Bessemer, AL
Jefferson County · Alabama · United States
Home to 25,308 people across 16.557 square miles.
At a glance
35020 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 35020 is
| Coordinates | 33.404832, -86.953972 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| County | Jefferson County |
| State | Alabama (AL) |
| Land area | 16.557 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Chicago
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 149.6 mi |
|---|---|
| Houston, TX | 555.4 mi |
| Dallas, TX | 571.2 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 586.6 mi |
People
Who lives in 35020
25,308 residents in 10,076 households, averaging 2.51 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 24.4% of residents, and 40.6% of households are a single person living alone.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 10,076 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.51 |
| Family households | 55.2% |
| Living alone | 40.6% |
| Median age | 40.7 years |
| Households with internet | 78.1% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 35020
The median household here earns $33,247 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 35020 ahead of 3% of American ZIP codes. 34.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $33,247 ±$3,653 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $19,799 |
| Poverty rate | 34.9% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.9% |
| Labor force participation | 49.9% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 9.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 82.4% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 35020
A typical home is valued at $90,900, and median rent runs $856 a month. Ownership is close to even at 56.2% owned, and the typical building went up in 1959.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $90,900 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $856/mo |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Housing units | 12,327 |
| Vacancy rate | 18.3% |
Own vs. rent
Of 10,076 occupied units
| Owner households | 5,663 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 4,413 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 35020 commutes
77.2% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 27.4 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 27.4 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 35020
ZIP code 35020 is assigned to Bessemer, AL, and falls within Jefferson County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 25,308 people live inside it.
At 1,529 residents per square mile spread over 16.557 square miles, 35020 reads as a suburban area. It is a populous postal code, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings are well below the national median. At $33,247, 35020 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 3% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Bessemer looks like
Housing in 35020 costs well below the national median. A typical home is valued at $90,900 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $856 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 56.2% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 78.4% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1959, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 40.7 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.51 people, and 55.2% are family households.
Getting to work takes 27.4 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 77.2% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Bessemer, AL
Bessemer is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $856 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 149.6 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 35020 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 35020 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 35020 offers a compact profile of Bessemer: 25,308 residents, a median household income of $33,247, 9.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 7.9%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 35020 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Bessemer may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 35020
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Alabama ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
Other ZIP codes in Bessemer
Bessemer is served by 4 postal codes.
More in Jefferson County
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Questions
Common questions about 35020
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 35020. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).