Shelby, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population
22,100
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
39.3
4.61% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
17.6%
3.5% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$48,376
4.59% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$197,200
6.36% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
9,458
0.127% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Shelby, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.9% of the residents in Shelby, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Shelby, NC are Cleveland Community College (736 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Shelby, NC was $197,200, and the homeownership rate was 59.9%.

Most people in Shelby, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Shelby, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaCleveland County, NCShelby, NCRutherford, Cleveland (West) & Polk Counties--Shelby City PUMA, NCLincoln & Cleveland (East) Counties PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Shelby, NC is home to a population of 22.1k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.22% of Shelby, NC residents were born outside of the country (490 people).

In 2024, there were 1.72 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.9k people) in Shelby, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.62k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%
2024 Citizenship
99%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Shelby, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Shelby, NC was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Shelby, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Shelby, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    11.9k ± 897
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    6.9k ± 862
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    1.62k ± 706
4.81%
Hispanic Population
1.06k people

In 2024, there were 1.72 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.9k people) in Shelby, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.62k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

4.81% of the people in Shelby, NC are hispanic (1.06k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Shelby, NC as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    224,963 ± 11,520 people
  2. India
    83,219 ± 7,055 people
  3. Honduras
    48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

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Foreign-Born Population

2.22%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
490 people
2.89%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
632 people

As of 2024, 2.22% of Shelby, NC residents (490 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Shelby, NC was 2.89%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Shelby, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    676 ± 317
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    271 ± 130
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    225 ± 116

Shelby, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.49 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Shelby, NC.

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Economy

The economy of Shelby, NC employs 9.46k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Shelby, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,763 people), Retail Trade (1,661 people), and Manufacturing (1,421 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($82,463), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,221), and Information ($75,625).

Employment

Occupations

9.46k
2024 Value
± 903
0.127%
1 Year growth
± 13.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shelby, NC grew at a rate of 0.127%, from 9.45k employees to 9.46k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Shelby, NC, are Production Occupations (1,403 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,149 people), and Management Occupations (1,044 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Shelby, NC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

9.46k
2024 Value
± 903
0.127%
1 Year growth
± 13.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Shelby, NC grew at a rate of 0.127%, from 9.45k employees to 9.46k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Shelby, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,763 people), Retail Trade (1,661 people), and Manufacturing (1,421 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Shelby, NC, though some of these residents may live in Shelby, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$45,630
Median earning men ± $4,703
$34,772
Median earning women ± $7,054

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($175,032), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($89,167), and Manufacturing ($53,914).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($66,927), Manufacturing ($48,750), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($44,079).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.
Y-Axis
3.04%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Shelby, NC awarded 736 degrees. The student population of Shelby, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 685 male students and 1,205 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Shelby, NC are White (520 and 70.7%), Black or African American (113 and 15.4%), Hispanic or Latino (57 and 7.74%), and Unknown (20 and 2.72%).

The largest universities in Shelby, NC by number of degrees awarded are Cleveland Community College (736 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Shelby, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (248 and 33.7%), Early Childhood Education & Teaching (39 and 5.3%), and HVAC Maintenance (34 and 4.62%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,890 students enrolled in Shelby, NC, 36.2% men and 63.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,323 records, of which 62.6% were women and 37.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    248 degrees awarded
  2. Registered Nursing
    24 degrees awarded
  3. Fire Prevention & Safety Technology
    15 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Shelby, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 248 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Shelby, NC according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Cleveland Community College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
736 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Cleveland Community College with 736 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 281 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Shelby, NC, which is 0.618 times less than the 455 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 520 degrees mean that there were 4.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 113 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($170) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Shelby, NC was $197,200 in 2024, which is 0.593 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $185,400 to $197,200, a 6.36% increase. The homeownership rate in Shelby, NC is 59.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Shelby, NC have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Shelby, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$197,200
Median Property Value 2024
±$14,281
$5,715
Median Property Taxes
±$696

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Shelby, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $1,500 - $2k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Shelby, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

59.9%
Homeownership
2024
68.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 59.9% of the housing units in Shelby, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Shelby, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$48,376
Median Household Income
± $7,148
9.53k
Number of Households
± 890

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.53k households in Shelby, NC declined from $48,376 from the previous year's value of $50,705.

The following chart displays the households in Shelby, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Shelby, NC is from North Carolina.
0.467
2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (79.6%)
  2. Worked At Home (9.58%)
  3. Carpooled (9.37%)

In 2024, 79.6% of workers in Shelby, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.58%) and those who carpooled to work (9.37%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

20.2 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Shelby, NC have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.32% of the workforce in Shelby, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Shelby, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Shelby, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Shelby, NC have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Shelby, NC (3.8k out of 21.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Shelby, NC is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

93.6% of the population of Shelby, NC has health coverage, with 36% on employee plans, 26.6% on Medicaid, 15.8% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 1.89% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.1% were men and 53.9% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.4% under 18 years, 20.2% between 18 and 34 years, 34% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.1% were men and 53.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

6.43%
Uninsured
36%
Employer Coverage
26.6%
Medicaid
15.8%
Medicare
13.3%
Non-Group
1.89%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Shelby, NC declined by 17.5% from 7.8% to 6.43%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Shelby, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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