Shelby County Demographics

A map of Shelby County's Population by Race

Shelby County, Tennessee had a population of 929,744 in 2020. It was 34.1% White, 51.1% Black, 3.0% Asian, 8.4% Hispanic, 0.6% Native American/Other, and 2.9% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Shelby County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Shelby County is the most populous county of the 95 counties in Tennessee.

Shelby County's White Population

316,740 residents of Shelby County identify as White, or 34.1%. This makes the White share of the population of Shelby County considerably less than the White share of the population of Tennessee (70.9% White). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #95 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is less White than neighboring DeSoto County (58.5% White), Tipton County (73.7% White), Crittenden County (39.3% White), Fayette County (65.6% White), and Tate County (64.2% White).

Shelby County's Black Population

475,074 residents of Shelby County identify as Black, or 51.1%. This makes the Black share of the population of Shelby County considerably larger than the Black share of the population of Tennessee (15.7% Black). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #1 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is more Black than neighboring DeSoto County (30.2% Black), Tipton County (17.6% Black), Fayette County (26.3% Black), and Tate County (29.3% Black). Shelby County is less Black than neighboring Crittenden County (53.6% Black).

Shelby County's Asian Population

27,960 residents of Shelby County identify as Asian, or 3.0%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Shelby County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of Tennessee (1.9% Asian). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #4 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is more Asian than neighboring DeSoto County (1.6% Asian), Tipton County (0.6% Asian), Crittenden County (0.7% Asian), Fayette County (0.6% Asian), and Tate County (0.2% Asian).

Shelby County's Hispanic Population

77,707 residents of Shelby County identify as Hispanic, or 8.4%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Shelby County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of Tennessee (6.9% Hispanic). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #11 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is more Hispanic than neighboring DeSoto County (5.5% Hispanic), Tipton County (2.8% Hispanic), Crittenden County (3% Hispanic), Fayette County (3.4% Hispanic), and Tate County (2.9% Hispanic).

Shelby County's Native American/Other Population

5,431 residents of Shelby County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.6%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Shelby County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of Tennessee (0.6% Native American/Other). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #38 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Crittenden County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Tate County (0.5% Native American/Other). Shelby County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Tipton County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Shelby County's Multiracial Population

26,832 residents of Shelby County identify as Multiracial, or 2.9%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Shelby County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of Tennessee (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Shelby County is ranked #82 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Shelby County is less Multiracial than neighboring DeSoto County (3.6% Multiracial), Tipton County (4.6% Multiracial), Crittenden County (3% Multiracial), and Fayette County (3.5% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.