Demographics of Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County, Tennessee had 910,226 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −19,494 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Shelby County, in four figures

910,226
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −2.1%
Change since July 2020: −19,494 people.; 35.9 ±0.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $63,767 ±$1,251
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Shelby County, Tennessee's population shrank 2.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Shelby County, Tennessee's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Shelby County, Tennessee's population shrank 2.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Shelby County, Tennessee's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	929,720	100.0	100.0
2021	923,315	99.3	100.2
2022	919,092	98.9	100.7
2023	915,501	98.5	101.6
2024	915,438	98.5	102.5
2025	910,226	97.9	103.1

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Population of Shelby County, Tennessee on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	929,720	−292	+593	+39	−1,115
2021	923,315	−6,405	+1,263	+498	−8,274
2022	919,092	−4,223	+1,420	+4,180	−9,716
2023	915,501	−3,591	+2,784	+5,520	−12,029
2024	915,438	−63	+2,623	+9,807	−12,554
2025	910,226	−5,212	+2,750	+3,774	−11,670

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 35.9 ±0.1: for men 34.3 ±0.1 and for women 37.3 ±0.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Shelby County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Tennessee	United States
Under 5	62,491 ±62	6.8% ±<0.1	5.8% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	171,311 ±2,966	18.6% ±0.3	16.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	79,924 ±1,699	8.7% ±0.2	8.9% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	253,274 ±2,779	27.6% ±0.3	26.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	216,123 ±2,432	23.5% ±0.3	25.2% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	136,050 ±2,233	14.8% ±0.2	17.1% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $63,767 ±$1,251, and income per person $39,083 ±$742, in 2024 dollars. The median is $69,595 ±$429 in Tennessee and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Shelby County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Tennessee	United States
Under $25,000	70,734 ±2,511	19.5% ±0.7	16.6% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	74,387 ±2,753	20.5% ±0.8	19.4% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	61,084 ±2,216	16.8% ±0.6	17.3% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	41,180 ±1,994	11.4% ±0.5	13.2% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	54,066 ±2,177	14.9% ±0.6	16.8% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	26,274 ±1,305	7.2% ±0.4	7.7% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	35,016 ±1,573	9.7% ±0.4	9.0% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Shelby County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Tennessee	United States
All ages	160,934 ±5,871	17.8% ±0.6	13.8% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	61,065 ±3,123	26.6% ±1.2	18.8% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	74,060 ±3,027	15.3% ±0.6	12.7% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	25,809 ±1,311	13.7% ±0.7	11.4% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Shelby County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Shelby County	Tennessee	United States
Housing units	404,333 ±259	3,143,670 ±903	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	89.7% ±0.4	89.8% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	10.3% ±0.4	10.2% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	54.1% ±0.7	66.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	45.9% ±0.7	33.1% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$249,100 ±$4,330	$286,700 ±$1,492	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,232 ±$12	$1,189 ±$7	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1977 ±1	1987 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Shelby County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Tennessee	United States
Hispanic or Latino	81,334 ±0	8.8% ±<0.1	7.4% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	300,954 ±957	32.7% ±0.1	71.0% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	480,352 ±2,377	52.3% ±0.3	15.4% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	26,990 ±680	2.9% ±0.1	1.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	439 ±116	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	396 to 1,284	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	3,631 ±1,219	0.4% ±0.1	0.4% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	24,633 ±2,415	2.7% ±0.3	3.7% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Shelby County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Tennessee	United States
Born in the state	573,958 ±5,099	62.4% ±0.6	57.2% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	264,537 ±4,720	28.8% ±0.5	35.7% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	8,382 ±1,035	0.9% ±0.1	1.0% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	72,296 ±2,864	7.9% ±0.3	6.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	25,458 ±1,582	2.8% ±0.2	2.4% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	46,838 ±2,251	5.1% ±0.2	3.7% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Shelby County among the counties of Tennessee

1st of 95 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Tennessee page.

Counties of Tennessee near Shelby County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Shelby County	910,226	−2.1%
Davidson County	745,904	+4.2%
Knox County	511,453	+6.4%
Hamilton County	390,833	+6.2%
Rutherford County	386,352	+12.5%
Williamson County	272,061	+9.0%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 1 Counties by population in Tennessee
No. 65 Counties by population
No. 92 Counties by population growth in Tennessee
No. 400 Counties by median rent

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026