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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Shelby County

Tennessee · 927,644 residents · 761 sq mi
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With 927,644 people, Shelby County is a county in Tennessee. Median home value sits at $135,300. The foreign-born share is 6%. The poverty rate is 19.7%, above the 13.8% national rate. Households take in $44,705 at the median, 15% less than the US figure. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 34.6
US median: 37.2
Average education
28% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
927,644
+3%since 2000
from 897,472 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
34.6
+5%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
761 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
815K849K882K916K949K19902000201020202024Shelby County
2024919K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 57.2%(66,659)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97%(65,157)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.4%(69,093)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.7%(71,799)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.2%(66,450)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3414%(129,758)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.5%(124,961)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.3%(132,868)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.4%(105,675)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 745.7%(52,478)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.3%(30,413)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.3%(12,333)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$44,705
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,593 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$25,002
+20%since 2000
from $20,856 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
28.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 27.6% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
19.7%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 16.0% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.495
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Finance & insurance11.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Information11.1%
US avg: 11.5%
Professional, scientific, technical11.1%
US avg: 4.2%
Retail trade8.8%
US avg: 10.9%
Other services6.3%
US avg: 7%
Wholesale trade5.5%
US avg: 7.2%
Public administration4.3%
US avg: 4.9%
Transportation & warehousing4.1%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$135,300
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,800 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$782
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $566 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
60.4%
−2.6 ptssince 2000
from 63.1% in 2000
39.6% rent
Vacancy rate
14.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.65 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
31.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 31.7% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.5% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.0
+3%since 2009
from 2.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2010
White, non-Hispanic38.7%(359,106)
Black51.9%(481,431)
Hispanic / Latino5.6%(52,092)
Asian2.3%(21,245)
Other1.6%(14,714)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.7%(34,236)
Central American0.6%(5,680)
Honduran0.3%(2,753)
Puerto Rican0.2%(2,062)
South American0.2%(1,777)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,415)
Guatemalan0.1%(999)
Cuban0.1%(888)
Dominican0.1%(723)
Colombian0.1%(487)
Venezuelan0%(440)
Panamanian0%(322)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0%(257)
Peruvian0%(230)
Uruguayan0%(197)
Argentine0%(122)
Nicaraguan0%(115)
Bolivian0%(78)
Chilean0%(78)
Ancestry
Irish7.1%(65,552)
English6.8%(62,780)
American6.5%(60,267)
German6.4%(58,678)
Scotch-Irish2.1%(19,652)
Italian2.1%(19,078)
Scottish1.6%(14,702)
French1.3%(12,431)
Subsaharan African1.2%(11,013)
Polish0.8%(7,587)
Dutch0.7%(6,703)
Swedish0.5%(4,408)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.4%(3,324)
Arab0.4%(3,312)
Russian0.3%(3,201)
British0.3%(3,135)
Norwegian0.3%(3,002)
Greek0.2%(1,908)
French Canadian0.2%(1,778)
Danish0.1%(1,182)
Czech0.1%(1,064)
Lebanese0.1%(1,047)
Swiss0.1%(1,038)
Hungarian0.1%(965)
West Indian0.1%(926)
Ethiopian0.1%(770)
Lithuanian0.1%(704)
Austrian0.1%(677)
Ukrainian0.1%(666)
Slovak0.1%(552)
Palestinian0.1%(525)
Jamaican0.1%(506)
Nigerian0.1%(486)
Canadian0.1%(485)
Portuguese0.1%(473)
Brazilian0%(384)
Iranian0%(383)
Finnish0%(278)
Croatian0%(257)
Ghanaian0%(239)
Kenyan0%(227)
Australian0%(225)
Romanian0%(188)
Belgian0%(175)
Latvian0%(174)
Iraqi0%(170)
Syrian0%(125)
Egyptian0%(122)
Turkish0%(122)
Somali0%(116)
Serbian0%(110)
Haitian0%(110)
Jordanian0%(98)
Slovene0%(96)
Armenian0%(88)
Bulgarian0%(45)
Israeli0%(37)
Barbadian0%(33)
Moroccan0%(31)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
27.8%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 25.3% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
84.9%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 80.8% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
10.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.4 min
+54%since 2000
from 14.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 82.2% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
11.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
2.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
9.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
13.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
33.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
52.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
6.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
9.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Shelby County to nearby counties

SHELBY COUNTY VS
DeSoto County
Income$85,297+91%
Home value$269,600+99%
Population197,918−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Crittenden County
Income$55,358+24%
Home value$160,200+18%
Population46,210−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Tipton County
Income$74,127+66%
Home value$240,600+78%
Population62,287−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Fayette County
Income$88,456+98%
Home value$340,800+152%
Population45,071−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Shelby County, Tennessee?

Shelby County, Tennessee has about 927,644 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Shelby County, Tennessee earns about $44,705 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 $135,300, and the typical rent is about $782 a month.

How educated are people in Shelby County, Tennessee?

About 27.8% 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 19.7% 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 101,314 residents, a change of about 12 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 →