Shelby County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shelby County, AL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthiest county in Alabama
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B
Income Around averageWealthiest county in Alabama
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 230,211 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 284.6 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.40% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 86,843 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shelby County grew by 25.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 230,211 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shelby County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.4% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 47,743 20.7% -0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 50,437 21.9% +1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 51,619 22.4% +2.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 36,389 15.8% -2.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Alabama, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.3% of the people living in Shelby County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.7% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Shelby County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Shelby County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,402 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.94% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shelby County is about 52% higher than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $260,238 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,400 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.4% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 15.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,400 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shelby County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 253 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.6 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 253 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,829 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.9% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,069 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,325 | 1,193 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Alabama:
Pike County (16.4 min), Houston County (18.3 min), Escambia County (18.5 min).
Slowest:
Blount County (33.2 min), Pickens County (32.5 min), Lowndes County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Shelby County is 30 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Alabama.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Shelby County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41.9% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 2.48 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Alabama:
Madison County (0.4), Shelby County (0.3), Lee County (0.3).
Lowest:
Bibb County (0.2), Barbour County (0.2), Wilcox County (0.2).
Health
Shelby County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Shelby County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.7% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.6% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Alabama:
Shelby County (0.8), Lee County (0.8), Baldwin County (0.8).
Lowest:
Greene County (0.7), Wilcox County (0.7), Perry County (0.7).
Shelby County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, AL is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 230,211 residents against a local median of 63,506. The measure that sets Shelby County, AL apart most is median home price: $260,238, 85% above the local median of $140,736.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $98,402 against a local median of $60,955, 61% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Shelby County, AL is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $76,002 on median home price, so Shelby County, AL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, AL has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, AL | 230,211 | $98,402 #1/5 | $260,238 #1/5 | 30.3 min #4/5 |
| Jefferson County, AL | 666,272 | $66,976 | $122,715 | 22.2 min |
| Chilton County, AL | 45,992 | $65,076 | $147,097 | 30.1 min |
| Talladega County, AL | 81,021 | $56,834 | $198,717 | 21.8 min |
| Bibb County, AL | 22,130 | $52,304 | $134,375 | 31.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shelby County, Alabama.
How big is Shelby County, Alabama by population?
About 230,211 people live in Shelby County, Alabama, in 86,843 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Shelby County, Alabama?
Averaged over its land area, Shelby County, Alabama has 285 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Shelby County, Alabama?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($260,238 against $98,402), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,400 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Shelby County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Shelby County, Alabama is only 2.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Shelby County, Alabama?
41.9% of adults in Shelby County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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