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COUNTY · 2000 CENSUS

Shelby County

Tennessee · 897,472 residents · 761 sq mi
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The short version

Shelby County is a county of 897,472 people in Tennessee. Median home value sits at $90,800. The poverty rate is 16.0%, above the 12.4% national rate. Headcount has barely moved since 1990. Median household income is $39,593, close to the national figure. 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $42,589
Younger
median age 32.9
US median: 35.2
Average education
25% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

897,472
+9%since 1990
from 826,330 in 1990
1990 – 2025
32.9
+5%since 1990
from 31.4 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
761 sq mi
Population, 19902024
815K849K882K916K949K19902000201020202024Shelby County
2024919K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 57.6%(68,427)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 98.2%(73,480)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 147.9%(70,874)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 197.3%(65,962)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 246.9%(61,799)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.1%(135,215)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4416%(143,667)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5413.5%(120,797)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 647.5%(67,670)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 745.3%(47,910)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 843.5%(31,287)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.2%(10,384)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$39,593
+11%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $27,132 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
$20,856
+56%since 1990
from $13,330 in 1990
US average: $21,522
16.0%
−2.3 ptssince 1990
from 18.3% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

$90,800
+5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $65,600 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
$566
+9%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $394 in 1990
US average: $602
63.1%
+3.6 ptssince 1990
from 59.5% in 1990
36.9% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic55%(454,581)
Black43.6%(360,343)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(6,595)
Asian0.9%(7,599)
2000
White, non-Hispanic46.2%(414,888)
Black48.4%(434,201)
Hispanic / Latino2.6%(23,364)
Asian1.6%(14,552)

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)
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

25.3%
+4.5 ptssince 1990
from 20.8% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
80.8%
+5.6 ptssince 1990
from 75.1% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
8.9%
+1.8 ptssince 1990
from 7.1% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

14.5 min
−26%since 1990
from 19.6 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.6%(110,564)
Married53.5%(170,648)
Widowed2.7%(8,553)
Divorced9.2%(29,463)
Women 15+
Never married29.3%(107,037)
Married47.9%(174,937)
Widowed10.5%(38,375)
Divorced12.3%(44,839)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

12.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
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%
16.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
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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Frequently asked

How many people live in Shelby County, Tennessee?

Shelby County, Tennessee has about 897,472 residents according to the 2000 Census.

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

The typical household in Shelby County, Tennessee earns about $39,593 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 $90,800, and the typical rent is about $566 a month.

How educated are people in Shelby County, Tennessee?

About 25.3% 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 16.0% 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 71,142 residents, a change of about 9 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 →