Most of Birmingham 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 49 ZIP codes in Birmingham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $790 to $1,760 a month. At the middle rent, $1,170, a full-time job would need to pay $37.14 an hour before taxes.
Parts of Birmingham are also in Shelby County.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35201 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35202 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35203 | Jefferson County | $1,070/mo | $33.55/hr |
| 35204 | Jefferson County | $790/mo | $24.38/hr |
| 35205 | Jefferson County | $1,250/mo | $40.13/hr |
| 35206 | Jefferson County | $1,020/mo | $31.91/hr |
| 35207 | Jefferson County | $870/mo | $27.00/hr |
| 35208 | Jefferson County | $1,000/mo | $31.26/hr |
| 35209 | Jefferson County | $1,450/mo | $47.61/hr |
| 35210 | Jefferson County | $1,150/mo | $36.39/hr |
| 35211 | Jefferson County | $1,050/mo | $32.90/hr |
| 35212 | Jefferson County | $890/mo | $27.66/hr |
| 35213 | Jefferson County | $1,760/mo | $59.21/hr |
| 35214 | Jefferson County | $1,040/mo | $32.57/hr |
| 35215 | Jefferson County | $1,200/mo | $38.26/hr |
| 35216 | Jefferson County | $1,450/mo | $47.61/hr |
| 35217 | Jefferson County | $960/mo | $29.95/hr |
| 35218 | Jefferson County | $950/mo | $29.62/hr |
| 35219 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35220 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35221 | Jefferson County | $1,030/mo | $32.24/hr |
| 35222 | Jefferson County | $1,110/mo | $34.91/hr |
| 35223 | Jefferson County | $1,520/mo | $50.23/hr |
| 35224 | Jefferson County | $1,040/mo | $32.57/hr |
| 35226 | Jefferson County | $1,490/mo | $49.11/hr |
| 35228 | Jefferson County | $1,100/mo | $34.55/hr |
| 35229 | Jefferson County | $1,450/mo | $47.61/hr |
| 35231 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35232 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35233 | Jefferson County | $1,600/mo | $53.22/hr |
| 35234 | Jefferson County | $800/mo | $24.71/hr |
| 35235 | Jefferson County | $1,270/mo | $40.88/hr |
| 35236 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35238 | Shelby County | $1,360/mo | $44.25/hr |
| 35242 | Shelby County | $1,440/mo | $47.24/hr |
| 35243 | Jefferson County | $1,570/mo | $52.10/hr |
| 35244 | Jefferson County | $1,430/mo | $46.86/hr |
| 35249 | Jefferson County | $1,600/mo | $53.22/hr |
| 35253 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35254 | Jefferson County | $840/mo | $26.02/hr |
| 35255 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35259 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35260 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35261 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35266 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35285 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35293 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35294 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
| 35295 | Jefferson County | $1,170/mo | $37.14/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Birmingham 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 49 ZIP codes in Birmingham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $790 to $1,760 a month. At the middle rent of $1,170, the pay needed would be $37.14 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