Shelby, North Carolina Population 2024

22,027

Shelby Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Shelby was:

  • White: 57.17%
  • Black or African American: 33.48%
  • Two or more races: 6.43%
  • Asian: 1.18%
  • Other race: 1.04%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.51%
  • Native American: 0.18%
Land Area (mi²)
22.4 sq mi
Density (mi²)
985.40/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
0.31% (69)
The current population of Shelby, North Carolina is 22,027 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 21,958.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White12,41357.17%
Black or African American7,26933.48%
Two or more races1,3976.43%
Asian2571.18%
Other race2261.04%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1110.51%
Native American390.18%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Native American

Shelby Population by Race

Shelby Population Pyramid 2024

Shelby Median Age

43.4

Total

40

Male

45.6

Female

Shelby Adults

There are 16,784 adults, (4,919 of whom are seniors) in Shelby.

Shelby Age Dependency

83

Age Dependency Ratio

41.5

Old Age Dependency Ratio

41.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Shelby Sex Ratio

Female11,75554.14%
Male9,95745.86%

Shelby Population by Age

Shelby Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All9,2232.3260.539.5
Non Family3,8901.0857.642.4
Married3,1092.7780.719.3
Female1,6803.943466
Male5443.6747.652.4

3.13

Average Family Size

2.32

Average Household Size

60.5%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Shelby Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade1,1687.57%
Associates Degree2,14413.89%
Bachelors Degree2,38215.43%
Graduate Degree1,3899%
High School Graduate4,69030.39%
Less Than 9th Grade6684.33%
Some College2,99319.39%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Shelby Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Shelby Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White9,8168,9463,062
Black4,5443,888565
Hispanic51924310
2+ Races33330859
Asian22519175
Other Race160773
Islander70700
Native American33110

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 33.33%.

Shelby Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$40,515$49,427$38,764
Graduate Degree$71,250$75,000$56,818
High School Graduate$34,610$38,866$26,933
Less Than 9th Grade$25,363$29,767$10,590
Overall$39,919$46,397$36,289
Some College$39,398$44,011$36,701

$39,919

Average Earnings

$46,397

Average Male

$36,289

Average Female

Shelby Earnings by Educational Attainment

Shelby Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Shelby Language

94.88% of Shelby residents speak only English, while 5.12% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 3.57% of the population.

Shelby Language

Shelby Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black7,1852,00627.92%
White11,7921,38111.71%
Hispanic88428632.35%
Multiple1,38617312.48%
Asian25710641.25%
Other2259542.22%
Islander1114136.94%
Native392256.41%

18.28%

Overall Poverty Rate

15.94%

Male Poverty Rate

20.25%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Shelby

The race most likely to be in poverty in Shelby is Native, with 56.41% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Shelby is White, with 11.71% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.28%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.75%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 23.66%.

Shelby Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade41.12%
High School14.68%
Some College12.02%
Bachelors or Greater6.1%

Shelby Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed19.82%
Female Employed11.52%
Male Employed5.45%
Male Unemployed2.01%

Shelby Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Shelby Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$63,682$80,360
Households$46,176$64,457
Married Families$89,018$-999,999,999
Non Families$28,312$39,880

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Shelby Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

39.7%

Overall Marriage Rate

41.8%

Male Marriage Rate

38.0%

Female Marriage Rate

Shelby Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Shelby Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Shelby Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Shelby Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

2,004

Number of Veterans

1,621

Male Veterans

383

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam846
First Gulf War468
Second Gulf War121
Korea101
World War II18

Shelby Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 74652
75+478
55 to 64450
35 to 54294
18 to 34130

Shelby Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,51114.23%
Black4629.35%
2+ Races233.21%
Other Race84.68%
Hispanic81.48%

Shelby Veterans by Race

Shelby Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

11.88%

Veteran Poverty Rate

33%

Veteran Disability Rate

Shelby Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

55.4%

Labor Force Participation

53.2%

Employment Rate

3.7%

Unemployment Rate

Shelby Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Shelby Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Shelby Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

68.21%

Born in Shelby

96.68%

Native Born

3.32%

Foreign Born

1.31%

Non Citizen

2.01%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.68% of Shelby residents were born in the United States, with 68.21% having been born in North Carolina. 1.31% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Shelby Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202922,113170.08%
202822,096170.08%
202722,079180.08%
202622,061170.08%
202522,044170.08%
202422,027170.08%
202322,0101480.68%
202221,862-42-0.19%
202121,904-54-0.25%
202021,9581,9439.71%
201920,015-22-0.11%
201820,03750.02%
201720,032-12-0.06%
201620,044260.13%
201520,018-90-0.45%
201420,108-6-0.03%
201320,114-89-0.44%
201220,203120.06%
201120,191-123-0.61%
201020,31400%
200019,4774,80832.78%
199014,669-641-4.19%
198015,310-1,018-6.23%
197016,328-1,370-7.74%
196017,6982,19014.12%
195015,5081,47110.48%
194014,0373,24830.1%
193010,7897,180198.95%
19203,60948215.41%
19103,127-18,986-85.86%

Shelby Population by Year