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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Shelby County

Tennessee · 929,744 residents · 761 sq mi
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The short version

Shelby County is a county of 929,744 people in Tennessee. Owners hold 54% of the housing stock. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $158,700. 6% of people here were born outside the United States. The poverty rate is 19.0%, above the 12.8% national rate. Households take in $52,092 at the median, 21% less than the US figure.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 36.5
US median: 38.8
Average education
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
929,744
+4%since 2000
from 897,472 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
36.5
+11%since 2000
from 32.9 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
761 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
815K849K882K916K949K19902000201020202024Shelby County
2024919K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.3%(58,340)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.7%(62,288)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147%(65,113)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.7%(62,597)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.8%(63,448)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.4%(133,707)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.9%(120,127)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.2%(113,428)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412.6%(116,744)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.1%(84,630)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.8%(35,614)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.5%(13,708)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$52,092
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,593 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$31,272
+50%since 2000
from $20,856 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
34.8%
+7.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
19.0%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 16.0% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Finance & insurance13.5%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical13%
US avg: 4.7%
Information10.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9.1%
US avg: 10%
Other services5.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$158,700
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,800 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$957
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $566 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
53.7%
−9.3 ptssince 2000
from 63.1% in 2000
46.3% rent
Persons per household
2.58 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.61 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.0
+4%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic34.1%(316,740)
Black51.1%(475,074)
Hispanic / Latino8.4%(77,707)
Asian3%(27,960)
Other2%(18,628)
Segregation Score
61
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
Mexican4.4%(41,247)
Honduran0.4%(3,686)
Guatemalan0.4%(3,310)
Puerto Rican0.3%(2,683)
South American0.3%(2,565)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,754)
Cuban0.1%(1,268)
Colombian0.1%(878)
Dominican0.1%(814)
Venezuelan0.1%(785)
Spaniard0%(366)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0%(330)
Nicaraguan0%(233)
Argentine0%(228)
Peruvian0%(227)
Ecuadorian0%(156)
Chilean0%(77)
Uruguayan0%(65)
Bolivian0%(40)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.9%(8,230)
Chinese0.5%(4,768)
Vietnamese0.5%(4,618)
Filipino0.2%(2,283)
Korean0.2%(1,646)
Pakistani0.1%(946)
Cambodian0.1%(865)
Japanese0.1%(488)
Laotian0%(237)
Taiwanese0%(224)
Sri Lankan0%(160)
Hmong0%(128)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Malaysian0%(60)
Thai0%(60)
Mongolian0%(42)
Nepalese0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(161)
Chamorro0%(66)
Tongan0%(6)
Ancestry
American5.8%(54,040)
English5.4%(50,491)
Irish5.1%(47,540)
German4.5%(42,494)
Italian2.1%(19,745)
Subsaharan African1.6%(15,431)
Scottish1.3%(11,738)
Scotch-Irish1.2%(10,928)
French1.1%(9,988)
Polish0.8%(7,254)
British0.4%(4,130)
Dutch0.4%(3,986)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.4%(3,580)
Norwegian0.3%(2,965)
Nigerian0.3%(2,849)
Swedish0.3%(2,735)
Russian0.2%(2,256)
Arab0.2%(2,166)
West Indian0.2%(2,048)
Czech0.1%(1,363)
French Canadian0.1%(1,297)
Greek0.1%(1,284)
Ethiopian0.1%(1,131)
Lebanese0.1%(1,087)
Danish0.1%(1,047)
Hungarian0.1%(980)
Jamaican0.1%(861)
Austrian0.1%(845)
Swiss0.1%(796)
Portuguese0.1%(679)
Palestinian0.1%(670)
Egyptian0.1%(634)
Iranian0.1%(615)
Canadian0.1%(590)
Lithuanian0.1%(578)
Ukrainian0.1%(493)
Finnish0%(444)
Somali0%(428)
Haitian0%(379)
Croatian0%(343)
Romanian0%(275)
Belgian0%(262)
Serbian0%(221)
Slovak0%(212)
Syrian0%(205)
Armenian0%(164)
Kenyan0%(153)
Moroccan0%(145)
Israeli0%(130)
Brazilian0%(120)
Turkish0%(112)
Australian0%(110)
Jordanian0%(90)
Latvian0%(81)
Ghanaian0%(73)
Bulgarian0%(69)
Iraqi0%(66)
Slovene0%(19)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.4%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 25.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
89.1%
+8.3 ptssince 2000
from 80.8% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
13.0%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.9 min
+57%since 2000
from 14.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 82.2% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
8.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.4%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 10.9% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.2%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 66.4% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
73.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
36.6%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
52.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
6.5%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
11.5%
−4.3 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
87.3%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.4%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
11.5%
−4.3 ptssince 2013
from 15.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
54.7%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
10.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
23.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.3%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
63.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.2%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.8%(9,245)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)24%(11,772)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era35.7%(17,542)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War5.5%(2,679)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.5%(761)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 49,144 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+64%
Home value$269,600+70%
Population197,918−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Crittenden County
Income$55,358+6%
Home value$160,200+1%
Population46,210−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Tipton County
Income$74,127+42%
Home value$240,600+52%
Population62,287−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHELBY COUNTY VS
Fayette County
Income$88,456+70%
Home value$340,800+115%
Population45,071−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Shelby County, Tennessee?

Shelby County, Tennessee has about 929,744 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Shelby County, Tennessee earns about $52,092 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 $158,700, and the typical rent is about $957 a month.

How educated are people in Shelby County, Tennessee?

About 32.4% 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 19.0% 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 103,414 residents, a change of about 13 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 →