• county
  • FIPS 21211
  • Largest town: Shelbyville

Shelby County, Kentucky

Shelby County had 50,124 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 379.8 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 39th by land area.

Population
50,124
#20 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,007 in US
Area
379.8 sq mi
#39 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,604 in US
Density
132 / sq mi
#22 of 120 in Kentucky · #749 in US
Median household income
$76,693
#9 of 120 in Kentucky · #590 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Shelby County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Shelby County

Shelby County population, land area and income

Shelby County had 50,124 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 379.8 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 120 in Kentucky by population and 39th by land area. That works out to 132.0 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, so Shelby County is 2.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $76,693 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

50,124

3144th1st

1007th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

380 sq mi

3144th1st

2604th of 3,144 (US)

Density

132.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

749th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$76,693

3143rd1st

590th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

50,124

120th1st

20th of 120 (KY)

Land area

380 sq mi

120th1st

39th of 120 (KY)

Density

132.0 / sq mi

120th1st

22nd of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$76,693

120th1st

9th of 120 (KY)

How Shelby County's population changed since 2020

Shelby County gained 1,869 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.9%. That ranks 18th of 120 in Kentucky for growth. The median Kentucky county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Shelby County recorded 2,344 births and 2,152 deaths, a natural change of +192. Net international migration added +581 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,219. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,219 people.

48.3k202048.6k202148.9k202249.6k202350.1k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,344
Deaths
2,152
Net international migration
+581
Net domestic migration
+1,219
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+507

Where Shelby County is

The Census internal point of Shelby County is at 38.239000, -85.228200. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Kentucky's 120 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Shelby County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adair County: +1.9%Kenton County: +3.3%Owen County: +1.2%Morgan County: +4.1%Bracken County: +1.1%Edmonson County: +4.0%Trigg County: +3.4%Jackson County: +3.0%Spencer County: +6.8%Clark County: +1.7%Jessamine County: +6.6%Green County: +3.8%Henry County: +3.2%Graves County: +0.8%Webster County: -1.3%Washington County: +1.9%Ohio County: +0.8%Knott County: -5.1%Meade County: +1.4%Carroll County: +2.5%Scott County: +7.2%Lincoln County: +2.7%Greenup County: -1.7%Boyle County: +2.1%Hardin County: +1.8%Nelson County: +4.1%Hart County: +3.2%Christian County: -2.4%Carlisle County: -0.6%Crittenden County: -0.2%Elliott County: -1.0%Garrard County: +6.3%Larue County: +1.7%Lee County: -0.7%Leslie County: -7.1%Hancock County: -1.0%Lewis County: -1.6%Lyon County: +4.6%McLean County: -0.1%Magoffin County: -4.2%Martin County: -4.9%Mason County: -1.1%Rockcastle County: +1.0%Menifee County: +3.2%Russell County: +2.6%Whitley County: +1.5%Todd County: +3.9%Union County: -3.5%Wolfe County: -2.9%Bell County: -3.9%Boyd County: -0.9%Butler County: +1.9%Metcalfe County: +2.7%Grant County: +2.8%Simpson County: +3.7%Pike County: -5.2%Gallatin County: +1.5%Harlan County: -6.4%Fayette County: +2.1%Logan County: +3.5%Muhlenberg County: -1.2%Bath County: +1.8%Mercer County: +3.8%Barren County: +2.5%Franklin County: +1.6%Bullitt County: +4.2%Boone County: +5.6%Campbell County: +0.9%Jefferson County: +1.4%Wayne County: +0.4%Ballard County: -1.1%Anderson County: +4.1%Pulaski County: +2.7%Knox County: -1.7%Laurel County: +1.0%Breckinridge County: +3.8%Oldham County: +4.2%Letcher County: -6.2%Lawrence County: -3.1%McCracken County: -0.6%Nicholas County: +3.7%Owsley County: -2.6%Powell County: -1.3%Bourbon County: +0.2%Calloway County: +3.7%Henderson County: -1.1%Clinton County: -0.5%Warren County: +9.6%Montgomery County: +2.4%Floyd County: -3.5%Woodford County: +3.1%Hopkins County: -0.3%Johnson County: -2.4%Marshall County: +0.1%Estill County: -1.1%Cumberland County: +3.2%Fleming County: +3.3%Madison County: +7.1%Carter County: -1.9%Allen County: +7.1%Daviess County: +1.0%Harrison County: +4.3%Perry County: -5.7%Fulton County: -3.5%Clay County: -3.5%Robertson County: +9.1%Trimble County: +1.5%Taylor County: +3.1%Shelby County: +3.9%McCreary County: -0.2%Breathitt County: -6.5%Livingston County: -0.6%Hickman County: -3.0%Rowan County: -0.2%Casey County: +0.2%Monroe County: -1.4%Marion County: +1.3%Grayson County: +2.3%Caldwell County: -0.2%Pendleton County: +1.3%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.6%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.9%
  4. < +3.7%
  5. ≥ +3.7%
no data

Orange pin: Shelby County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
38.239000, -85.228200
DMS
38°14'20.40"N 85°13'41.52"W
UTM
16N 655058.9E 4233817.3N
Geohash
dng3s94wq
Plus code
86CP6QQC+JP

Towns in Shelby County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Shelby County, 21,167 people together, or 42% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Shelby County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Shelbyville with 18,048.

  1. 01Shelbyville18,048
  2. 02Simpsonville3,119
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Shelby County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Shelby County. The most populous is Jefferson County, KY, with 793,881 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 19.5 miles E of Shelby County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (population 640,796), 23.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Shelbyville, KY (population 18,048), 2.2 miles away.

Shelby County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Shelby County is 21211: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 211. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $76,693.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Shelby County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 50,124. That is up 1,869 people (3.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 48,255.

What is the FIPS code of Shelby County?

21211. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (211) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Shelby County?

Shelbyville, with 18,048 residents inside Shelby County in 2024.

Which counties border Shelby County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Jefferson County, KY; Oldham County, KY; Franklin County, KY; Anderson County, KY; Spencer County, KY; Henry County, KY.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.