Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Shelby County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 919,173, a slight decrease from the 929,744 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 52.3% Black, 32.7% White, 8.8% Hispanic, 2.9% Asian, 2.7% Multiracial, 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 Tennessee 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 61.4% in 2020 and 61.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby County is ranked the most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Shelby County was ranked the 1st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Shelby County's White Population

300,954 residents of Shelby County, or 32.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby County is significantly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Shelby County ranks 95th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's White population has declined by an estimated 5.0%. White residents' share of Shelby County's population has decreased from 34.1% to 32.7%.

Shelby County is less White than neighboring DeSoto County (56.4% White), Tipton County (73.8% White), Crittenden County (38.8% White), Fayette County (65.6% White), and Tate County (64% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

480,352 residents of Shelby County, or 52.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Shelby County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Black population has grown by an estimated 1.1%. Black residents' share of Shelby County's population has increased from 51.1% to 52.3%.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring DeSoto County (32.6% Black), Tipton County (18.2% Black), Crittenden County (50.9% Black), Fayette County (25% Black), and Tate County (29.2% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

26,990 residents of Shelby County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Shelby County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 3.5%. Asian residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.9%.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring DeSoto County (1.3% Asian), Tipton County (0.5% Asian), Crittenden County (0.8% Asian), Fayette County (0.7% Asian), and Tate County (0.1% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

81,334 residents of Shelby County, or 8.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 8.8%.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring DeSoto County (5.8% Hispanic), Tipton County (3.1% Hispanic), Crittenden County (3.3% Hispanic), Fayette County (3.8% Hispanic), and Tate County (3.2% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

4,910 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 Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 9.6%. 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 Crittenden County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Tate County (0.4% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring DeSoto County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Tipton County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

24,633 residents of Shelby County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby County ranks 82nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 8.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.7%.

Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring DeSoto County (3.3% Multiracial), Tipton County (3.8% Multiracial), Crittenden County (6.2% Multiracial), Fayette County (4.4% Multiracial), and Tate County (3.1% 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.