City safety & data profile

HelenaAL

Helena, AL is a 18K-resident city in Shelby County with a median household income of $115,139.

Shelby County, Alabama. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Helena, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Helena has a population larger than 39% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $330,700.

Data updated 2026-07-20

18K
Population
Top 61%
By size
$115,139
Median income
$330,700
Median home
3.2%
Poverty rate

The read on Helena

Helena posts a median household income higher than 80% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 20%
by median income, US cities

Where Helena income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$115,139 Top 20% higher than 80% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). This entry sits in this band. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. AL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Helena, AL beyond the headline numbers

Helena sits inside Shelby County, Alabama, at roughly 33.30°N, -86.84°W. Population 18,264, $115,139 median household income. Median home value $330,700, median rent $1,574. Poverty rate 3.2%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Helena's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 36.3%, then short sleep duration at 35.1%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Helena from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
18,264
Helena
Median Income
$115,139
+69% vs avg
Median Home Value
$330,700
+45% vs avg
Median Age
37.8
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Shelby County) - Helena's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
230K+16%
Median Income
$97,961+42%
Median Home Value
$326,100+69%
Poverty Rate
7.2%-9%
Unemployment
2.9%-55%

Economics

Economics indicators for Helena, AL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,574/mo
Poverty Rate
3.2% -77% vs avg
Unemployment 2%
Bachelor's Degree+ 51.4%
Work From Home 19.5%
Public Transit 0%

Population

White 71.7%
African American 18%
Asian 2.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
36.3%
Short Sleep Duration
35.1%
Obesity
31.6%
Physical Inactivity
18.4%
Binge Drinking
17.9%
Frequent Mental Distress
14.8%
Frequent Physical Distress
10.2%
Current Smoking
10.1%
Current Asthma
9.5%
Diabetes
9.5%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 70.9%
Annual Checkup 78.9%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
6.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.4%
Stroke
2.4%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Helena, AL? ▼
Helena, AL has a population of 18,264 people, located in Shelby County, Alabama.
What is the median household income in Helena? ▼
The median household income in Helena, AL is $115,139 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 3.2%.
What is the median home value in Helena? ▼
The median home value in Helena, AL is $330,700. Median rent is $1,574/month.
What are the top health concerns in Helena? ▼
The top health indicators in Helena include High Blood Pressure (36.3%), Short Sleep Duration (35.1%), Obesity (31.6%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Helena? ▼
The median age in Helena, AL is 37.8 years. 51.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Helena, AL is located in Shelby County, Alabama. With a population of 18K and a $115,139 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Helena area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Alabama

Real-time AQI for every monitored Alabama location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Pelham, AL 23K Alabaster, AL 33K Hoover, AL 85K Bessemer, AL 27K Vestavia Hills, AL 34K Homewood, AL 26K Fairfield, AL 11K Calera, AL 13K
All cities in Alabama → Compare Helena vs Pelham → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Helena's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Helena area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Helena against Alabama peers on any ranking lens. Explore Alabama

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Shelby County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.