Elevation of Birmingham
609ft
above sea level · 186 m
Birmingham is a city in Alabama with 195,893 people, the 3rd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 107th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
Loading the map…
Place facts
- Coordinates
- 33.52° N · 86.80° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 33° 31′ 14″ N · 86° 48′ 9″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 518,341 E · 3,709,027 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 195,893 people
- 147 sq mi of land · 1,333 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Birmingham had 195,893 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.3% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 200,486. Its 147 sq mi of land work out to 1,333 people/sq mi; the state average is 103 people/sq mi.
It’s the 3rd most populous of the 593 places the Census counts in Alabama (cities, towns and CDPs), after Huntsville (233,627), and holds 3.8% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Jefferson County (193,944) and Shelby County (1,949). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Jefferson County.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Birmingham sits at 609 ft (186 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Birmingham is 253 ft below it.
The state capital, Montgomery, is 85 mi away in a straight line and 371 ft lower than Birmingham.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Atlanta (Georgia), 140 mi away in a straight line and 441 ft higher.
Of the 5 cities in Alabama with a page, Birmingham is the 2nd highest. The others are Huntsville (639 ft), Montgomery (238 ft), Tuscaloosa (225 ft), and Mobile (9 ft).
The highest point in Alabama is Cheaha Mountain, at 2,407 ft according to the USGS: 1,798 ft above Birmingham, 57 mi away in a straight line.
- 107 Birmingham 609 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Birmingham.
What is the elevation of Birmingham?
Birmingham is 609 feet (186 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Birmingham?
Latitude 33.52066 and longitude -86.80249, in decimal degrees (33° 31′ 14″ N · 86° 48′ 9″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 518,341 E and 3,709,027 N, on NAD83.
How does Birmingham rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 107th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Birmingham in?
Several: Jefferson County and Shelby County. Most of its people live in Jefferson County.
Which is higher, Birmingham or Montgomery?
Birmingham. Birmingham sits at 609 ft and Montgomery at 238 ft: a difference of 371 ft, 85 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know