Town · Shelby County, Alabama

Harpersville, Alabama

Harpersville is a town in Shelby County, Alabama, part of the Birmingham, AL metro area. It has 1,788 residents. Harpersville, Alabama has a quality-of-life score of 52 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,485 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alabama it ranks #26 of 319 cities and towns. It ranks best on child care cost burden (low), rent as share of income (low) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on hospital quality rating (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and math scores (low).

52Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,485 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alabama: #26 of 319 in AL
Population: 1,788 (2020-2024)
Land area: 22 mi²
Density: 80.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0133256

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety72#4,352/15,637
Economy74#4,007/15,631
Housing100#71/14,977
Health62#5,883/15,609
Healthcare41#9,194/15,650
Environment40#9,220/15,453
Education23#12,088/15,649
Infrastructure20#12,528/15,650
Community43#8,879/15,651
Leisure & amenities34#10,252/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Harpersville, Alabama ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Shelby County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low18.4%
98/100Alabama 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteShelby County value
Rent as share of income · low18.2%
97/100Alabama 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
New homes permitted · high20.1 /1k
96/100Alabama 4.2 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · low0.36%
95/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Unemployment rate · low0.7%
94/100Alabama 2.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Alabama 11.7United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationShelby County value

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Alabama 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesShelby County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.0 µg/m³
12/100Alabama 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyShelby County value
Math scores · low2.76
19/100Alabama 2.65United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteShelby County value
Restaurants and bars · low6.1 /10k
21/100Alabama 6.9 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsShelby County value
Hot days · high64 days
23/100Alabama 63 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationShelby County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low17.3%
24/100Alabama 28.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,483 (2015-2019) → 1,788 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 4.5% (2020-2024)
−31 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.9% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
27.5% (2015-2019) → 14.3% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
77.1% (2015-2019) → 88.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
17.9% (2015-2019) → 8.2% (2020-2024)
−9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Harpersville, Alabama improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Poverty−9.8 points17.9% → 8.2%
Broadband+18 points69.9% → 88.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Harpersville, Alabama between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.8 min2015-2019	37.1 min2020-2024	+8.2 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.1%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Broadband subscriptions	69.9%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	87%
Effective property tax rate	0.33%2015-2019	0.36%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	77.1%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	55%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4222015-2019	0.3962020-2024	−0.026	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$57,6392015-2019	$75,0182020-2024	+30%	Within the margin of error	56%
Poverty rate	17.9%2015-2019	8.2%2020-2024	−9.8 points	Improved	92%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.6%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	48%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Harpersville, Alabama five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Harpersville, Alabama in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Harpersville, Alabama itself moved +5.3 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,788 residents (±324)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,788 residents (±324)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

White82%1,467
Black12%†209
Hispanic or Latino3.7%†66

Education

1,272 residents (±245)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

No high school diploma12%†153
High school or GED32%410
Some college32%†401

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

709 households (±144)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $25k14%†100
$25k–50k20%†140
$50k–75k16%†114
$75k–100k24%†167
$100k–150k13%†91
$150k–200k9.2%†65
$200k or more4.5%†32

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

709 households (±144)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Own81%577
Rent19%†132

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

119 households (±48)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $7509.2%†11
$750–1,00069%†82
$1,000–1,50019%†23

Home values

577 homes (±142)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Under $150k32%†186
$150k–250k44%†251
$250k–400k15%†88

Age of homes

828 homes (±178)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

2010 or later13%†107
2000–200918%†148
1980–199942%†344

Size of homes

828 homes (±178)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom5.2%†43
2 bedrooms12%†101

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

826 workers (±180)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Drive alone84%697
Carpool12%†96
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.4%†20
Other1.6%†13

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

806 workers (±178)

Harpersville, Alabama
Alabama share

Under 15 min13%†107
15–29 min19%†156
30–44 min34%†278

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Birmingham, AL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Shelby County, the county holding most of Harpersville's residents.

Shelby County has 5,610 employer establishments, 240 for every 10,000 residents (0.97× the US rate of 248; 1.16× Alabama's), with 87,718 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,569. The Census Bureau also counts 22,140 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,610; 22,140 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 240; US 248 · Alabama 207
Paid employees: 87,718
Average annual pay: $62,569; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Shelby County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	438	18.8	0.90×About typical	5,348	$66,944	1,000
Restaurants and other eating places	374	16	0.87×About typical	8,104	$21,440	111
Specialty trade contractors	341	14.6	0.94×About typical	5,102	$68,269	1,458
Lessors of real estate	283	12.1	0.98×About typical	1,289	$61,319	2,332
Services to buildings and dwellings	206	8.8	1.31×More than typical	2,520	$43,560	1,295
Limited-service restaurants	201	8.6	1.07×About typical	4,574	$20,003	44
Construction of buildings	198	8.5	1.12×About typical	1,525	$84,687	921
Religious organizations	160	6.9	1.24×About typical	2,124	$28,751	—
Building equipment contractors	159	6.8	1.13×About typical	3,007	$67,195	303
Management, scientific and technical consulting	156	6.7	1.00×About typical	533	$64,859	898
Insurance agencies and brokerages	146	6.3	1.42×More than typical	620	$73,608	410
Offices of other health practitioners	142	6.1	1.00×About typical	928	$54,164	478

Rank places for an industry Open Shelby County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 233,488 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Harpersville is mostly in Shelby County.

See federal money in Shelby County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Harpersville, Alabama is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Gary J. PalmerR-AL-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Shelby County80100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Birmingham, AL41

Other cities and towns in Shelby County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0133256