Shelby County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Shelby County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 91% of counties in Texas
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Texas
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 82% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,155 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 29.0 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.77% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.3 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,366 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Shelby County declined by 8.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24,155 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Shelby County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.9% of residents. That is 2.6 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,041 20.9% -2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,485 18.6% -4.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,663 19.3% -0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,527 18.7% +5.5 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 Texas, 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 50.3% of the people living in Shelby County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.7% Texas 49.9%
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 D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,689 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.94% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Shelby County is about 37% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $205,000 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $781 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.0% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Shelby County is about 21.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $781 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Shelby County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.8 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,618 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.1% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,350 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 357 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Shelby County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
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 F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.1% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Shelby County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Shelby County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.3% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.7% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Shelby County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Shelby County, TX is typical in size for this group, 24,155 residents against a local median of 27,025, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Shelby County, TX's median home price, at $205,000, runs 19% below the $254,276 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $229,104 on median home price, so Shelby County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Shelby County, TX has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, TX | 24,155 | $49,689 #3/4 | $205,000 #3/4 | 17.9 min #2/4 |
| Panola County, TX | 22,726 | $63,075 | $34,582 | 21.0 min |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 27,025 | $48,684 | $263,686 | 27.6 min |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 65,162 | $53,403 | $254,276 | 15.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Shelby County, Texas.
How many people live in Shelby County, Texas?
About 24,155 people live in Shelby County, Texas, in 9,366 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Shelby County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Shelby County, Texas has 29 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 33% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Shelby County, Texas?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($205,000 against $49,689), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $781 a month takes about 19% 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, Texas?
Unemployment in Shelby County, Texas is only 4.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Shelby County, Texas?
13.1% of adults in Shelby County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →