Shelby, MS Demographics

A map of Shelby's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Black	1,678	1,911	98.7%	94.6%
White	22	63	1.3%	3.1%
Asian	0	0	0.0%	0.0%
Hispanic	0	17	0.0%	0.8%
Native American/Other	0	5	0.0%	0.2%
Multiracial	0	25	0.0%	1.2%

Shelby, Mississippi has an estimated population of 1,700, a large decrease from the 2,021 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 98.7% Black, 1.3% White, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Hispanic, 0.0% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Multiracial. This demographic dot map shows the population of Shelby, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Shelby has become considerably less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Mississippi overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Shelby, that probability was 10.5% in 2020 and 2.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Shelby is ranked the 147th most populous place in Mississippi, out of 427 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Shelby was ranked the 118th most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Shelby's White Population

22 residents of Shelby, or 1.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Shelby is significantly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 55.2% of the population is White. Shelby ranks 412th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's White population has declined by an estimated 65.1%. White residents' share of Shelby's population has decreased from 3.1% to 1.3%.

Shelby is more White than neighboring Winstonville (0% White), and Mound Bayou (0% White). Shelby is less White than neighboring Duncan (33.5% White), Merigold (52.1% White), and Alligator (14.7% White).

Shelby's Black Population

1,678 residents of Shelby, or 98.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Shelby is significantly higher than in Mississippi overall, where 36.3% of the population is Black. Shelby ranks 15th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's Black population has declined by an estimated 12.2%. Black residents' share of Shelby's population has increased from 94.6% to 98.7%.

Shelby is more Black than neighboring Winstonville (74.2% Black), Mound Bayou (98.3% Black), Duncan (64.6% Black), Merigold (47.7% Black), and Alligator (84.5% Black).

Shelby's Asian Population

0 residents of Shelby, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Shelby is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 1% of the population is Asian. Shelby ranks 252nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's Asian population has grown from 0 to an estimated 0. Asian residents' share of Shelby's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Shelby's Hispanic Population

0 residents of Shelby, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Shelby is slightly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 3.7% of the population is Hispanic. Shelby ranks 350th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Shelby's population has decreased from 0.8% to 0.0%.

Shelby is less Hispanic than neighboring Mound Bayou (0.5% Hispanic).

Shelby's Native American/Other Population

0 residents of Shelby, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Shelby is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Shelby ranks 263rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Shelby's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Shelby is less Native American/Other than neighboring Winstonville (1.5% Native American/Other), and Mound Bayou (0.8% Native American/Other).

Shelby's Multiracial Population

0 residents of Shelby, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Shelby is slightly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 3% of the population is Multiracial. Shelby ranks 361st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 427 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Shelby's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Shelby's population has decreased from 1.2% to 0.0%.

Shelby is less Multiracial than neighboring Winstonville (24.2% Multiracial), Mound Bayou (0.4% Multiracial), Duncan (1.9% Multiracial), Merigold (0.2% Multiracial), and Alligator (0.9% 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.