Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	38,121	37,363	77.6%	77.7%
Hispanic	5,399	5,295	11.0%	11.0%
Multiracial	3,052	2,036	6.2%	4.2%
Black	1,817	2,700	3.7%	5.6%
Asian	463	361	0.9%	0.8%
Native American/Other	244	310	0.5%	0.6%

Shelby County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 49,096, a slight increase from the 48,065 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 77.6% White, 11.0% Hispanic, 6.2% Multiracial, 3.7% Black, 0.9% Asian, and 0.5% 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 more diverse than Kentucky 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 37.9% in 2020 and 38.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the 20th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 21st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

38,121 residents of Shelby County, or 77.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 114th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.0%. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 77.6%.

Shelby County is less White than neighboring Spencer County (92.5% White), Henry County (89.6% White), Anderson County (91.8% White), Oldham County (85.6% White), and Franklin County (80.5% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

1,817 residents of Shelby County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has declined by an estimated 32.7%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has decreased from 5.6% to 3.7%.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring Spencer County (0.8% Black), Henry County (2.7% Black), Anderson County (2.1% Black), and Oldham County (2.9% Black). Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Franklin County (9.2% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

463 residents of Shelby County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 28.3%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring Spencer County (0.5% Asian), Henry County (0.5% Asian), and Anderson County (0.3% Asian). Shelby County is less Asian than neighboring Oldham County (1.6% Asian), and Franklin County (1.8% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

5,399 residents of Shelby County, or 11.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is higher than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 2.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 11.0%.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring Spencer County (2.7% Hispanic), Henry County (4.1% Hispanic), Anderson County (2.6% Hispanic), Oldham County (5% Hispanic), and Franklin County (4.4% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

244 residents of Shelby County, or 0.5% 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 Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 21.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Shelby County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Spencer County (0.3% Native American/Other), Henry County (0.2% Native American/Other), Anderson County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Franklin County (0.3% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Oldham County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

3,052 residents of Shelby County, or 6.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is slightly higher than in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 49.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has increased from 4.2% to 6.2%.

Shelby County is more Multiracial than neighboring Spencer County (3.1% Multiracial), Henry County (2.9% Multiracial), Anderson County (2.8% Multiracial), Oldham County (4.1% Multiracial), and Franklin County (3.7% 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.