Census place 3761200

Shelby

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Shelby city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Shelby.

According to the 2025 estimate, Shelby has a population of 23,309 and 1,043 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 93 covered North Carolina places are: population density is 1,043/sq mi, below the comparison median of 1,644/sq mi; median home value is $197,200, below the comparison median of $309,100; and median household income is $48,376, below the comparison median of $66,738. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

population density: 1,043/sq mi
median home value: $197,200
median household income: $48,376

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Shelby's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 23,309
Annual change: +2.1%
Density: 1,043/sq mi
Median age: 39.3 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $48,376
Median home value: $197,200
Median gross rent: $945
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.6%
Typical commute: 20.2 min
Drive-alone commute: 79.6%
Public transit commute: 0%
Walked to work: 1.1%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 40.1%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 52.2%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 53.4%
Unemployed residents 16+: 2%
Working from home: 9.6%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 85.2%
Homes built 2020+: 1.6%
Households without a vehicle: 6.3%
Households with children: 27.6%
Residents with a disability: 19%
Residents without insurance: 6.4%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Cleveland County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 10
Hurricane declarations: 6
Tropical Storm declarations: 2
Severe Ice Storm declarations: 1

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: GASTONIA MUNI AP (23 mi from place center)

Average high: 73°F
Average low: 51.3°F
Annual rainfall: 43.3"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in Shelby.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Sand Springs, OK

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 20,397
Median home: $197,700

Yukon, OK

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 27,615
Median home: $198,900

Sapulpa, OK

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 23,695
Median home: $171,600

Keep exploring

Compare Shelby with Sand Springs →