Bessemer, Alabama Population 2024

24,711

Bessemer Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Bessemer was:

  • Black or African American: 70.56%
  • White: 19.81%
  • Other race: 5.07%
  • Two or more races: 4.29%
  • Asian: 0.16%
  • Native American: 0.11%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
State
Alabama
Land Area (mi²)
40.5 sq mi
Density (mi²)
609.70/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-5.01% (-1,303)
The current population of Bessemer, Alabama is 24,711 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 26,014.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
Black or African American18,10370.56%
White5,08219.81%
Other race1,3015.07%
Two or more races1,1014.29%
Asian400.16%
Native American280.11%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

Black or African American

White

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Bessemer Population by Race

Bessemer Population Pyramid 2024

Bessemer Median Age

42.8

Total

38.1

Male

48.9

Female

Bessemer Adults

There are 20,324 adults, (5,556 of whom are seniors) in Bessemer.

Bessemer Age Dependency

73.7

Age Dependency Ratio

37.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

36.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Bessemer Sex Ratio

Female13,55752.84%
Male12,09847.16%

Bessemer Population by Age

Bessemer Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All10,5982.3655.144.9
Non Family4,8201.1549.250.8
Female2,8383.5444.655.4
Married2,385378.721.3
Male5554.025842

3.27

Average Family Size

2.36

Average Household Size

55.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Bessemer Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade1,6269.03%
Associates Degree1,4538.07%
Bachelors Degree1,6739.3%
Graduate Degree9235.13%
High School Graduate7,20740.05%
Less Than 9th Grade7394.11%
Some College4,37624.32%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Bessemer Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Bessemer Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
Black12,61410,9251,826
White4,2233,832602
Hispanic77256266
2+ Races54044499
Other Race43333066
Asian40213
Native American28170

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 90.74%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among 2+ races people with a rate of 18.33%.

Bessemer Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$52,414$64,063$50,640
Graduate Degree$44,474$0$67,019
High School Graduate$33,469$41,119$29,365
Less Than 9th Grade$25,772$26,940$24,460
Overall$35,872$38,196$34,361
Some College$31,212$34,318$29,761

$35,872

Average Earnings

$38,196

Average Male

$34,361

Average Female

Bessemer Earnings by Educational Attainment

Bessemer Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Bessemer Language

92.49% of Bessemer residents speak only English, while 7.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.84% of the population.

Bessemer Language

Bessemer Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black17,9154,93127.52%
Hispanic2,0921,44869.22%
Multiple1,09284577.38%
White4,47883218.58%
Other1,30183063.8%
Asian2222100%
Native281139.29%

30.74%

Overall Poverty Rate

28.68%

Male Poverty Rate

32.56%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Bessemer

The race most likely to be in poverty in Bessemer is Asian, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Bessemer is White, with 18.58% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.26%. Among those working part-time, it was 32%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 33.92%.

Bessemer Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade37.12%
Some College23.06%
High School22.05%
Bachelors or Greater11.7%

Bessemer Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed66.4%
Male Unemployed27.05%
Female Employed16.25%
Male Employed8.18%

Bessemer Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Bessemer Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$52,500$67,133
Households$37,844$55,542
Married Families$74,159$-999,999,999
Non Families$25,903$38,688

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Bessemer Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

26.7%

Overall Marriage Rate

29.0%

Male Marriage Rate

24.8%

Female Marriage Rate

Bessemer Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Bessemer Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Bessemer Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Bessemer Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,575

Number of Veterans

1,415

Male Veterans

160

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam643
First Gulf War244
Second Gulf War155
Korea124
World War II29

Bessemer Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
75+465
55 to 64459
65 to 74400
35 to 54163
18 to 3488

Bessemer Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
Black8375.75%
White72816.16%
2+ Races101.46%

Bessemer Veterans by Race

Bessemer Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

12.18%

Veteran Poverty Rate

55.23%

Veteran Disability Rate

Bessemer Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

50%

Labor Force Participation

45.6%

Employment Rate

8.8%

Unemployment Rate

Bessemer Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Bessemer Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Bessemer Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

82.7%

Born in Bessemer

96.48%

Native Born

3.52%

Foreign Born

3.08%

Non Citizen

0.44%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.48% of Bessemer residents were born in the United States, with 82.7% having been born in Alabama. 3.08% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Bessemer Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202923,082-326-1.39%
202823,408-326-1.37%
202723,734-325-1.35%
202624,059-326-1.34%
202524,385-326-1.32%
202424,711-326-1.3%
202325,037-251-0.99%
202225,288-360-1.4%
202125,648-366-1.41%
202026,014-237-0.9%
201926,251-119-0.45%
201826,370-60-0.23%
201726,430-85-0.32%
201626,515-214-0.8%
201526,729-186-0.69%
201426,915-130-0.48%
201327,045-158-0.58%
201227,203-146-0.53%
201127,349-52-0.19%
201027,40100%
200029,672-3,825-11.42%
199033,4971,7685.57%
198031,729-1,699-5.08%
197033,4283741.13%
196033,0544,60916.2%
195028,4455,61924.62%
194022,8262,10510.16%
193020,7212,04710.96%
192018,6747,81071.89%
191010,8644,50670.87%
19006,3581,81439.92%
18904,544-18,538-80.31%

Bessemer Population by Year