Birmingham, AL — income, home value, property tax, and sales tax.
In ZIP code 35229, part of the Birmingham area, per-capita income stands at just $4,323, while the county-level effective property tax rate is 0.59%. That rate applies to whatever a home is worth, so the tax owed scales directly with value rather than with earnings. A household here would need to weigh each dollar of property tax against an income far below national norms. Sales taxes add another 6.00% at checkout, trimming spending power further. Together these figures paint a picture of a place where homeownership costs can strain finances, since even a low rate on a modestly priced home consumes a meaningful share of a very small income.