Population
Salisbury
35,730
Shelby
21,868
Median Income
Salisbury
$51,058
Shelby
$50,705
Home Value
Salisbury
$215,200
Shelby
$185,400
Rent
Salisbury
$1,030
Shelby
$899
Crime Rate
Salisbury
9.60
Shelby
10.44
Cost of Living
Salisbury
94.9
Shelby
88.4
Avg Temp
Salisbury
N/A
Shelby
N/A
Unemployment
Salisbury
7.5%
Shelby
3.6%
How Similar Are Salisbury & Shelby?
Shelby is Salisbury's #15 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Salisbury
35,730
Shelby
21,868
Salisbury has a 39% larger population than Shelby.
Violent Crime
Salisbury
9.60
Shelby
10.44
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.
Property Crime
Salisbury
39.88
Shelby
24.33
Salisbury has a 39% higher property crime than Shelby.
Political Leaning
Salisbury
67.5%
Shelby
67.2%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Salisbury
7.5%
Shelby
3.6%
Salisbury's unemployment is significantly higher than Shelby's — 52% difference.
Median Income
Salisbury
$51,058
Shelby
$50,705
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Salisbury
$215,200
Shelby
$185,400
Salisbury has a 14% higher home values than Shelby.
Education
Salisbury
17.7%
Shelby
18.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Salisbury
51.8%
Shelby
55.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Salisbury
94.9
Shelby
88.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Salisbury and Shelby share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Salisbury
0
Shelby
Shelby leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Shelby leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDShelby has a fair market rent (2br) of $925 vs $1,196 in Salisbury (29% lower). Shelby has a fair market rent (1br) of $763 vs $958 in Salisbury (26% lower). Shelby scores 95.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 110.6 in Salisbury.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Shelby leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a median property tax of $1,613 vs $1,923 in Salisbury (19% lower). Salisbury has a vacancy rate of 12.4% compared to 15.1% in Shelby. Salisbury has a median home value of $215,200 vs $185,400 in Shelby (16% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Salisbury leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a unemployment rate of 3.6% compared to 7.5% in Salisbury. Salisbury: 16,220 vs Shelby: 9,810 for labor force. Shelby has a poverty rate of 18.2% compared to 24.3% in Salisbury.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Shelby leads
Source: FBI UCRShelby has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 1.45 in Salisbury. Shelby has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 24.33 compared to 39.88 in Salisbury. Shelby has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 17.16 compared to 27.62 in Salisbury.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Shelby leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauShelby has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 35.8% in Salisbury. Shelby has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 17.7% in Salisbury.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSalisbury has a population of 35,730, about 1.6x the size of Shelby (21,868). Salisbury skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 41.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Salisbury
Shelby
Healthcare — Shelby leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareShelby: 3.0 vs Salisbury: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSShelby has a work from home of 9.7% compared to 7.8% in Salisbury. Shelby has a drive alone of 79.3% compared to 74.0% in Salisbury.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Salisbury, NC
Compare Salisbury 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.