Population

Elkhart

53,726

Shelby

21,868

Median Income

Elkhart

$47,885

Shelby

$50,705

Home Value

Elkhart

$126,900

Shelby

$185,400

Rent

Elkhart

$981

Shelby

$899

Crime Rate

Elkhart

9.97

Shelby

10.44

Cost of Living

Elkhart

84.5

Shelby

88.4

Avg Temp

Elkhart

N/A

Shelby

N/A

Unemployment

Elkhart

3.5%

Shelby

3.6%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Elkhart & Shelby?

Shelby is Elkhart's #5 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Elkhart

53,726

vs

Shelby

21,868

Different · 59% difference

Elkhart (53,726) is about 2.5x larger than Shelby (21,868).

Violent Crime

Elkhart

9.97

vs

Shelby

10.44

Match · 5% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Elkhart

25.99

vs

Shelby

24.33

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Elkhart

65.5%

vs

Shelby

67.2%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Elkhart

3.5%

vs

Shelby

3.6%

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.

Median Income

Elkhart

$47,885

vs

Shelby

$50,705

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Elkhart

$126,900

vs

Shelby

$185,400

Different · 32% difference

Shelby has a 32% higher home values than Elkhart.

Education

Elkhart

11.2%

vs

Shelby

18.4%

Different · 39% difference
🎓

Shelby has a 39% higher education than Elkhart.

Demographics

🌍

Elkhart

62.5%

vs

Shelby

55.3%

Different · 12% difference

Elkhart has a 12% higher demographics than Shelby.

Cost of Living

Elkhart

84.5

vs

Shelby

88.4

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Elkhart and Shelby share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Elkhart

vsof 8

0

Shelby

Shelby leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Elkhart leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $992 in Elkhart (30% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,183 in Elkhart (28% lower). Elkhart scores 88.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Shelby.

Overall Cost Index

Elkhart84.5
Shelby88.4

Housing Index

Elkhart88.8
Shelby95.8

Food Index

Elkhart86.6
Shelby88.8

Transportation Index

Elkhart76.8
Shelby77.5

Healthcare Index

Elkhart89.3
Shelby91.0

Utilities Index

Elkhart89.7
Shelby92.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Elkhart$37,175
Shelby$38,910

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Elkhart$87,867
Shelby$91,968

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Elkhart$992
Shelby$763

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Elkhart$1,183
Shelby$925

Housing Market — Shelby leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a median home value of $185,400 vs $126,900 in Elkhart (32% higher). Elkhart has a median property tax of $1,159 vs $1,613 in Shelby (28% lower). Shelby has a single-family homes of 71.6% compared to 54.8% in Elkhart.

Median Home Value

Elkhart$126,900
Shelby$185,400

Median Rent

Elkhart$981
Shelby$899

Median Property Tax

Elkhart$1,159
Shelby$1,613

Owner-Occupied

Elkhart52.7%
Shelby59.1%

Vacancy Rate

Elkhart14.1%
Shelby15.1%

Single-Family Homes

Elkhart54.8%
Shelby71.6%

Jobs & Economy — Shelby leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Elkhart: 25,730 vs Shelby: 9,810 for labor force. Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 2.6% in Elkhart. Elkhart has a government sector of 48.5% compared to 38.9% in Shelby.

Median Household Income

Elkhart$47,885
Shelby$50,705

Per Capita Income

Elkhart$26,902
Shelby$30,663

Poverty Rate

Elkhart18.8%
Shelby18.2%

Unemployment Rate

Elkhart3.5%
Shelby3.6%

Labor Force

Elkhart25,730
Shelby9,810

Mean Commute

Elkhart18 min
ShelbyN/A

Work from Home

Elkhart2.6%
Shelby9.7%

Private Sector

ElkhartN/A
Shelby80.2%

Government Sector

Elkhart48.5%
Shelby38.9%

Crime & Safety — Elkhart leads

Source: FBI UCR

Elkhart has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.23 in Shelby. Shelby has a property crime clearance of 26.7% compared to 11.0% in Elkhart. Elkhart has a violent crime clearance of 53.4% compared to 43.0% in Shelby.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart9.97
Shelby10.44

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart25.99
Shelby24.33

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart0.02
Shelby0.23

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart0.73
Shelby0.77

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart8.36
Shelby8.94

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart5.92
Shelby4.86

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Elkhart17.20
Shelby17.16

Violent Crime Clearance

Elkhart53.4%
Shelby43.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Elkhart11.0%
Shelby26.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Avg Annual High

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Avg Annual Low

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Annual Rainfall

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Annual Snowfall

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Avg Humidity

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Schools & Education — Shelby leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 11.2% in Elkhart. Shelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 35.9% in Elkhart.

Public Schools

Elkhart0
Shelby0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ElkhartN/A
ShelbyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Elkhart0
Shelby0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Elkhart11.2%
Shelby18.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Elkhart35.9%
Shelby39.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Elkhart has a population of 53,726, about 2.5x the size of Shelby (21,868). Elkhart skews younger with a median age of 35.2 vs 41.2.

Population

Elkhart53,726
Shelby21,868

Median Age

Elkhart35
Shelby41

Avg Household Size

Elkhart2.4
Shelby2.3

Married Population

Elkhart30.6%
Shelby37.4%

Foreign Born

Elkhart14.5%
Shelby2.9%

White

Elkhart62.5%
Shelby55.3%

Black

Elkhart12.3%
Shelby32.4%

Hispanic

Elkhart27.4%
Shelby4.7%

Asian

Elkhart0.6%
Shelby0.8%

Elkhart

Shelby

Healthcare — Shelby leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Shelby: 5 vs Elkhart: 3 for with emergency services. Shelby: 3.0 vs Elkhart: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Elkhart5
Shelby5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Elkhart2.7
Shelby3.0

With Emergency Services

Elkhart3
Shelby5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Shelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 2.6% in Elkhart. Shelby has a drive alone of 79.3% compared to 75.9% in Elkhart.

Mean Commute Time

Elkhart18 min
ShelbyN/A

Drive Alone

Elkhart75.9%
Shelby79.3%

Public Transit

Elkhart0.8%
Shelby0.0%

Bicycle

Elkhart0.3%
Shelby0.0%

Work from Home

Elkhart2.6%
Shelby9.7%

Airports

Elkhart0
Shelby0

Cities Similar to Elkhart, IN

Compare Elkhart against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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