With 16,260 people, Chelsea is a city in Alabama. The population has more than tripled since 2000, adding 13,311 people. That is roughly 80% ahead of the Alabama median. Owners hold 90% of the housing stock. That puts it in the top 5% of US cities for household income. This is an unusually credentialed place: 48% of adults have a four-year degree.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $115,337, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
48% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Chelsea
What changed most since 1990
Population1,586 → 16,260(+925%)US over the same years: +35%
Adults with a bachelor's degree15.1% → 48.5%(+33.4 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Poverty rate11.9% → 2.7%(−9.2 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Chelsea's population equals 7.1% of Shelby County's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 2.6% of the county's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 3.8% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)25.2%(296)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)33.6%(394)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era31.7%(372)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.2%(26)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,174 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Chelsea, decade by decade
Chelsea population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
1,586
$82,114
$190,805
15.1%
10.8
2000
2,949
$122,202
$327,351
29.0%
8.9
2010
10,183
$122,089
$310,587
40.2%
28.5
2020
14,982
$112,619
$292,465
43.6%
44.2
2024
16,260
$115,337
$360,000
48.5%
42.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
