivals
- Pickens County, AL 333 people · 4.5% of arrivals
- Bibb County, AL 239 people · 3.2% of arrivals
- Shelby County, AL 220 people · 2.9% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Jefferson County, AL 1,043 people · 13% of departures
- Hale County, AL 513 people · 6.5% of departures
- Shelby County, AL 370 people · 4.7% of departures
- Bibb County, AL 263 people · 3.3% of departures
- Pickens County, AL 239 people · 3.0% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Tuscaloosa County, AL. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Tuscaloosa, AL, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 92°F and January a low of 35°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 57.3 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 53 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 57.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 35°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 92°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 2 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 37 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 36°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 49% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, cold wave, ice storm, hail, landslide, wildfire, winter weather, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 35405 (Tuscaloosa County) rather than 35405 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Tuscaloosa carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Intl at 55 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.3% | Top 40%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 55 mi | Bottom 11%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 21%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.1% | Top 46%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Intl | BHM | 55 mi | 12,007 ft |
| Golden Triangle Rgnl | GTR | 65 mi | 8,003 ft |
| Montgomery Rgnl (Dannelly Fld) | MGM | 87 mi | 9,020 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
35405 vs Tuscaloosa
How this ZIP area compares with Tuscaloosa as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.