Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	168,534	162,712	73.2%	73.0%
Black	30,808	28,711	13.4%	12.9%
Hispanic	17,419	16,460	7.6%	7.4%
Multiracial	6,823	8,660	3.0%	3.9%
Asian	4,956	5,114	2.2%	2.3%
Native American/Other	1,671	1,367	0.7%	0.6%

Shelby County, Alabama has an estimated population of 230,211, an increase from the 223,024 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 73.2% White, 13.4% Black, 7.6% Hispanic, 3.0% Multiracial, 2.2% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Shelby County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Shelby is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Alabama overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Shelby County, that probability was 44.4% in 2020 and 43.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the 6th most populous county in Alabama, out of 67 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 7th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

168,534 residents of Shelby County, or 73.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is higher than in Alabama overall, where 63.4% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 27th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.6%. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 73.2%.

Shelby County is more White than neighboring Jefferson County (47.5% White), Talladega County (61.8% White), and Coosa County (65.9% White). Shelby County is less White than neighboring Chilton County (76.4% White), and Bibb County (73.4% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

30,808 residents of Shelby County, or 13.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is considerably lower than in Alabama overall, where 25.6% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has grown by an estimated 7.3%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has increased from 12.9% to 13.4%.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring Chilton County (9.4% Black). Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Jefferson County (42.1% Black), Talladega County (29.8% Black), Coosa County (29.2% Black), and Bibb County (19.7% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

4,956 residents of Shelby County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 3.1%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring Jefferson County (1.9% Asian), Chilton County (0.4% Asian), Talladega County (0.6% Asian), Coosa County (0.3% Asian), and Bibb County (0.4% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

17,419 residents of Shelby County, or 7.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 5.6% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.6%.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring Jefferson County (5.5% Hispanic), Talladega County (2.4% Hispanic), Coosa County (2.5% Hispanic), and Bibb County (3.5% Hispanic). Shelby County is less Hispanic than neighboring Chilton County (10.2% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

1,671 residents of Shelby County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 22.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Shelby County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Talladega County (0.3% Native American/Other), Coosa County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Bibb County (0.2% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Chilton County (1% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

6,823 residents of Shelby County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 3.3% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 21.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has decreased from 3.9% to 3.0%.

Shelby County is more Multiracial than neighboring Jefferson County (2.3% Multiracial), Chilton County (2.6% Multiracial), Coosa County (2.1% Multiracial), and Bibb County (2.8% Multiracial). Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring Talladega County (5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.