{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "dataset_id": "burnout-index-v1",
  "version": "v1",
  "city": {
    "name": "Birmingham-Hoover, AL",
    "slug": "birmingham-al",
    "state": "AL",
    "cbsa_code": "13820",
    "population": 1163959,
    "rank_of_50": 14,
    "total_cities": 50
  },
  "score": {
    "value": 35,
    "scale": "0–100, higher = more burnout pressure",
    "as_of": "2026-05-04",
    "previous_value": 35,
    "delta": 0
  },
  "verdict": "Median household income sits -14% vs. the national median against a BEA Regional Price Parity of 96.7. Unemployment at 4.5% and a 27.2-minute average commute put Birmingham-Hoover in the middle of the pack — the numbers don't make it a disaster, but they don't make it a bargain either.",
  "components": {
    "pay_to_cost_gap": {
      "value": 0.1071,
      "description": "1 − (normalized city wage / BEA RPP normalized). Higher = wages buy less relative to cost of living.",
      "median_hh_income_usd": 69627,
      "bea_rpp": 96.734,
      "national_median_hh_income_usd": 80610,
      "normalized_wage": 0.8638,
      "cost_norm": 0.9673,
      "weight": 40,
      "contribution": 4.3,
      "source": {
        "income": {
          "name": "Census ACS 5-Year 2023 — DP03_0062E (Median household income)",
          "url": "https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=310XX00US13820",
          "series_id": "DP03_0062E",
          "as_of": "2023-12-31"
        },
        "cost_index": {
          "name": "BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (MARPP, line 1 — All items)",
          "url": "https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area",
          "cbsa": "13820",
          "as_of": "2024-12-31"
        }
      }
    },
    "commute_minutes": {
      "value": 27.2,
      "description": "Mean travel time to work in minutes (ACS 5-year).",
      "cap_minutes": 60,
      "weight": 30,
      "contribution": 13.6,
      "source": {
        "name": "Census ACS 5-Year 2023 — DP03_0025E (Mean travel time to work)",
        "url": "https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=310XX00US13820",
        "series_id": "DP03_0025E",
        "as_of": "2023-12-31"
      }
    },
    "unemployment_rate_pct": {
      "value": 4.5,
      "description": "Unemployment rate (percent). BLS LAUS when key available; ACS otherwise.",
      "source_type": "Census ACS",
      "cap_pct": 8,
      "weight": 30,
      "contribution": 16.9,
      "preliminary": false,
      "source": {
        "name": "Census ACS 5-Year 2023 — DP03_0009PE (Unemployment rate)",
        "url": "https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=310XX00US13820",
        "series_id": "DP03_0009PE",
        "as_of": "2023-12-31"
      }
    }
  },
  "submitted_components": null,
  "methodology_url": "https://officeblues.net/methodology#burnout-index",
  "fetched_at": "2026-05-04T16:16:24.565Z"
}