Shelby County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shelby County, KY 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 averageHealthier than 90% of counties in Kentucky
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 93% of counties in Kentucky
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 88% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shelby County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 49,096 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 127.3 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.11% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.6 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 18,484 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shelby County grew by 21.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 49,096 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shelby County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.1% of residents. That is 2.9 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,621 19.6% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,352 21.1% +0.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,321 23.1% +2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,403 17.1% -0.7 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 Kentucky, 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 51.0% of the people living in Shelby County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 49.0% Kentucky 49.5%
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 | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,215 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.18% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shelby County is about 34% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Shelby County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $223,863 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,033 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.9% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 18.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,033 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shelby County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 213 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shelby County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.5 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.0 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 213 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,589 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.6% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,159 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,798 | 832 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kentucky:
Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).
The average commute time in Shelby County is 26 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Kentucky.
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 D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Shelby County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.2% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.58 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kentucky:
Fayette County (0.4), Oldham County (0.4), Campbell County (0.3).
Lowest:
Leslie County (0.1), Lee County (0.1), Elliott County (0.1).
Health
Shelby County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Shelby County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.3% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.2% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kentucky:
Oldham County (0.8), Boone County (0.8), Scott County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.7), Bell County (0.7), McCreary County (0.7).
Shelby County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, KY is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 49,096 residents against a local median of 38,098. Nothing separates Shelby County, KY sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 9% below the local median at 25.5 min against 28.2 min. Shelby County, KY has the 2nd lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, KY | 49,096 | $86,215 #3/5 | $223,863 #3/5 | 25.5 min #2/5 |
| Spencer County, KY | 20,193 | $100,880 | $443,750 | 33.3 min |
| Anderson County, KY | 24,353 | $74,458 | $41,316 | 29.0 min |
| Oldham County, KY | 69,249 | $123,816 | $316,669 | 27.4 min |
| Franklin County, KY | 51,842 | $67,514 | $117,377 | 16.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shelby County, Kentucky.
How big is Shelby County, Kentucky by population?
About 49,096 people live in Shelby County, Kentucky, in 18,484 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Shelby County, Kentucky mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Shelby County, Kentucky has 127 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Shelby County, Kentucky an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($223,863 against $86,215), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,033 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Shelby County, Kentucky?
Unemployment in Shelby County, Kentucky is only 4.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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