Helena, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

21,769

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.8

0.8% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

3.21%

13.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$115,139

5.06% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$330,700

Population & Diversity

Helena, AL is home to a population of 21.8k people, from which 98.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.99% of Helena, AL residents were born outside of the country (1.09k people).

In 2024, there were 3.88 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.2k people) in Helena, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.92k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 698 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.3% of Helena, AL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Helena, AL was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Helena, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Helena, AL

White (Non-Hispanic)
15.2k ± 875
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.92k ± 558
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
698 ± 346

4.74%

Hispanic Population

1.03k people

4.74% of the people in Helena, AL are hispanic (1.03k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Helena, AL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Alabama.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
53,867 ± 5,668 people
Guatemala
18,373 ± 3,322 people
Korea
11,536 ± 2,634 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alabama was Mexico, the natal country of 53,867 Alabama residents, followed by Guatemala with 18,373 and Korea with 11,536.

Foreign-Born Population

4.99%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.09k people

3.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

836 people

As of 2024, 4.99% of Helena, AL residents (1.09k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Helena, AL was 3.9%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Helena, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
244 ± 108
Gulf War (1990s)
225 ± 120
Vietnam
208 ± 95

Helena, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.08 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Helena, AL.

Economy

The economy of Helena, AL employs 11.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Helena, AL were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,769 people), Finance & Insurance (1,220 people), and Educational Services (1,019 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($98,350), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($96,766), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($96,641).

Employment

Occupations

11.6k

2024 Value

± 883

3.92%

1 Year growth

± 10.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Helena, AL grew at a rate of 3.92%, from 11.2k employees to 11.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Helena, AL, are Management Occupations (1,580 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,252 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,226 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Helena, AL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alabama.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alabama (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.6k

2024 Value

± 883

3.92%

1 Year growth

± 10.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Helena, AL grew at a rate of 3.92%, from 11.2k employees to 11.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Helena, AL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,769 people), Finance & Insurance (1,220 people), and Educational Services (1,019 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Helena, AL, though some of these residents may live in Helena, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$76,865

Median earning men ± $6,908

$54,653

Median earning women ± $5,230

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($140,192), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,891), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($98,683).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($114,000), Public Administration ($80,594), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,484).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Helena, AL was $330,700 in 2024, which is 0.994 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $292,700 to $330,700, a 13% increase. The homeownership rate in Helena, AL is 91.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Helena, AL have an average commute time of 30.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Helena, AL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$330,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,624

$6,936

Median Property Taxes

±$583

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Helena, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Helena, AL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

91.1%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 91.1% of the housing units in Helena, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 91.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Helena, AL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$115,139

Median Household Income

± $7,065

7.61k

Number of Households

± 637

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.61k households in Helena, AL grew to $115,139 from the previous year's value of $109,590.

The following chart displays the households in Helena, AL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Helena, AL is from Alabama.

0.454

2024 Wage GINI in Alabama

0.456

2023 Wage GINI in Alabama

In 2024, the income inequality in Alabama was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.411% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alabama was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alabama in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alabama across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73%)
Worked At Home (19.5%)
Carpooled (6.14%)

In 2024, 73% of workers in Helena, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.5%) and those who carpooled to work (6.14%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Helena, AL have a longer commute time (30.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.992% of the workforce in Helena, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Helena, AL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Helena, AL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Helena, AL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

3.21% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Helena, AL (696 out of 21.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 5 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Helena, AL is White, followed by Black and Asian.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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