• county
  • FIPS 47157
  • Largest town: Memphis

Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County had 910,530 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 752.8 square miles of land. It is the most populous and the largest county in Tennessee.

Population
910,530
#1 of 95 in Tennessee · #65 in US
Area
752.8 sq mi
#1 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,171 in US
Density
1,210 / sq mi
#2 of 95 in Tennessee · #130 in US
Median household income
$62,402
#30 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,610 in US

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

Shelby County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Shelby County

Shelby County population, land area and income

Shelby County had 910,530 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 752.8 square miles of land. It is the most populous and the largest county in Tennessee. That works out to 1,209.6 people per square mile, 12.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents, so Shelby County is 27.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,402 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

910,530

3144th1st

65th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

753 sq mi

3144th1st

1171st of 3,144 (US)

Density

1,209.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

130th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,402

3143rd1st

1610th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

910,530

95th1st

1st of 95 (TN)

Land area

753 sq mi

95th1st

1st of 95 (TN)

Density

1,209.6 / sq mi

95th1st

2nd of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$62,402

95th1st

30th of 95 (TN)

How Shelby County's population changed since 2020

Shelby County lost 19,258 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.1%. That ranks 93rd of 95 in Tennessee for growth. The median Tennessee county changed by +4.4%, and the state as a whole by +4.3%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Shelby County recorded 52,638 births and 42,602 deaths, a natural change of +10,036. Net international migration added +13,670 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -43,545. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 43,545 people.

929.8k2020923.3k2021918.4k2022913.9k2023910.5k2024
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
52,638
Deaths
42,602
Net international migration
+13,670
Net domestic migration
-43,545
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-3,379

Where Shelby County is

The Census internal point of Shelby County is at 35.184600, -89.894600. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Tennessee's 95 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.

Warren County: +6.2%Bledsoe County: +4.3%Cheatham County: +3.7%Crockett County: +0.5%Putnam County: +6.0%Houston County: +2.8%Macon County: +7.6%Sequatchie County: +11.2%Fayette County: +6.2%Trousdale County: +4.5%Union County: +6.1%Claiborne County: +3.1%Weakley County: +0.8%Coffee County: +5.4%Johnson County: +2.8%Overton County: +4.3%Lake County: -8.1%Moore County: +4.7%Hardeman County: -0.0%Jefferson County: +7.8%Smith County: +4.1%Robertson County: +7.5%Gibson County: +1.9%Henry County: +2.3%Grundy County: +4.4%Decatur County: +3.2%Greene County: +4.3%Hamblen County: +4.9%Humphreys County: +2.9%Knox County: +5.5%Roane County: +5.7%Lewis County: +6.4%Rhea County: +4.4%Rutherford County: +9.8%Montgomery County: +11.2%Lauderdale County: -2.0%Shelby County: -2.1%Tipton County: +1.9%Perry County: +7.2%Stewart County: +4.8%Chester County: +2.8%Washington County: +4.8%Polk County: +4.4%Van Buren County: +8.3%Dyer County: -0.8%Davidson County: +1.9%Cocke County: +4.3%Williamson County: +7.8%Benton County: +2.0%Dickson County: +5.9%Lawrence County: +5.2%Hamilton County: +5.0%McNairy County: +0.9%Meigs County: +8.8%Hawkins County: +4.7%Blount County: +4.8%White County: +6.1%Marshall County: +9.8%Sullivan County: +2.8%Campbell County: +2.4%Haywood County: -4.1%Bradley County: +4.5%Franklin County: +5.4%Sumner County: +7.2%Hardin County: +2.4%Grainger County: +6.4%Hickman County: +3.6%Pickett County: +2.2%Carroll County: +2.4%Henderson County: +1.3%Sevier County: +1.3%Hancock County: +6.2%Scott County: +2.9%McMinn County: +6.4%Morgan County: +4.3%Lincoln County: +4.0%Obion County: -1.7%Unicoi County: -0.0%Wayne County: -1.5%Cannon County: +4.0%Fentress County: +8.6%Loudon County: +12.7%Wilson County: +14.3%Bedford County: +7.6%Monroe County: +5.9%DeKalb County: +7.7%Marion County: +3.2%Carter County: +1.9%Clay County: +3.5%Madison County: +1.6%Cumberland County: +6.9%Anderson County: +5.3%Maury County: +11.4%Giles County: +2.1%Jackson County: +6.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +3.7%
  3. < +4.9%
  4. < +6.4%
  5. ≥ +6.4%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
35.184600, -89.894600
DMS
35°11'4.56"N 89°53'40.56"W
UTM
16N 236419.6E 3897353.2N
Geohash
dn204mhtp
Plus code
867G54M4+R5

Towns in Shelby County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Shelby County, 801,158 people together, or 88% 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 Memphis with 610,919.

  1. 01Memphis610,919
  2. 02Bartlett56,708
  3. 03Collierville51,951
  4. 04Germantown40,128
  5. 05Arlington15,550
  6. 06Lakeland14,416
  7. 07Millington11,486
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, including 4 across a state line. The most populous is DeSoto County, MS, with 195,871 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 187.3 miles ENE of Shelby County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Memphis, TN (population 610,919), 6.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bartlett, TN (population 56,708), 5.4 miles away.

Shelby County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Shelby County is 47157: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 157. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,402.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Shelby County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 910,530. That is down 19,258 people (2.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 929,788.

What is the FIPS code of Shelby County?

47157. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (157) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Shelby County?

Memphis, with 610,919 residents inside Shelby County in 2024.

Which counties border Shelby County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: DeSoto County, MS; Tipton County, TN; Crittenden County, AR; Fayette County, TN; Mississippi County, AR; Marshall County, MS.

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.