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City · 8,146 residents · Shelby County, Alabama

Brook Highland , Alabama

In Brook Highland, a typical home is worth $427,400 and typical rent is $1,460 a month. Compared with all of Shelby County, the typical home value is 31% higher, typical household income is 18% lower, and the share of households that own their home is 35 points lower.

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  • Typical home value

    $427,400

    31% above the county

    104% above Alabama

    • Brook Highland
    • Shelby
    • Alabama

  • Typical rent

    $1,460a month

    4% above the county

    45% above Alabama

    • Brook Highland
    • Shelby
    • Alabama

  • Typical household income

    $79,904a year

    18% below the county

    25% above Alabama

    • Brook Highland
    • Shelby
    • Alabama

  • Households that own their home

    46%

    35 points below the county

    24 points below Alabama

    • Brook Highland
    • Shelby
    • Alabama

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

Brook Highland is in Shelby County. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Shelby County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets Brook Highland apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. 46% of households in Brook Highland own their home, against 81% in Shelby County.

  2. Nearby, in Irondale, the typical home value is $255,800: 40% less than in Brook Highland ($427,400).

  3. The typical home in Brook Highland is worth $427,400, 31% more than in Shelby County as a whole ($326,100).

  4. The typical household income in Brook Highland is $79,904, 18% less than in Shelby County as a whole ($97,961).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in Brook Highland

What homes there are in Brook Highland, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

In Brook Highland there is a bit of everything: no kind of home reaches half. The most common are detached houses (30%); in Shelby County, 77%.

Year built

By age, homes in Brook Highland look like those in Shelby County: the typical year built is 1994.

There are fewer big homes in Brook Highland than in Shelby County: 49% have 3 bedrooms or more, against 81%.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes
Monthly rent with utilities

With a mortgage

$1,929 a month

Shelby County: $1,734 a month

Without a mortgage

$692 a month

Shelby County: $556 a month

Owners with a mortgage

68%

Shelby County: 68%

Owning costs more in Brook Highland: with a mortgage, the typical cost is $1,929 a month; in Shelby County, $1,734. Without one, $692.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

From 2015–2019 to 2020–2024, the typical home value in Brook Highland rose 32%; in Shelby County, it rose 54%.

Since 2015–2019, the typical rent in Brook Highland rose 42%, more than in Shelby County (34%).

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureBrook HighlandShelby CountyAlabamaUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimate4.2%7.2%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimate0.6%1.1%0.9%
More than one person per room Unreliable estimate1.0%1.7%3.4%
People per household 2.122.612.482.53
Drive alone 73%75%81%69%
Carpool 7%7%8%9%
Public transit Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate0%3%
Walk or bike Unreliable estimate1%1%3%
Work from home 18%17%9%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate1%1%2%
Typical commute 20 to 29 minutesUnreliable estimate20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes

Fewer people live in each home here: 2.12 on average, against 2.61 in Shelby County.

In Brook Highland, 73% of workers drive alone to work; in Shelby County, 75%.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in Brook Highland?

A typical home costs more than the typical income allows

We start with a typical home in Brook Highland, worth $427,400, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 50% of the typical household income in Brook Highland, which is $79,904 a year. For that payment to be 28% of income, a household would need to earn about $143,984 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Shelby County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in Brook Highland. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $14,959 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$3,360

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$419,659
Total interest
$603,790
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $7,218 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $1,864 a month

  • Tight

    $1,864 to $2,397 a month

  • Hard

    more than $2,397 a month

    Your payment · 50%

Compared with the typical household income in Brook Highland ($79,904 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$3,360
Principal & interest$2,843
Property tax$150
Home insurance$178
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$189

You need at least $14,959 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

Brook Highland and Shelby County

Brook Highland is in Shelby County, Alabama. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

Brook Highland's own numbers

Typical home value
$427,400
Typical monthly rent
$1,460
Typical yearly household income
$79,904
Households that own their home
46%
Effective property tax rate
0.42%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Shelby County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$832,750
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$1,375
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+48%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
1.2%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Shelby County.

Everything about Shelby County

Buying

Buying a home in Brook Highland

A typical home in Brook Highland is worth $427,400: 31% above the county and 104% above Alabama. With the typical household income in Brook Highland ($79,904 a year), a typical home costs 5.3 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • Brook Highland 5.3 years
  • Shelby 3.3 years
  • Alabama 3.3 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Shelby County

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Shelby County rose 83% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Shelby County.

