Most of Bessemer is in Jefferson County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $34.55 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Bessemer with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $960 to $1,220 a month. At the middle rent, $1,105, a full-time job would need to pay $34.73 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35020 | Jefferson County | $960/mo | $29.95/hr |
| 35021 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35022 | Jefferson County | $1,040/mo | $32.57/hr |
| 35023 | Jefferson County | $1,220/mo | $39.01/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Bessemer needs to pay at least $34.55 an hour before taxes, about $71,868 a year. That is the figure for Jefferson County, where the typical studio rent is $1,100 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Bessemer with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $960 to $1,220 a month. At the middle rent of $1,105, the pay needed would be $34.73 an hour.
The minimum wage in Jefferson County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.8 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads