Steele, AL · standard
ZIP Code 35987
St. Clair County, Alabama - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 2,666
- 17/sq mi
- $78,906
- Median income
- $181,600
- Median home value
- 10.3%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Steele pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 39%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 38th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 17
- people per sq mi
- 90%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 35987 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 35987 covers 154.1 square miles in Steele, St. Clair County, Alabama (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,666 residents on file, a density of 17 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 35987 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $78,906 (30% above the average Alabama ZIP), while per-capita income is $32,261. The poverty rate is 8.9%, with unemployment at 2.1%; those measures add context to the income figure. Median home value is $181,600 (3% above the average Alabama ZIP) and median rent is $721; 90.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 10.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 41.3, and the average commute is 31 minutes. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in St. Clair County, so 35987 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 35987
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Steele, AL
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 35987.
- Construction
Construction
7 establishments
- Manufacturing
Manufacturing
7 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
6 establishments
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
6 establishments
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
5 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 35987, Steele, AL · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
2,666
Population
154.1
Area (sq mi)
17
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 35987?
41.3
Median Age
48.3%
Male
51.7%
Female
2.1%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$78,906
Median Household Income
+30% vs state ZIP avg
$32,261
Per Capita Income
8.9%
Poverty Rate
2.1%
Unemployment Rate
30.7 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
1,192
Total Housing Units
1,017
Occupied Units
175
Vacant Units
2.81
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$181,600
Median Home Value
+3% vs state ZIP avg
$721
Median Rent
1990
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 41 business establishments in ZIP 35987, employing approximately 957 people with a combined annual payroll of $53,743,000.
41
Businesses
957
Employees
$53.7M
Annual Payroll
5
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 7 | 17.1% |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 17.1% |
| Retail trade | 6 | 14.6% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 6 | 14.6% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 5 | 12.2% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 35987 vs 35972 →
ZIP 35987 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35906
Rainbow City (35906)
9,897 residents
- 35952
Altoona (35952)
7,727 residents
- 35953
Ashville (35953)
7,319 residents
- 35987 2,666
Steele (35987)
2,666 residents
- 35972 1,139
Gallant (35972)
1,139 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 35987 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 35987 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35987
Steele (35987)
$78,906 median income
- 35953
Ashville (35953)
$73,750 median income
- 35906
Rainbow City (35906)
$56,420 median income
- 35952
Altoona (35952)
$48,361 median income
- 35972
Gallant (35972)
$42,457 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 35987 ranks the highest of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.