Best PlacesSouth East Lake, Birmingham, AL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South East Lake, Birmingham, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South East Lake, Birmingham ranks 5,760th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South East Lake, Birmingham
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South East Lake, Birmingham's strengths and weaknesses
Where South East Lake, Birmingham ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$702 a month, better than 95% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
Where South East Lake, Birmingham ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$41,410 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South East Lake, Birmingham
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South East Lake, Birmingham home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $41,410, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South East Lake, Birmingham's effective rate of 0.44%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South East Lake, Birmingham
South East Lake, Birmingham's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South East Lake, Birmingham.
Who works in South East Lake, Birmingham, and how
Work in South East Lake, Birmingham centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in South East Lake, Birmingham
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South East Lake, Birmingham.
What the weather is like in South East Lake, Birmingham, month by month
South East Lake, Birmingham sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 45° | 37° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 79° | 67° | 57° |
Flying in and out of South East Lake, Birmingham
The nearest airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 132 miles away.
The best schools in and around South East Lake, Birmingham
Schools across South East Lake, Birmingham average a D−, better than 4% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Christian SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Grantswood Community SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
- Irondale Community SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Irondale Middle SchoolD− · 17% proficient
- Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
Top high schools
- Shades Valley High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Huffman High SchoolmagnetF · 4% proficient
- Woodlawn High SchoolmagnetF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South East Lake, Birmingham school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South East Lake, Birmingham measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South East Lake, Birmingham against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South East Lake, Birmingham
Is South East Lake, Birmingham a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South East Lake, Birmingham ranks 5,760th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on tree cover, low property taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on the schools and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South East Lake, Birmingham expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $147,680. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $41,410 median income, cost of living beats 17% of neighborhoods.
Is South East Lake, Birmingham safe?
South East Lake, Birmingham is safer than 8% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $851 per resident a year.
Compare South East Lake, Birmingham with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South East Lake, Birmingham. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South East Lake, Birmingham represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South East Lake, Birmingham detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South East Lake, Birmingham: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South East Lake, Birmingham: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South East Lake, Birmingham: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South East Lake, Birmingham: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South East Lake, Birmingham detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.