Birmingham is a mid-sized city in the heart of one of the largest urban regions in the South. Healthcare, banking, insurance, distribution and a variety of service industries make up an economy that is excellent for business. The Birmingham Metropolitan Area stretches across Central Alabama, the center of the southeastern United States.

In its January 2000 issue, Expansion magazine listed Birmingham as the 4th hottest city for expansion. A 1999 study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Cognetis, Inc. ranked the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa corridor as the nation's 15th hottest metro area in the country for starting and growing a business.

In addition, the National Foundation for Women Business Owners ranks Alabama fourth among Southeastern states in the growth of women-owned businesses since 1992. A recent survey by the Small Business Survival Foundation ranks Alabama as the tenth best state in the nation for small business. A 1999 study by Policom Corporation, an independent economics research firm in Florida, ranked Birmingham 33 in a listing of 316 metropolitan areas rated for economic growth and stability.

Birmingham MSA Demographics

Comprised of four counties - Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair and Shelby - the Birmingham Metropolitan Area (MSA) anchors the business and cultural life of the State of Alabama.

Importance of Birmingham MSA to Alabama

• 21% of the Alabama state population

• 21% of the state households

• 23% of the business establishments

• 24% of the retail sales

• 24% of the total effective buying income

• 31% of the payroll dollars

Area citizens enjoy income levels at the national average and a cost of living that is consistently below the national average. According to 1999 Market Statistics, median household Effective Buying Income (income after taxes) ranges up to $72,410 in Mountain Brook, $67,951 in Inverness, $44,550 in Vestavia Hills, and $67,951 in Hoover. And, the State of Alabama's per-capita state and local income tax burden is the nation's lowest at 3.3 %.

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