COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Shelby County

Tennessee · 826,330 residents · 761 sq mi

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Shelby County is a county of 826,330 people in Tennessee. Median home value sits at $65,600. The poverty rate is 18.3%, above the 13.2% national rate. Headcount has barely moved since 2000. Median household income is $27,132, close to the national figure. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance

Lower income

below the US median

US median: $30,130

Younger

median age 31.4

US median: 33.0

Average education

21% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

826,330

−8%vs 2000

vs 897,472 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

31.4

−5%vs 2000

vs 32.9 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

761 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024919K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 58%(66,348)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 97.8%(64,413)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 147.3%(60,417)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 197.7%(63,607)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 247.7%(63,294)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.2%(150,668)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4415.6%(129,150)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 549.6%(79,083)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 647.6%(63,197)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 746.2%(51,045)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.3%(26,902)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1%(8,206)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$27,132

−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $39,593 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$13,330

−36%vs 2000

vs $20,856 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

18.3%

+2.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 16.0% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$65,600

−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $90,800 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$394

−8%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $566 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

59.5%

−3.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 63.1% in 2000

40.5% rent

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%

1990

White, non-Hispanic55%(454,581)

Black43.6%(360,343)

Hispanic / Latino0.8%(6,595)

Asian0.9%(7,599)

Other0.5%(3,807)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)

Costa Rican0%(100)

Bolivian0%(21)

Paraguayan0%(19)

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)

Bangladeshi0%(379)

Nepalese0%(299)

Mongolian0%(220)

+ 6 more asian origin groups with data

Taiwanese0%(173)

Burmese0%(164)

Indonesian0%(158)

Thai0%(96)

Sri Lankan0%(41)

Singaporean0%(5)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(444)

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)

Cape Verdean0%(72)

Iraqi0%(68)

Bulgarian0%(66)

Guyanese0%(64)

Australian0%(51)

Slovene0%(32)

Barbadian0%(29)

RANKED:Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest German population · Largest Mexican population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

20.8%

−4.5 ptsvs 2000

vs 25.3% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

75.1%

−5.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 80.8% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

7.1%

−1.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 8.9% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

19.6 min

+34%vs 2000

vs 14.5 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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

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