Period County Alabama U.S.
Last year (2025) +4.0% +2.5% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +48% +47% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +83% +77% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

Brook Highland next to Shelby County, Alabama and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • Brook Highland $427,400
  • Shelby $326,100
  • Alabama $209,900
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • Brook Highland $1,460
  • Shelby $1,401
  • Alabama $1,007
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • Brook Highland $79,904
  • Shelby $97,961
  • Alabama $63,999
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
Brook Highland next to Shelby County and Alabama
Measure Brook Highland Shelby County Alabama U.S.
Typical home value $427,400 $326,100 $209,900 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $1,460 $1,401 $1,007 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $79,904 $97,961 $63,999 $80,734
Households that own their home 46% 81% 70% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $1,796 $1,423 $788 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 0.42% 0.44% 0.38% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 52% 47% 49% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Shelby County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in Brook Highland

For a typical $427,400 home in Brook Highland, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, Brook Highland's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $3,360a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $14,959
    Cash to close
    $27,781
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $189

  • Conventional, 5% down $3,281a month

    Down payment
    $21,370
    Cash to close
    $34,192
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $203

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $2,644a month

    Down payment
    $85,480
    Cash to close
    $98,302
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $3,039a month

    Down payment
    $64,110
    Cash to close
    $76,932
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for Brook Highland and for Shelby County.

Property tax

Effective rate in Brook Highland

0.42%of the home’s value each year

$1,796 a year for the typical owner in Brook Highland.

  • Brook Highland 0.42%
  • Shelby 0.44%
  • Alabama 0.38%

What Alabama publishes Basic homestead exemption (type H-1) (Alabama Department of Revenue)

Exemptions and deadlines in Alabama

Flood risk in Shelby County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Shelby County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
1.2%
944
Of those, with NFIP insurance
31%
County Alabama U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 1.2% 3.2% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 31% 29% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in Brook Highland

Typical rent in Brook Highland is $1,460 a month: 4% above the county. In Brook Highland, 52% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Shelby County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($1,375 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $26.44 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Shelby County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $1,177 $22.63 $47,080
1 bedroom $1,263 $24.29 $50,520
2 bedrooms $1,375 $26.44 $55,000
3 bedrooms $1,727 $33.21 $69,080
4 bedrooms $1,941 $37.33 $77,640

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in Brook Highland

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). Brook Highland is in ZIP code 35242.

For 2 bedrooms it is $1,680: $305 more than the fair market rent for Shelby County ($1,375).

  • 35242 $1,680$2,110

1 of these ZIP codes crosses the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for Brook Highland when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in Brook Highland

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

We found no HUD-approved agencies with an office in Shelby County. The nearest ones are below; many serve by phone or online.

A grandmother smiles, seated at home.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in Brook Highland

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for Brook Highland or Shelby County. The ones below are statewide in Alabama: they work in Brook Highland the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Alabama

  • Step Up

    Statewide in Alabama

    Alabama state authority program with down payment assistance of 4% of the price (up to $10,000) as a 10-year second mortgage, alongside a 30-year fixed mortgage. Offered by Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA).

    Repayable

    See the program Official page

  • First Step Mortgage Revenue Bonds

    Statewide in Alabama

    Alabama state authority 30-year low-rate mortgage, for first-time buyers and for people who have owned a home before, with down payment assistance of 4% of the price, up to $10,000, as a ten-year second mortgage. Offered by Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA).

    Repayable

    See the program Official page

  • Affordable Income Subsidy Grant

    Statewide in Alabama

    Alabama state authority grant for closing costs with an HFA Advantage conventional loan: 1% of the loan if you earn up to 50% of the area median, or half a percent if you earn 50% to 80%. Offered by Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA).

    Grant

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near Brook Highland

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of Brook Highland, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • United Way of Central Alabama, Inc.

    3600 8th Ave S, Birmingham · 8 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 9 more
    (205) 458-8950

  • NSC (naca Counseling Subsidiary) - Birmingham, AL

    529 Beacon Pkwy W Ste 204, Birmingham · 8 miles away · Spanish

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 5 more
    (205) 942-8111

  • Operation Hope- Birmingham Al

    2100 Park Pl, Birmingham · 9 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency workshops
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 3 more
    (205) 478-0557

All counseling agencies in Alabama

Help in Spanish near Brook Highland

1 of the 3 agencies on this list says it serves in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of Brook Highland

In HUD’s record, no housing authority with an office in Shelby County is named for Brook Highland or Shelby County.

4 other authorities have an office in Shelby County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Shelby County

These cities are also in Shelby County. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Shelby County Housing in Alabama

Nearby cities

The cities closest to Brook Highland, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Shelby County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in Brook Highland.

All guides
Two parents walk hand in hand with their little daughter.

Questions

Housing questions about Brook Highland

Short answers with the numbers for Brook Highland and all of Shelby County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in Brook Highland?

The typical home value in Brook Highland is $427,400, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Shelby County it is $326,100.

How much does it cost to rent in Brook Highland?

Typical rent in Brook Highland is $1,460 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Shelby County is $1,375.

What is the FHA loan limit in Brook Highland?

Brook Highland uses the FHA limit for all of Shelby County (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in Brook Highland?

The typical homeowner in Brook Highland pays $1,796 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 0.42% of the home’s value; in Shelby County, the rate is 0.44%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in Brook Highland?

We found no HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Shelby County; the nearest ones are on this page. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).