With 22,100 people, Shelby is a city in North Carolina. That trails the North Carolina median by roughly 33%. 2% of people here were born outside the United States. The typical home is worth $197,200, having more than doubled since 2000. About 27% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households take in $48,376 at the median, 41% less than the US figure.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $48,376, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Shelby
What changed most since 1990
Black share42.5% → 31.2%(−11.3 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Homes owned by their occupants52.8% → 59.9%(+7.2 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Hispanic share0.6% → 4.8%(+4.2 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Shelby's population equals 22% of Cleveland County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 16% of the county's. Its number of people who work from home equals 30% 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)16.9%(271)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.2%(307)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.2%(693)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.9%(46)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,603 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
Shelby, decade by decade
Shelby 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
14,669
$47,591
$125,524
15.8%
62.6
2000
19,477
$53,456
$145,004
18.0%
64.5
2010
20,323
$46,971
$160,401
21.7%
68.5
2020
21,918
$47,752
$161,080
26.8%
73.7
2024
22,100
$48,376
$197,200
26.6%
75.3
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.
