Population 3,027 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Echo Highlands
Household size in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.56 | 2.56 | 2.55 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.47 | 2.59 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.57 | 2.59 | 2.58 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.22 | 2.57 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.34 | +0.01 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Echo Highlands is a place of small households, averaging 2.22 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has dropped from 2.56 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.6 | 37.9 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.9 | 39.1 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 38.1 | 39.9 | 40.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 44.6 | 40.0 | 40.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +9.0 | +2.1 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 44.6, Echo Highlands is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. Echo Highlands is older than at least four in five Birmingham neighborhoods.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.2% | 12.1% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 22.6% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 16.4% | 11.2% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 18.4% | 12.0% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.9 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head more than one in six households in Echo Highlands (18.4%), well above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Echo Highlands
Renters in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.1% | 27.9% | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 43.6% | 30.4% | 30.8% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 40.0% | 30.6% | 31.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 36.8% | 29.2% | 29.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.7 pts | +1.3 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Echo Highlands is about as common as it is nationally: 36.8% of households rent, against 34.8%. Renters make up a bigger share here than in the Birmingham area as a whole (29.2%). Among homeowners, 37.3% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally. Only one other Birmingham neighborhood has a lower share of renters.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.0% | 12.5% | 14.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.6% | 12.8% | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.5% | 13.6% | 15.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.8% | 11.6% | 13.5% | 9.6% |
| Change | +2.8 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Echo Highlands: 15.8% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1980 | 1979 | 1980 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1982 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1979 | 1984 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | −0 | +5 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Echo Highlands are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1979, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are older than in the wider Birmingham area, where the median home dates to 1984. Only one other Birmingham neighborhood has newer homes.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $801 | $827 | $716 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $812 | $903 | $785 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $914 | $984 | $858 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,126 | $1,238 | $1,091 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$324 | +$412 | +$375 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Echo Highlands costs $1,126 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 38.8% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Echo Highlands
Bachelor's degrees in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.8% | 28.3% | 23.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.1% | 29.1% | 24.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.3% | 31.1% | 26.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 28.6% | 34.7% | 29.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.8 pts | +6.4 pts | +5.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly three in ten adults 25 and older in Echo Highlands (28.6%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 96.4% | 85.7% | 82.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.9% | 86.8% | 84.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.6% | 88.9% | 86.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.1% | 90.5% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | −6.3 pts | +4.9 pts | +6.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Echo Highlands have finished high school as nationally: 90.1%, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Echo Highlands
| Period | Echo Highlands | Birmingham area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.4% | 8.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.1% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.6% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −7.9 pts | −3.6 pts | −3.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Echo Highlands runs below the national rate: 3.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Echo Highlands compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Echo Highlands | 2.22 | 44.6 | 18.4% | 36.8% | 15.8% | 1979 | $1,126 | 28.6% | 90.1% | 3.6% |
| Roebuck | 2.85 | 34.6 | 32.6% | 40.8% | 6.2% | 1962 | $1,166 | 17.7% | 82.7% | 5.6% |
| Spring Lake | 2.47 | 37.9 | 24.1% | 47.6% | 31.2% | 1975 | $1,168 | 22.2% | 89.8% | 5.1% |
| Apple Valley | 2.27 | 40.7 | 21.3% | 41.9% | 10.6% | 1979 | $904 | 19.6% | 88.3% | 7.8% |
| Huffman | 2.53 | 32.0 | 15.3% | 48.3% | 13.3% | 1977 | $1,204 | 21.4% | 93.8% | 1.0% |
| South East Lake | 2.42 | 39.3 | 23.4% | 53.3% | 18.0% | 1957 | $1,100 | 18.5% | 86.6% | 7.6% |
| Crestline | 1.90 | 31.7 | 8.8% | 40.5% | 10.6% | 1973 | $1,383 | 71.9% | 95.2% | 4.4% |
| Forest Park | 1.79 | 39.3 | 2.6% | 56.8% | 10.8% | 1977 | $1,238 | 67.7% | 95.9% | 4.4% |
| Norwood | 1.65 | 41.0 | 9.4% | 46.2% | 21.8% | 1952 | $1,270 | 33.8% | 86.8% | 3.3% |
| Highland Park | 1.35 | 36.0 | 2.2% | 64.5% | 13.2% | 1950 | $1,207 | 74.0% | 98.5% | 4.5% |
| Southside | 1.38 | 36.5 | 2.8% | 75.4% | 19.4% | 1978 | $1,390 | 73.7% | 98.6% | 1.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Villa Cresta, Parkville, MD · Broadacres Homes, Athens, GA · Canyon Creek-39th SE, Bothell, WA · Centennial, Burlington, VT · Center Square, Albany, NY · Urbanizacion Vistamar, Carolina, PR · Clarksville, Austin, TX · Cleveland Heights, Lakeland, FL · Cloutier Court, Wilmington, DE · Collingwood, Charlotte, NC
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Echo Highlands. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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