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COUNTY

Shelby County

Tennessee · 910,226 residents (2025 est.) · 761 sq mi
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Part of the Memphis metro area
The short version

Shelby County is home to 919,173 people in Tennessee. 54% of homes are owner-occupied. The median age is 35.9, younger than the US median of 38.9. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $249,100. Density works out to 1,207 people per square mile. The foreign-born share is 8%.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $63,767, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 51%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Shelby County

What changed most since 1990

  • Black share43.5% → 52.3% (+8.8 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
  • Homes owned by their occupants59.5% → 54.1% (−5.3 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts

Among the 95 counties in Tennessee

  • 29th in household income$63,767
  • 8th in share with a bachelor's degree34.3%
  • 25th in home value$249,100
  • 2nd in diversity score76.2
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
919,173
+2%since 2000
from 897,472 in 2000
910,226 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,207 / sq mi
+2%since 2000
from 1,179 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
35.9
+9%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
761 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
815K849K882K916K949K19902000201020202024Shelby County
2024919K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.8%(62,491)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.1%(65,270)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.3%(66,721)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(60,634)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(58,610)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.7%(134,996)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.9%(118,278)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.8%(108,137)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.7%(107,986)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.3%(85,311)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.1%(37,352)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(13,387)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$63,767
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,593 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,083
+87%since 2000
from $20,856 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.2%
+15.6 ptssince 2009
from 27.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.8%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 16.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.513
+4%since 2010
from 0.495 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Finance & insurance13.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical13.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Information10.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services5.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$249,100
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,232
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $566 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
54.1%
−8.9 ptssince 2000
from 63.1% in 2000
45.9% rent
Vacancy rate
10.3%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.49 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.5%
−9.2 ptssince 2009
from 31.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
50.5%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 51.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.9
+33%since 2009
from 2.9 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
50
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic46.2%(414,888)
Black48.4%(434,201)
Hispanic / Latino2.6%(23,364)
Asian1.6%(14,552)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic32.7%(300,954)
Black52.3%(480,352)
Hispanic / Latino8.8%(81,334)
Asian2.9%(26,990)
Other3.2%(29,543)
Diversity Score
76
+7%since 2009
from 71 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
60
−1%since 2020
from 61 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.6%(42,432)
Central American2.2%(20,558)
Guatemalan0.9%(8,141)
Honduran0.9%(7,972)
South American0.8%(7,039)
Venezuelan0.4%(3,940)
Puerto Rican0.4%(3,447)
Salvadoran0.3%(2,973)
Cuban0.2%(2,129)
Colombian0.2%(1,462)
Nicaraguan0.1%(871)
Spaniard0.1%(727)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(717)
Panamanian0.1%(501)
Peruvian0%(408)
Argentine0%(291)
Chilean0%(251)
Uruguayan0%(248)
Ecuadorian0%(192)
Bolivian0%(21)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.1%(10,402)
Vietnamese0.5%(4,231)
Chinese0.4%(4,051)
Filipino0.3%(2,533)
Korean0.1%(1,006)
Pakistani0.1%(909)
Laotian0.1%(474)
Japanese0.1%(460)
Cambodian0%(434)
Nepalese0%(299)
Mongolian0%(220)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Taiwanese0%(173)
Burmese0%(164)
Indonesian0%(158)
Thai0%(96)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(1,020)
Chamorro0%(443)
Samoan0%(234)
Guamanian0%(50)
Tongan0%(35)
Ancestry
English7.2%(65,890)
Irish5.2%(47,774)
American4.9%(45,362)
German4.6%(42,556)
Italian1.8%(16,867)
Subsaharan African1.6%(14,328)
Scottish1.3%(11,670)
French0.9%(8,232)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(7,284)
Polish0.7%(6,168)
Arab0.5%(4,528)
Nigerian0.4%(3,234)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.3%(2,968)
Norwegian0.3%(2,887)
British0.3%(2,424)
Swedish0.3%(2,359)
Welsh0.2%(2,000)
West Indian0.2%(1,921)
Russian0.2%(1,775)
Greek0.2%(1,451)
Ukrainian0.1%(1,140)
Swiss0.1%(1,076)
French Canadian0.1%(1,007)
Lebanese0.1%(975)
Czech0.1%(946)
Jamaican0.1%(849)
Austrian0.1%(808)
Portuguese0.1%(787)
Hungarian0.1%(697)
Ghanaian0.1%(681)
Lithuanian0.1%(595)
Palestinian0.1%(566)
Canadian0.1%(547)
Ethiopian0.1%(483)
Croatian0.1%(479)
Danish0.1%(463)
Kenyan0%(405)
Syrian0%(338)
Iranian0%(331)
Romanian0%(324)
Brazilian0%(322)
Egyptian0%(257)
Jordanian0%(225)
Slovak0%(209)
Haitian0%(207)
Moroccan0%(202)
Turkish0%(202)
Belgian0%(199)
Somali0%(160)
Armenian0%(152)
Finnish0%(140)
Latvian0%(125)
Israeli0%(97)
Serbian0%(81)
Iraqi0%(68)
Bulgarian0%(66)
Guyanese0%(64)
Slovene0%(32)
Barbadian0%(29)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.3%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 25.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.9%
+9.1 ptssince 2000
from 80.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.0%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.3 min
+53%since 2000
from 14.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.6%
−5.6 ptssince 2009
from 82.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.8%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.2%
−3.7 ptssince 2011
from 10.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 66.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 73.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.5%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
38.1%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
52.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
7.9%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.9%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2012
from 12.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
12.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.6%
+19.1 ptssince 2017
from 70.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.9%
+7.6 ptssince 2020
from 87.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.6%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 85.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
88.8%
−1.9 ptssince 2016
from 90.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.9%
+1.7 ptssince 2016
from 5.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married43.6%(147,099)
Married44.7%(150,790)
Widowed2.9%(9,789)
Divorced8.8%(29,849)
Women 15+
Never married41.1%(158,986)
Married38%(146,955)
Widowed8.4%(32,329)
Divorced12.6%(48,894)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
12.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
52.6%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 54.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 10.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
23.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 23.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 2.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 63.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 36.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)26%(10,498)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)27.9%(11,244)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.3%(12,211)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.1%(1,237)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(223)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 40,311 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 County, decade by decade

Shelby County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990826,330$65,119$157,44520.8%64.1
2000897,472$72,125$165,40625.3%68.9
2010927,644$64,311$194,63927.8%72.1
2020929,744$63,138$192,35132.4%76.8
2024919,173$63,767$249,10034.3%76.2

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.

Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Shelby County to nearby counties

SHELBY COUNTY VS
DeSoto County
Income$85,297+34%
Home value$269,600+8%
Population197,918−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Crittenden County
Income$55,358−13%
Home value$160,200−36%
Population46,210−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Tipton County
Income$74,127+16%
Home value$240,600−3%
Population62,287−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Fayette County
Income$88,456+39%
Home value$340,800+37%
Population45,071−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Shelby County, Tennessee?

Shelby County, Tennessee has about 919,173 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Shelby County, Tennessee?

The typical household in Shelby County, Tennessee earns about $63,767 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Shelby County, Tennessee expensive?

In Shelby County, Tennessee, the median home is worth about $249,100, and the typical rent is about $1,232 a month.

How educated are people in Shelby County, Tennessee?

About 34.3% of adults age 25 and over in Shelby County, Tennessee hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Shelby County, Tennessee?

About 17.8% of people in Shelby County, Tennessee live below the federal poverty line.

Has Shelby County, Tennessee grown since 1990?

Yes, Shelby County, Tennessee has grown since 1990. The population has added about 92,843 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →